Batting Leader or Batting Cheater?
Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 10:22 am
Remember those old baseball cards?
You know, the one's that had the leaders of categories like Batting Average, Home runs, Wins, RBI.
Those were cool.
My favorite was when they'd have a larger head shot of the leader, then had the others below him in smaller head shots.
A little like a first place finisher being on the top podium while the others were just that, 'others'.
I bring this up because if things remain the same as they are now, the picture on top of that baseball card will be that of Melky Cabrera.
Major league rules state that a player must have 502 plate appearances to win the batting title.
Cabrera has 501.
BUT, MLB also has a rule that non-qualifiers that are close to 502 plate appearances can have at bats added without hits,to qualify at 502 plate appearances. The one extra at bat added to Cabrera's stats does little to alter his batting average.
In fact, it changes it so little that his .346 average, remains at .346.
This raises a question that has not come up before. While Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa won home run titles under the cloud of performance enhancing drugs, none of these category leading players were ever found guilty of abusing a substance during their league leading years.
Last year, baseball enthusiast thought that Jose Reyes won the batting title in the wrong manner by getting a bunt hit and then sitting out the rest of the game.
This is worse.
Think if nothing has changed over the years and we're still that kid opening up those baseball cards and see a big head shot of Melky Cabrera leading the league in batting average.
Almost sending a message to us that the best way to lead an average in hitting is to take drugs.
What should Major League baseball do?
Afterall, he was guilty of taking these things during the same year he led the league in hitting.
That has to account for something.
The penalties for players cheating are obviously not working. If they were, players would not take the chance.
Equate a players penalties with a student taking SAT's.
He could get caught cheating and take the same test 50 days later. He can get caught again and wait another 100 days. It is only after then that the player receives the same penalty as someone cheating on SAT's. They get three chances, we get one.
Although the penalties were bargained with the players union, nothing was formulated about what to do with a player like Cabrera who leads a league in hitting with the help of performance enhancing drugs.
What would today's kid think when seeing Melky Cabrera on the top of that 'leader' baseball card with 'others' below him in smaller head shots?
Should Cabrera be the batting Champion?
A Silver Slugger recipient?
It should be interesting to see if Cabrera is rewarded with these honors.
If so, leading by example takes on a whole new meaning.
You know, the one's that had the leaders of categories like Batting Average, Home runs, Wins, RBI.
Those were cool.
My favorite was when they'd have a larger head shot of the leader, then had the others below him in smaller head shots.
A little like a first place finisher being on the top podium while the others were just that, 'others'.
I bring this up because if things remain the same as they are now, the picture on top of that baseball card will be that of Melky Cabrera.
Major league rules state that a player must have 502 plate appearances to win the batting title.
Cabrera has 501.
BUT, MLB also has a rule that non-qualifiers that are close to 502 plate appearances can have at bats added without hits,to qualify at 502 plate appearances. The one extra at bat added to Cabrera's stats does little to alter his batting average.
In fact, it changes it so little that his .346 average, remains at .346.
This raises a question that has not come up before. While Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa won home run titles under the cloud of performance enhancing drugs, none of these category leading players were ever found guilty of abusing a substance during their league leading years.
Last year, baseball enthusiast thought that Jose Reyes won the batting title in the wrong manner by getting a bunt hit and then sitting out the rest of the game.
This is worse.
Think if nothing has changed over the years and we're still that kid opening up those baseball cards and see a big head shot of Melky Cabrera leading the league in batting average.
Almost sending a message to us that the best way to lead an average in hitting is to take drugs.
What should Major League baseball do?
Afterall, he was guilty of taking these things during the same year he led the league in hitting.
That has to account for something.
The penalties for players cheating are obviously not working. If they were, players would not take the chance.
Equate a players penalties with a student taking SAT's.
He could get caught cheating and take the same test 50 days later. He can get caught again and wait another 100 days. It is only after then that the player receives the same penalty as someone cheating on SAT's. They get three chances, we get one.
Although the penalties were bargained with the players union, nothing was formulated about what to do with a player like Cabrera who leads a league in hitting with the help of performance enhancing drugs.
What would today's kid think when seeing Melky Cabrera on the top of that 'leader' baseball card with 'others' below him in smaller head shots?
Should Cabrera be the batting Champion?
A Silver Slugger recipient?
It should be interesting to see if Cabrera is rewarded with these honors.
If so, leading by example takes on a whole new meaning.