Free swingers: hitters such as Vladimir Guerrero and Nomar Garciaparra concentrate on putting ball into play.(Brief Article)

SPIDERMAN OPENED THIS YEAR with Tobey Maguire in the starring role. Some baseball people wondered whether the assignment shouldn't have gone to Vladimir Guerrero instead.

Guerrero, the Montreal Expos slugger, has some of the longest arms and quickest hands in baseball, attributes which allow him to make contact with almost any pitch. High, low, inside, outside. None of that matters to the Expos' right fielder.

"Vladi has those Spiderman arms," said Florida manager Jeff Torborg, who managed Guerrero in Montreal last season. "He can reach anything."

Along with such players as Ichiro Suzuki, Alfonso Soriano, Nomar Garciaparra and Julio Franco, Guerrero is the standard bearer for a disappearing breed in the major leagues: the bad-ball hitter. Their greatness runs counter to a growing trend that emphasizes strike-zone discipline, patience and a high on-base percentage.

Between 1992 and 2000, average on-base percentage in the major leagues rose from .322 to .345. Pitches per plate appearance rose from 3.69 to 3.80. Walks increased from one every 10.45 at-bats to one every 9.19.

There's no doubt patience is in vogue.

Bad-ball hitters aren't interested in following the crowd. They go up hacking.