You, like most of them, may find the extra time to react is important. This stance puts your body in the best position to coil, stride, and swing. However, there are other stances and you have decide what works best for you. When you get into your stance, your weight should be slightly back, but not completely on the back leg. Have your hands near the top of the strike zone.
Many players prefer to have their hands slightly off the back shoulder.
Since you want to swing the bat on a slightly downward plane, having your hands off your shoulder puts them in the best position for swinging the bat.