COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA -- I am not Scott Carson. I cannot sit here and type out a bunch of wildly impressive statistics to back up an observation. Carson has a freakish ability to remember numbers worn by the most obscure Blue Jays (Jim Eppard had 26. Who knew? Scott did) and can instantly drop a statistical fact that will make you go "hmm."
Me? Math wasn’t a strong subject.
Instead, I’m going to make a blanket statement and entrust you with the decision whether to agree or disagree. So here goes:
Fewer players are relying on performance-enhancing drugs, and it shows.
From Jose Canseco’s first book to Barry Bonds’ legal entanglement to the Mitchell Report’s outing of notable names, players have witnessed career-tarnishing accusations and want no part.
What does this mean to the game you’re now watching? You tell me below.
I see teams relying less on the long ball and more on the manufacturing of runs. The Los Angeles Angels don’t hit many homers (with their pitching, they don’t have to). In fact, they don’t really score much at all (20th in the major leagues in runs) and still, they find themselves atop the American League West with one of the best records in baseball.
Even the Blue Jays, a team that once banked on the three-run homer, are stealing bases and dropping bunts to get men across (and, my, isn’t it fun to watch). Toronto’s leading home-run hitter (Matt Stairs) isn’t even playing every day, and their current centre-fielder (Alex Rios) has only three.
As of Monday morning, the major league leader is a bulk-less second-baseman named Chase Utley, who may well hit 50 this year. In 2008, that has to constitute an outstanding season -- outstanding the way George Foster’s 52 in 1977 was an incredible achievement. Gone (at least, for now) are the robotic, mind-boggling totals once posted by now-reclusive players.
How have pitchers been affected? That’s an entirely different article. It isn’t hard to find outstanding pitchers (Brandon Webb, Cliff Lee, Ryan Dempster, Shaun Marcum) who don’t throw 100 mph. Nothing new there; every season has them.
As far as big-league baseball in 2008 is concerned, it looks and feels like something has changed. But I’m not a stats man, and these days, cases are closed without a little DNA.
Scott Carson: if you’re out there, tell me I’m right.
