Professional baseball players that are easy to imitate: a compilation of batting stance impressions
If you like baseball, chances are you’ve tried imitating a pro player’s form at least once, right?
Batting stances are a classic for impressions, and copying not only the most imitated players but also those with distinctive forms can really liven things up!
In this article, we’ll focus on batting forms and introduce a lineup of players who are easy to mimic as well as those with particularly unique stances.
We’ve selected a variety of players regardless of era or nationality, so feel free to use this as a reference!
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Professional baseball players that are easy to impersonate. A collection of batting form impersonations (1–10)
Nobuhiro Matsuda
Nobuhiro Matsuda, known as “Atsuo,” was a passionate, leader-like player who energized and led his team.
His distinctive batting form, called the one-legged ‘kenken’ swing, is famous.
He had intense eyes and a signature smile with raised corners of his mouth, and his quick movements at shortstop and powerful fist pumps as he charged across the field were full of fire and always fired everyone up.
If you put on a bat and uniform and perform his style at a year-end party, it seems like people of all ages would get excited together.
Nori Aoki
As a representative player of the Yakult Swallows, Norichika Aoki is the only player in NPB history to record 200 hits in a season twice.
He also showcased exceptional bat control in the Major Leagues.
Though it’s bittersweet, he brought his playing career to a close in 2024.
Aoki’s form is memorable for his low stance with deeply bent knees and a compact swing aimed at making solid contact.
Keep your left elbow high and hold the bat at about a 45-degree angle.
You can get even closer to his style by incorporating the motion he used during his Yakult days before moving to the U.S., where he’d rotate the bat outward in a circular path as he stepped into the box.
Tetsuto Yamada
Tetsuto Yamada, the Yakult Swallows’ star hitter.
He holds the NPB single-season hits record for a right-handed batter and is the first in history to win both the home run and stolen base titles in the same season, as well as achieving three Triple-Three seasons—proof of his remarkable athleticism and skill.
He broke out as a complete five-tool player around the mid-2010s.
His batting form is quite distinctive! He repeats a motion about twice where he lays the bat down on his shoulder and then raises it.
When you raise it, try not to make it too vertical.
As you swing through, give the bat a slight, quick waggle, lift your front leg fairly high to get your timing, then swing as if giving a light kick forward.
After the swing, the degree of hip rotation may also be a key point.
Professional baseball players who are easy to impersonate. A compilation of batting stance impressions (11–20)
Masataka Yoshida
Masataka Yoshida is a player who starred for the Orix Buffaloes and in MLB with the Boston Red Sox, and he was also selected for Japan’s WBC national team.
As his nickname “Macho Man” suggests, he’s a power hitter known for a strong, forceful batting style.
While he’s considered relatively small for a baseball player, his batting form is full of techniques to efficiently transfer power to the ball.
Key points include the “hitch” motion of holding the grip low to create a loaded position, and swinging by rotating the body without changing the height of his head.
Takashi Toritani
Takashi Toritani played for the Hanshin Tigers for 16 years from 2004 to 2019 and is also well known as a baseball commentator.
He is called an “Iron Man” because he held the single-season RBI record as a shortstop and had a consecutive games played streak, among other achievements.
His batting form gives a standard impression; by adhering closely to the fundamentals, he achieved skillful bat control that likely led to his run production.
Rather than the exact moment of contact, the movements before and after his swing drew attention—such as testing the firmness of the ground and slowly twirling the bat before setting his stance.
Let’s recreate the way he steps into the batter’s box at his own pace.
Yoshihiro Maru
As a core player for the Hiroshima Carp, Yoshihiro Maru contributed to the team’s three consecutive championships from 2016 to 2018, and in 2019 he transferred to the Yomiuri Giants.
A well-rounded outfielder with excellence in running, hitting, and defense, he boasts a high on-base percentage and won the Golden Glove Award seven years in a row.
While he’s a player whose form has changed significantly over time, his key characteristics may be relatively easy to pinpoint.
When timing the pitch, during his Hiroshima days he held the bat lightly at a slight diagonal, whereas with the Giants he tilts it somewhat wider at a reverse diagonal behind him.
He gives the impression of keeping a low center of gravity.
Another point is the small, rhythmic shaking of his right foot while he awaits the pitch.
Hideki Matsui
If you’re looking for a player whose impression will hype up baseball fans and still be easy for anyone to recognize, why not try doing an impression of Hideki Matsui? He’s a home run hitter who represented the baseball world, starring for the Yomiuri Giants and the New York Yankees.
Even people who aren’t that into baseball tend to know him, and you often see impressions of him on TV shows.
The most distinctive feature of Matsui’s batting form is the subtle head movement as he waits for the pitch.
Mix in a gesture where you look intently at the bat, too.
Keep your posture sleek and upright, load onto your back (plant) foot, and take your swing—doing so will help you capture his vibe.