Correlation is not Causation. An UNPOPULAR Opinion on PED’s

Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED) do not provide any tangible, proven benefit to players performance on the field. This fact might be the biggest, hardest pill to swallow following the nightmare of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s in PR. True, through the 90’s and early 00’s, the era when PED use is suspected to have been most prevalent, there was a distinct rise in OPS and power numbers. However, correlation is not causation.

Ryan Howard – Why Hitting the Ball Hard Isn’t Enough

On the subject of hitting, Batting Average (BA) tends to hide a lot of facts. For instance, is a player striking the ball hard and making solid contact. After all, that should be a good sign that you’re doing something right when at the plate. Unless your name is Ryan Howard. Then it means that hard contact is expected and doesn’t matter, because the fielding is positioned in such a way as to make your batting average cry. He hits the ball, I kid you not, directly at the defense. Of course, maybe that means the ball is catching the fielder. Not that it matters, his ass is still out, usually with no well regard for how well said ball was struck.

I’m not saying Ryan Howard is a bad hitter. No-Wait… Yes. Yes, I am! For 20 million dollars a year, I definitely am.