As I am often want to do, I started a thread a few weeks ago called, "the most important skill in baseball".
On the flip side; what is the most over-rated skill in baseball...and why?
As I am often want to do, I started a thread a few weeks ago called, "the most important skill in baseball".
On the flip side; what is the most over-rated skill in baseball...and why?
The velocity on a fastball. If you have little control or little movement on the pitch then its not worth much.
foot speed.
If you can't catch it, throw it or hit it, foot speed won't help you out all that much.
sorry we're boring
"Athleticism"
You can put a pure, raw athlete in a football jersey or basketball shorts and pretty quickly turn them in a solid player, beating guys on their instincts. Baseball is much more skill based. Not that you don't need athleticism and natural talent, but it's just a different level. There are heaps of tremendous athletes (Ruben Mateo anyone) who were given plenty of opportunities but just never amounted to much. You just don't see that happen in other sports as much.
Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.
Spitting sunflower seeds into a bucket. Sure that skill might just make you a chick magnet, but in arbitration hearings what is really worth? Besides, if you stop to think about it, you're probably only good at it because of all of the pine time you been putting in over the years.
We'll go down in history as the first society that wouldn't save itself because it wasn't cost effective ~ Kurt Vonnegut
Perceived defensive prowess.
0 Value Over Replacement Poster
"Sit over here next to Johnathan (Bench)...sit right here, he's smart."--Sparky Anderson
The ability to take a walk.
Batters don't follow out their natural instinct to wallop the ball, but stall around the plate in the hope of drawing a base instead of hitting the ball hard.
Sacrifice bunting is incredibly overrated for anyone but a pitcher.
"I prefer books and movies where the conflict isn't of the extreme cannibal apocalypse variety I guess." Redsfaithful
If you are referring to an ability to take a walk because a hitter goes up to the plate simply looking for a walk, I probably agree. But if a high number of walks are the result of a hitter who has good plate discipline, then I couldn't disagree more. A hitter with good plate discipline is not only increasing his chances of a walk, but also his chances of making good contact because they will only swing at pitches that they have a high percentage of making good contact with. Walks are a by-product of good plate discipline in most cases and I can't see that as being a bad or overrated thing. Walks lead to baserunners who lead to runs scored.
As to the topic at hand, I would have to agree with a few other posters who mentioned a pitcher who throws heat. Throwing the ball hard, unless you can throw in the high 90s, will not be effective unless you can change speeds, put movement on the ball, and locate your pitches.
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