| Re: What's bigger: 500 HR's or 3,000 hits?
Well, I think 500 home runs is more impressive than 3000 hits, but I also think the gap has narrowed. Like, 3000 hits is closer to 500 home runs than it was like 20 years ago or sometime around then.
Think about it like this: There are so many things that have benefited power hitters in the last 20 years. smaller ballparks, steroids, a new focus on legitimate strength training, expansion diluting the pitching pool, medical advances helping people recover from injuries faster, etc. While all these factors also help hit toal, I think their effect on home run totals are greater.
Also, getting to 3000 hits isnt as easy as just hanging around untilyou get there. First of all, you have to be good enough to hang around that long. If you can't hit, teams won't keep you around to let you get there. Secondly, 3000 hits is a LOT of hits. That's 200 hits a year for 15 years. It's still pretty hard to get to. Plus, people arent reaching 3000 hits at nearly the pace that people are reaching 500 home runs.
Just a note: of the top 100 home-run hitters of all-time, 42 are either active or retired within the last 10 years (not counting Eddie Murray, who retired in 1997) |