Forgot to include one name I saw on the trailers for BABIP. Roger Maris had a .209 back in 1961. Despite that bad luck, he still won the MVP. He was able to make up for it by hitting .477 on balls not in play.
don't you think either Mantle or Norm Cash would have been more deserving of MVP? Their OPS's were much higher than Maris's... I mean I get why Maris got the award but...
I probably would have voted for the Mick, but I can understand the reasons Maris got the award. Mickey was definitely the best player in the league, as he had been for a decade up to that point and would continue to be for about 3 more years.
I think what's happened is that as BA has become less important, BIP has become more about quality than quantity. Swing hard and stop caring about strikeouts — even with two strikes — because it no longer pays to put the ball in play unless it's a rocket.
Swing harder in case you make contact. The hard hit ball is harder to field. But such an approach leads to less contact. I think that explains some of what we've seen with higher BABIP at the same time as lower BA. But still most of the explanation is the increase in the number of pitchers throwing 95+
Forgot to include one name I saw on the trailers for BABIP. Roger Maris had a .209 back in 1961. Despite that bad luck, he still won the MVP. He was able to make up for it by hitting .477 on balls not in play.
don't you think either Mantle or Norm Cash would have been more deserving of MVP? Their OPS's were much higher than Maris's... I mean I get why Maris got the award but...
I probably would have voted for the Mick, but I can understand the reasons Maris got the award. Mickey was definitely the best player in the league, as he had been for a decade up to that point and would continue to be for about 3 more years.
a weird phenomenon: as BA has steadily (precipitiously) declined, BABIP has gone up significantly in recent decades... Strange but true
I think what's happened is that as BA has become less important, BIP has become more about quality than quantity. Swing hard and stop caring about strikeouts — even with two strikes — because it no longer pays to put the ball in play unless it's a rocket.
Swing harder in case you make contact. The hard hit ball is harder to field. But such an approach leads to less contact. I think that explains some of what we've seen with higher BABIP at the same time as lower BA. But still most of the explanation is the increase in the number of pitchers throwing 95+