Need help hitting for power

Question

i am 14 5'7 and a half and 165 pounds i want to get ready for my high school baseball tryouts and i want to improve me power alot i have good contact and for my size i should be hitting harder and farther. i am going to the gym and i am squatting 90 pounds and benching 80 pounds. i am doing fore arms and stuff but i want to know what else helps my bat speed because i think my bat speed is really the thing that is holding me back form hittign harder so what else can i do to improve my bat speed i can use a lighter bat because i need to get used to -3 bats, also what other things should i work on to hit harder and by my size do you think i should play 3rd ss or 1st?? at 1st i need to work on scoping on third i need to work on reaction and on ss i need to work on range so which position you think is better for me? also i am working on my core using planks.

Answer 1

Use a bat weight every time before you go up to bat. It'll really improve your bat speed. Also, I would say you should try 1st because it's easiest to learn because you can easily practice it. Just have someone throw a lot of baseballs at you at all different locations. Good luck!  

Answer 2

my guess is that there may be a fundamental problem with your swing. When I was 14 I was about the same exact size asyou. I was also mostly a contact hitter but wanted/needed more power. I learned that I was using my arms and upper body way too much. I wasnt using my legs, hips and core enough. Once I improved my swing and starting snapping my hips with my swing, the ball started to fly off my bat. Try to get an evaluation of you your swing by a hitting coach and see if there is some room for improvement. Other than that, all you can do is try to get stronger. Swinging a heavier bat in the batting cage will help improve bat speed