Comments on: Has the 500-club been diminished?

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:58:06 +0000

Weight rooms, personal trainers and nutritionists, more specialized baseball training and better equipment from Little League onward, draft and development emphasis on power, better lighting systems in ballparks, rule interpretations in favor of hitters, the attempted abolition of the brushback pitch, possible juiced balls introduced after the 1994/5 strike…the list of reasons guys hit more homers now is huge.
The sad thing is that despite this overwhelming list, most people will shrug and blame it on PEDs.

By: smsetnor

smsetnor — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:03:40 +0000

OK. I enjoy me some Sabr stats as much as the next baseball guy. But sitting here reading Mike’s post, I realize why so many disregard Sabr numbers. We just throw out stuff like OPS+ and adjusted OPS like everyone knows what they mean. (Heck, I’m a certified baseball nerd and I needed to look both of them up.) I just feel like it makes Sabr guys come off as pretentious with an air of superiority about them when generally that isn’t the case.
Numbers like Batting Average and OBP were always easy to understand because of their names. Even OPS is that way. You get it because it’s in the name. But you can’t do that with stuff like OPS+ and adjusted OPS. Really, when we throw out the Sabr statistics like this, we’re not saying anything to the people who need this info the most(Like those who out-right Thome’s HOF chances) because they just don’t understand it and won’t take the time to look this stuff up. I’m not sure how to get around this other than occasionally explaining what these things mean, but I think those of us who want more people to embrace Sabr really need to keep this in mind.
And Mike, this is nothing against what you posted. All good stuff. This was just a Sabr riff in general.

By: bh0673

bh0673 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:58:12 +0000

Steve I wouldn’t go that far but Damon was hitting the upper deck in the old stadium as well. The field dimensions are the same as the old stadium after 1976 however the right field dimensions are actually farthur then the original stadium from 1923 so to that Damon would have better numbers if he played his entire career in New York and played at the old stadium prior to 1976 when the right field porch was about 15 feet closer. Without question Ruth, Mantle, Maris, DiMAggio, Williams and I am sure many more would have higher home run totals in todays parks under todays rules.

By: Mike Eller

Mike Eller — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:46:47 +0000

It’s true that reaching 500 home runs is easier today than it was in the 1960′s and 1970′s. I keep hearing that Jim Thome and Fred McGriff (a little short of the mark, but whatever) do not deserve to be in the Hall of Fame because 500 home runs is not impressive anymore.
However, this is a load of croc. McGriff twice led the league in homeruns and finished with an OPS+ of 134. Thome led the league in homeruns in 2002. His adjusted OPS of 147 is better than Killebrew and Matthews. OPS+ might not be the best metric of evaluating players, but there’s enough there to prove that Thome and McGriff are quite comparable to those guys of the 60′s and 70′s.
Everyone claims that the generation of their youth is better than that of the current generation. If Frankie Frisch could somehow get Ross Youngs into the Hall of Fame, I still think there’s hope the likes of Thome and McGriff get in as well.

By: Bill

Bill — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:07:37 +0000

I bet there are articles from 1970 or so about how hitting 500 homers meant something back when Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx were doing it. It did take Killebrew four years to get into the Hall.

By: Steve McKenna

Steve McKenna — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:48:56 +0000

Yes, the club has been diminished. Smaller ballparks and lower pitching mounds are one of the biggest reasons. I mean, come on, look at the new Yankee stadium. Its a joke. If Johnny Damon played in the new Yankee stadium his whole career he would hit 500 home runs!