Best Hitters on Inside Pitches

Top MLB Hitters on Inside Pitches (Click to enlarge)

Interesting notes: Alex Rodriguez (NYY) is actually making less contact on inside pitches compared to his three previous seasons (72.2% to 80.9%.)  However, he's yet to strike out on an inside pitch this season.  In his three previous seasons, 19.3% of his plate appearances decided on an inside pitch were strike outs.
Stephen Drew's (ARZ) 2010 batting average on inside pitches ranked in the bottom half of the league; his .636 currently ranks second this season.
Ten of Matt Kemp's(LAD) thirty-one HRs since the beginning of 2010 have come on inside pitches.
Brandon Inge (DET) is swinging at 13.6% fewer inside pitches compared to last season; his .377 BAbip on inside pitches since 2008 is 7th best in all of baseball.
Of Starlin Castro's (CHC) 29 hits this season, 14 have come on inside pitches, including one HR, one triple, and three doubles.

The Yankees and the Three Home Run Bears

The Yankees lead the majors in team home runs hit this season.  The types of pitches they hit for long balls can be demonstrated with three particular players and opponents pitch velocity.  First, a look at the team as a whole:

Yankees home run by release velocity and location, 2011.New York batters hit fast pitches high and low, and slower pitches in the middle.  The papa bear here is Alex Rodriguez, who likes his pitches high and fast:

Alex Rodriguez home runs by release velocity and location, 2011.Alex, one of the great sluggers of all time, can handle the high, hard stuff.  This alos gives him power to all fields, as he hit two homers to left this season, one to center and one to right.

Russell Martin comes in as mama bear, who likes his pitches soft and hanging:

Russell Martin, home runs by release velocity and location, 2011.Martin has not been much of a slugger in his career, but he's killing mistakes in the middle of the plate this season.

That leaves Mark Teixeira as baby bear, the slugger where every pitch is just right:

Mark Teixeira, home runs by release velocity, 2011.He hits them high, he hits them low, he hits them fast, he hits them slow.  New York's diverse set of sluggers gives them the ability to take any kind of pitcher deep somewhere in the lineup, and their tremendous power to start the season vaulted them to first place in the AL East.