The Major League Problem

   Striking out. It’s a part of the game. It is something that is inevitable for any baseball player. It is going to happen, but it is happening way too often. Strikeouts have become the norm in baseball. Never before, in a single month, have there ever been more strikeouts than hits. That is until this past April. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, in the MLB’s opening month there were 6,656 strikeouts and 6,360 hits. The strikeouts have set a record for 10 consecutive seasons and now they have overtaken hits. In April, there were 17.5 strikeouts per game, according to Elias. This year’s rate projects to 42,539 strikeouts which would easily pass last year’s mark of 40,104. These numbers are insane and to me are just down right sickening. Now, what could be the cause of this? One could say pitchers have improved or maybe the fact that bullpens have become much more overpowering.

   While both of these statements are true, I think major leaguers have lost the art of putting the ball in play. People have hopped on the train of the appeal of the home run. They draw more money and fans and the perception is a strikeout is just as good as an out.   A strike out is definitely not as good as any other out. Nobody has been forced to make a play and you don’t give yourself a chance to get on base. You don’t help your team at all. I understand that strikeouts will happen. I understand that sometimes you will get fooled and strikeout looking. What I can’t stand is guys striking out with runners on base. It doesn’t matter how you do it, your job as a hitter with runners on is to get the runner over or get them in (depending on what base they are on). Help your team win. Those one or two run ball games that you lose could be a completely different outcome if you put the ball in play a few more times and scrap in some runs. If you put the ball in play good things happen. I don’t care what level of ball you are playing in. It is true all the way around. Personally, I don’t care if you hit 50 home runs in a year if you strikeout 180 times. Cut that number in half and who knows how much different your stats and team record would be. Baseball has forgotten the magic of putting the ball in play and trying to scrap in as many runs as possible. Instead, the attitude of hitters is to swing for the fences every time and gladly take a 1 for 4 line with 3 strikeouts. In my own opinion, if a team just focused on doing the little things like putting the ball in play, moving runners over, and not striking out you would easily have a playoff team that could surprise a ton of people. Bottom line, the strikeouts need to stop.

Written by Justin Raley