Signature animations have become more of a mainstay in sports games as the years have gone by. The current era of mimicking real-life animations was first defined by NBA 2K during the PS3/Xbox 360 generation, but every sports game has tried to get in on the signature-style game as the years have gone by.

MLB The Show is no different here, so we'll be taking a look at some of the home run swings in The Show and see how they compare to their real-life counterparts. We'll take a look at the National League today, and then later in the week we'll take a look at the American League.
 

LOOK AT YASIEL PUIG DISGRACING THE GAME WITH HIS BAT FLIP IN REAL LIFE AND THE SHOW!

Whoa sorry, hot takes took over my body for a moment. Yasiel Puig is the perfect guy to start with because he's the cover athlete, and his home run swing and bat flip can be so polarizing. Everything looks great here because it makes me think "I don't want to give up a no-doubt home run to this guy, ever." Seriously folks, like never ever.

Grade: A+
 

Another former Show cover athlete, Adrian Gonzalez's swing is less about power and more about beauty. Like with most aesthetically pleasing left-handed swings, it's majestic in a way. There's a definite uppercut element to the motion, and the developers have done a great job re-creating this in the game. Gonzalez will be a bit more emphatic with his bat drop from time to time, as you can see with the MLB version of his no-doubt swing, but either way the Show has a true-to-life version of his follow through. The only complaint is that perhaps Gonzalez's timing step is a bit more pronounced in real life than it is in the game.

Grade: A
 

Justin Upton has one of my favorite home run swings. It's got scary amounts of power, he keeps two hands on the bat through the whole swing, and just the way he pops out of the swing after extending is just awesome. He usually caps it off by just whipping the bat away while staring at his home run, and I will always give a thumbs up to that sort of nonchalant defiance. I've got no complaints, the developers nailed it here.

Grade: A+
 

Matt Kemp has a bit of a unique home run swing in that he sort of holds the bat in the air like a scepter as he leaves the box with his chest still facing towards left field. The Show doesn't quite nail that aspect of his follow through as he's too quick to go into his regular home run trot. But other than that minor misstep the swing looks good, and the developers even have virtual Kemp hold his right arm in a bit towards his body on the extension.

Grade: A-
 

I actually just assumed Buster Posey had been on the cover of The Show at this point -- doesn't it just feel like he should have been on it by now? I'd like to think it hasn't happened because this game is made in San Diego, but either way, his swing is spot on here so the hate only goes so deep at Sony San Diego. You've got Posey's leg kick, the two-handed follow through that trails behind his back, the head tracking out of the box. It's all on point.

Grade: A+
 

Now here's someone who has definitely been on the cover of The Show. It's no surprise that everything looks good in this comparison. McCutchen has some of the most ridiculous hands and bat speed around, and his power swing is in a way nonchalant because it just happens so fast. He will sometimes turn his hips and body a bit more in the box depending on where the ball is pulled, which is why the swings don't look identical. However, The Show is just showing off the more emphatic version of his home run swing so I don't see an issue here.

(As an aside, do you think somebody on the art team at Sony San Diego broke anything when he or she noticed that McCutchen cut his hair days before the season began? McCutchen did it for a good cause, but I would still be sort of chapped if I worked on creating McCutchen's hair for many, many hours only to watch it be chopped away.)

Grade: A+
 

Frazier was fifth in the NL in home runs a year ago, and he's tearing it up so far this season so he gets to be on the list. He generally doesn't hit monster home runs, but he's hit a couple bombs already this season, which also helps his cause. As for the swing comparison, again it's hard to complain about much. In real life, he takes a bit more of a step up in the box and holds his hands a little higher, but the actual swing looks one-to-one in the comparison GIFs.

Grade: A-
 

I'm sneaking Gomez onto this list. He's in the Puig camp of love him or hate him for many, but any guy who routinely loses his helmet on swings and misses will become a favorite of mine. He hit 23 home runs a year ago, including a couple moon balls, and in general when he connects the ball goes a long way.

When looking at the comparisons, this swing has a couple issues. Gomez has a couple different kind of follow through swings. Sometimes he sort of just drops the bat behind himself in an emphatic way, other times one hand flies off the bat on the follow through, and then other times he does keep two hands on the bat all the way through the swing. Regardless, his most common home run swing includes one hand coming off the bat so this is a half demerit. On top of that, the swing just doesn't look quite unbalanced enough in The Show. Even when he connects, Gomez is usually just slightly off-kilter and slightly on his heels.

Grade: B
 

Anthony Rizzo was second in the NL in home runs last year, and you look at the swing and get why that's the case. The comparison is easy to see here, and most of what's going on looks great. His stance could be slightly more open and his body could be a bit more compact as he gets set in the box, but the swing and stare look great.

Grade: A-
 

Another new entry to the 30 home run club last season, Lucas Duda has a pretty basic setup going on here. I don't feel the need to spend much time on the swing because it looks good. If I'm being really picky, his front foot generally comes up on his heel a bit more on the follow through when he really connects with a pitch, but that's a very small element.

Grade: A
 

It would be wrong to finish the NL edition of home run swings with anyone but Stanton, right? He hit 37 home runs a year ago, and when you think of no-doubt home runs, it's hard to think of anyone but Stanton right away.

Anyway, Stanton has ridiculous extension as he finishes his swing, and the way he holds onto the bat like it's a twig on the follow through adds to the whole experience of watching Stanton hit outrageous home runs. You don't get the slow trot out of the box in the MLB GIF I made here, but trust me it's true to form.

We're ending on a high note.

Grade: A+


So that's the NL edition of signature home run swings. We'll be back later this week with the AL. In the meantime, is there anyone you're bummed we left off the list? Anybody you think doesn't look quite right in The Show when he hits a long home run? Sound off in the comments below.