Are Today's Hitters Better Than Yesteryear's?

This is a question I often ask myself.  As a student of the game, I have no doubt, today's hitters are better athletes, have better instruction, better technology, and better swing fundamentals.  But are they better hitters?  

Hitting is more than just the swing.  It's having a plan at the plate.  It's understanding when to pull the trigger on what pitch and when to shut it down.  It's relaxing while the whole world is watching.  It's competing and winning a battle of one vs. nine.

Young hitters today understand terms like "hand load", "toe down", "short to long" and "inside half".  But does that make them better?  I argue old timers knew better how to relax at the plate, how to guess on the pitch, and how to be the hitter (style-wise) God intended for them to be.  (lead off, line drive/gap, or power...Everone falls in one of these three categories.) 

With technological innovations like Don Slaught's RightView Pro, a young hitter can now study their swing vs. A-Rod or Jeet's.  With videotape analysis, a young hitter can see if he or she "chicken winged" between at-bats.  Nike even developed contact lens a few years back that helped hitters pick up the ball better at the plate!  But even with all these advances, one piece of advice is always heard out of the dugout. 

"Hey kid, relax up there, pick out a good one, and be quick..."

Advice which is no doubt just as useful in today's world, as it was in 1845 for the New York Knickerbockers.