After having watched nearly every game for the last 4-5 years, I have noticed something that seems to be consistent with the Cubs hitting.  It seems to me that Cubs hitters, for the most part, stand pretty far away from the plate when they are batting.  Now I am sure other players from other teams do this as well but I do not watch these other teams nearly as much.  It seems that when they do this, opposing teams pitch away and away.  This seems to be the book on the Cubs for other teams.  If I was a Major League pitcher, I would pitch the Cubs hitters outside all day long.

One hitter is who struggling with this the most this year is Aramis Ramirez.  Pitchers seem to work the outside corner on him consistently, so when he does make contact, he is not able to drive the pitch.  The only way he can get a good pitch to hit is if the pitchers throws in on him or makes a mistake.  Now I am not saying this is the main reason for his struggles to date, but I thought it might invoke an interesting discussion.

Do you think batting stance, as in how far away from the plate a batter stands, has an effect on their ability to hit?  Have you noticed this with the Cubs?  And do you think that certain players would benefit from standing closer to the plate?