Posted on: March 15, 2010 by admin
Swinging for the fences seems to be the thing to do now in the MLB. For the last couple of decades, the focus for many hitters has been hitting home runs. Some even have sacrificed their own bodies by taking steroids in order to achieve greater home run numbers. But the ones that are not breaking the rules still try and hit more and more home runs every year. But is it really wise? Certainly there are many power hitters in the game. Better yet, there are hitters with consistently high averages that can still hit over 20 homers a year. But what caused the US to lose in the World championships a few years back was just good old fashioned error free ball by Japan. They won the game with no power hitting, just amazing fielding, smart base running and good get on base hitting. They knew if their pitching could keep them in the game, they would need very few runs to win. Every batter that got on base was precious, no matter how they got there. Home runs can be great, but a bit over-rated at times. What is your opinion, would baseball still be as exciting with half as many home runs per year?
Posted on: October 17, 2009 by admin
The homer. No not Homer Simpson, but the big home run!
Everyone loves to see a home run at a ballpark. Most fans sitting in the outfield would love to catch a game ball hit out of the park by a good player. Lately with the home run records falling like a stack of dominoes, collectors are paying big dollars for these balls.
Home runs in the past were much more rare. It was not until the 1950′s that the average number of home runs per game reached one. But now stats are showing us closing in on the 2.5 HR per game mark. There is a lot more emphasis on players wanting to hit the ball out of the park. Ball players are much stronger than they used to be it seems, well apparently for some un-naturally, but either way the game has seen more and more players looking to swing for the fences. Here is a great graph showing the averages per decade.
For me, I must say I would rather see my favorite team filled with players looking for a hit rather the fences. I have seen at times during the season that sometimes there is not even one player batting 300.
I guess with the numbers rising, home runs just are not as exciting as they used to be for me, they have become common. I get more excited seeing a player get a double. Home runs are a big part of baseball in the US. No matter what, fans certainly still love to see them. Enjoy the 2009 MLB Playoffs!
