We took a look at the National League and some of the most well known home run swings that league has to offer, so I guess it's only fair that we give the American League some publicity as well. After the jump, let's take a look at some dingers and grade some swings.
 

Jose Abreu hit 36 home runs last year (and had a 5.2 WAR), which is, uh, yeah pretty decent for a rookie campaign. But I'll say it, his game is boring; his swing is boring; and his home runs are mostly boring. I need a bit more flair from you Jose. That being said, The Show does a mostly solid job of nailing his ho-hum swing. The MLB clip is a more extreme version of Abreu's swing because he really pulls the ball in that GIF, but it's fair to think Abreu's body could be a bit more compact and his timing step could be a bit more pronounced.

And for the record, Jose Abreu the person is not boring.

Grade: B+
 

Miguel Cabrera "only" hit 25 home runs last year, but his reputation easily gets him on this list. His swing looks so effortless, and it's just easy to look at. All in all, the developers got this one right as they're just missing the first of his toe taps as he gets timed up to take his swing -- only the second bigger one is shown in game.

Grade: A
 

As a switch hitter, I could have taken Martinez's swing from either side, but since he hit more of his no-doubt shots from the right side, I will use that one here. However, I think the developers probably took Martinez's swing from the left side and just flipped it for his right-handed swing. This means the swings are still mostly identical, but on his right-handed power swing he actually only keeps one hand on the bat on the follow through. So this swing would be perfect from the left side, but it's slightly less than perfect from the right side.

Grade: A-
 

Chris Carter is probably the best at making baseball look like Wiffle ball. He's a large human that makes the bat look small, and when he connects it's usually game over for that baseball. The comparison GIFs are close, but again, it comes back to the follow through. The Show has him with a two-handed follow through, but he's firmly in the one-handed camp.

Grade: A-
 

The MLB home run leader from a year ago, Nelson Cruz has one of my favorite finishing poses. He holds the bat almost like a sword as he leaves the box and stares at the carnage he's created. The developers have really nailed his follow through and walk from the box. However, he's only got a single toe tap now in real life, but in The Show he still has a double toe tap.

Grade: A-
 

Pujols actually has a rather elaborate home run swing. The swing itself is straight forward enough, but everything from the follow through on is positively his own trademark. He doesn't do the skip out of the box as often anymore, but he's still really consistent about staring at the home run before looking away to flip his bat. In The Show, Pujols has the skip, but he's still missing the look away as he flips his bat away.

Grade: A-
 

Mike Trout is another right-handed hitter who likes the two-handed follow through. The big things to nail though are the things The Show gets right.

• He gets out of the box in a hurry while still being hunched over.
• He carries his bat with him as a weapon just long enough to make sure nobody will mess with him.

Great work by the development team getting both aspects correct here.

Grade: A+
 

Holy violent swing. I think the main thing you want to nail with the Canadian cover athlete's swing is just his overall torque and bat speed. The Show does that and also nails the bat and placement of his right arm on the follow through.

Grade: A+
 

Donaldson has a similar follow through to Bautista in that he holds that right arm in as he finishes his extension. Overall what's here is really good, and that's great to see because Donaldson broke out last year and hit 29 home runs -- I love to see fresh faces getting some love in video games because it shows the developers are on the ball. Also, bonus points for making sure Donaldson continues to stare at his home run as he leaves the box.

Grade: A+
 

The Blue Jays have an embarrassing amount of power in the middle of their order, and Edwin Encarnacion is actually my favorite of the three mashers. Nobody hit more no-doubt home runs than him a year ago, and really there's not many things I like watching more than Encarnacion hit bouncy balls off the decks of the Rogers Centre. Plus, as always, I am a sucker for a guy who will walk out of the box and just stare at his home run. The developers got everything about this swing right, and I thank them for it.

Grade: A+
 

David Ortiz seems like the right player to end this series. His swing is well known, and he takes forever to get around the bases so everybody knows when he's hit a home run. The development team is again on their game here as Big Papi steps over the plate at the end of his follow through, and he really gets his body turned when he pulls the ball. The only complaint I have is he does not quite turn his hips enough on the follow through, and the front foot doesn't open up enough as he finishes his swing.

Grade: A-


So that wraps up this series. Hope you guys have enjoyed it. And if you really liked it and want to see more, maybe leave some feedback and mention what other types of signature comparisons you would like to see tackled -- even if it's just more home runs.