Explaining MLB's Monumental Jump in Strikeouts This Year

Sports Illustrated ^ | May 15, 2019 | Emma Baccellieri

[donaldo]

Baseball is becoming increasingly a game of all or nothing hitting.

In 2018, 25% of runs scored were home runs.

In 2018, 13% of hits were home runs.

In 2018 there were 41,207 strikeouts, topping last year’s 40,104.

For the 2018 season there were more strikeouts than hits for the first time in baseball history, 41,207 strikeouts, 41,019 hits.

There were 6,105 home runs in both leagues last year, a record.

Since the year 2000, there have been 97,343 home runs.

The contact hitter is becoming a thing of the past. (Though the 2018 Red Sox are a refreshing exception, or so it seems to me.)

Joe Sewell is the best contact hitter of all time.

Joe Sewell struck out 114 times in his entire career! In 1925 in 608 at bats he struck out all of 4 times. Sewell holds the record for the lowest strikeout rate in major league history, striking out on average only once every 62.5 at-bats, and the most consecutive games without a strikeout, at 115.

Even Babe Ruth never struck out over 100 times in a season.

Link below are stats for the 2018 season:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2018.shtml

[donaldo]

The “Big Cat” Johnny Mize hit with power (led league in home runs 4 times and slugging average 4 times) and had a lifetime BA of .312 (led league in 1939 with .349). His lifetime OBP - .397!

In 1947 Mize became the first player in MLB history to hit 50+ HRs & strike out less than 50 times in the same year. He was also the first player to have 4 three home run games.

As Mize neared retirement, the New York sportswriter Dan Parker penned a fitting ode in tribute to the big first baseman: “Your arm is gone, your legs likewise. But not your eyes, Mize, not your eyes.”

[grania]

A walk is as good as a single. It's a good strategy to foul off imperfect pictures, take balls on out of zone pitches, and accumulate four balls, waiting for a real good pitch to get a more impressive hit. Another factor is that the waiting strategy (and risking a strikeout) has the added bonus of lifting the pitch count.

If four fouls were an out, it would speed up the game and save pitcher's arms.

[Political Junkie Too]

Just a guess...

More relief pitchers coming in fresh against batters who've been in the game for three hours already?

-PJ

[dangus]

And yet, when I add in home runs TWICE to calculate a slugging percentage, the correlation with RBI+RS increases.

[dfwgator]

If four fouls were an out, it would speed up the game and save pitcher's arms.

Sacrilege!

[grania]

Sacrilege

A small dose of salvation!

The weighted schedule favoring area teams, interleague play, the too-long season and the designated hitter are sacrilege. TV breaks (to the point of affecting player performance), all of the silliness of fun stuff promotions during the game, giving up "insensitive" team logos, Kate Smith not singing the God Bless America, that's all sacrilege.

[So Cal Rocket]

Yes, but I was even more impressed with Phil Niekro's 21-20 record with the '79 Atlanta Braves. Their W-L record was 66-94 (6th place, NL West). Also Rick Reuschel going 20-10 with the 81-81 '77 Cubs. It one thing to win 20 games, it is another to win 20 games with teams that are bad or mediocre.

How about Steve Carlton going 27-10 for the 1972 Phillies team that ended the year 59-97? Other pitchers not named Steve Carlton went 32-87

[Dr. Sivana]

A little before my time. Excellent!

[donaldo]

Excellent!