Again.... another book reference.... I read a book called The Cloudbuster Nine, which was about the Navy's Pre Flight Training program. It was the type of training that led to the formation of the SEALs. Presidents, Astronauts, and guys like Ted Williams came through this program. It was very tough. When they formed it they reached out to elite coaches around the world, your Bear Bryants, etc. Ted found a home in this program because he found in it the discipline and drive that he required of himself and demanded. His home life growing up was sort of empty, he was a lazy student. But he loved what flying required and became an excellent student which was obviously required to be good at it. And he was very good at it. He wasn't just a pro athlete mugging for the camera for PR purposes. My point is that dedication led to him being a great hitter as a student of the game and I see no reason why he wouldn't have had the same in today's world.
Read that book if you love military history and love to read about athletes and training. I thought it was going to be about a bunch of military baseball players, and it was in there, but it was so much more. I think the title is misleading.