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Some consider 2001 as the height of the steroid era. McGwire and Sosa have already turned baseball on their ear. Barry Bonds wanted the same attention and hit 73 homers that year.
He made AT&T Park play small. The same ball park that severely limits the power hitting of Buster Posey and Brandon's Belt and Crawford. That trio having hit 28 homers this year, just nine at home.

This year, there is no Barry Bonds leading the home run pack. In fact, no player is really leading the pack.
It's just a pack.
BUT, the pack is larger than that of 2001.
We just crossed the halfway point of the season a couple of days ago. The 4th of July being a better halfway measurement than the All-Star game.
In 2001, 41 hitters swatted 30 homers or more.
This year, we have 54 hitters who already have 15 homers. And another 63 with 10-14 homers to their credit.
117 hitters with a possible 20 homers. Broken down, that would be almost four per team or half of a National League lineups batting order.

Are steroids prevalent again?
I don't think so.
Sure, there are still players using 'self-help', but it is different than 2001.
We live in an era of free swingers.
In 2001, it was chicks who digged the long ball. Now, it is Jerry McGuire. Home runs show players the money.
Six hitters are on their way to striking out over 200 times this year. Three of that group, have brand new long contracts for the home runs that coincide with those strike outs.
Chris Davis, Giancarlo Stanton, and Justin Upton.
In 2001, two players (Jim Thome and Jose Hernandez) led baseball with 185 whiffs.
10 players had as many as 150 strike outs in all.
39 players already have struck out at least 75 times this year.
On average, Mike Napoli is striking out three times in every two games played.

Those swings and misses have effected batting average.
34 players are hitting .300
Only 20 above .310
In 2001, 59 hitters batted .300
30 batting .310 or better.
Only Ian Desmond (85 k's/.321) and Carlos Gonzalez (76/.317) making both lists.

Babe Ruth once said that hitters should never fear striking out. In his day, striking out considered a massive failure.
An embarrasment.
When Ruth hit 60 homers in 1927, he led the league in strike outs.
He struck out 89 times.
In 1930, Hack Wilson had his record setting rbi year of 190.
He also led the league in striking out.
84 times.
Maybe today's players have it right.
The strike out is a by-product of production.
They've certainly taken Ruth's words to heart.

I agree on the k's- but the ball really looks live- I have seen some outside pitches pulled for homers by fairly weak hitters. you just don't see that very often.

ps- the red sox really need to do 2 things. tell david price not to throw the 1st pitch of every game right down the middle at 92 mph- I think hitters have caught on- and think about not pitching kimbrel in non save situations. just rest him. let joe Kelly or some other smuck get bombed when up by 6.

I don't understand Managers and their use of Closers.
I really don't.
When a Starter has a boo boo bad enough to set a start back a few days, he throws a bullpen session.
When a Closer hasn't seen a game in a few days, the Manager sees fit to put him in the game under non-Closer circumstances.
WHAT?!?
Why?
Why not a bullpen session for the Closer?
He hasn't forgotten how to close a game. Putting him in a game for the sake of getting him in a game is stupid.
Any job can be dropped for three or four days, then taken up again.
There's no rust.
And worse, there could be a Closer needed for two games after pitching him in a non-closing situation.
And now can't, because of too much wear and tear or too many pitches.
Ugh.

Putting a Closer in a non-closing situation cuts off his flow of adreneline.
Closers are adreneline junkies.
In a non-closing situation, the Closer may as well be a impotent man in bed with Ann-Margret.
What's the point?
The man's not happy and neither is Ann.
The Manager has taken away his Viagara.
His purpose.
Whether adreneline or Viagara either example has a man going into the situation, limp.
And most likely, leaving the same way, only now, flush with self-doubt.
The Manager's job is to put his players in the best position to succeed.
They wouldn't dream of pinch hitting Mike Trout with the team up by nine runs, yet, trot out the best of the bullpen in the same circumstance.
Stupid is as stupid does.

and here i thought we might go a whole year without an Ann Margaret reference.

headhunters wrote:and here i thought we might go a whole year without an Ann Margaret reference.

I've laid off Joey Votto. I would lay on Ann.