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Getting the bat head on the same plane as the ball as soon as possible is undeniably the best way to consistently hit a pitched ball squarely.
SUMMARY
A pitched ball comes in on a downward plane. The best hitters are able to match the downward pitch with a positive attack angle of the barrel into the ball. Meaning you should have a slight upward swing angle of 10 to 15 degrees* – this matches the path of the ball. Plus this allows the batter to be long in the zone so they don’t have to have perfect timing (if the batter is early or late they will make contact). But take note, this isn’t “upper cutting” – which is just as bad as swinging down - just in reverse.
SUPPORT RESEARCH
Alan Nathan (professor emeritus of physics at the University of Illinois) while testing the theory that an optimally hit curveball can be hit farther than an optimally hit fastball (the effects of back spin) states: "One additional thing easily can be seen from the contour plots: If your goal is to hit the ball as far as possible, swinging down on the ball—i.e., with a negative attack angle—does not appear to be a good idea." (Optimizing the Swing, Nov 2015) It's a long read. Back spin will be addressed in a future article "Baseball Back Spin And Distance - Don’t Worry About It".
Also according to Nathan's research, approximately 80% of all balls hit with a slight upward swing angle of +10 to +15 degrees become hits.
*The 10 degree angle is based off a 90mph fastball from a mound 60’ 6” away. A slower pitch from the same distance will have a little more downward angle therefore the 10-15 degree range. For younger players where the mound is closer than 60" 6", they too should work on a positive 10-15 degree attack angle swing.
Ball Trajectory
Ball Trajectory
By "chopping" down at the ball you have a very small hitting area
(indicated by the red line) and very little room for error. You have to
be almost perfect. You can't be too early or late.
The best hitters are able to match the downward pitch with a positive attack angle of the barrel into the ball. The red line indicates the area the batter can hit the ball. Even if late or early.