‘That has been such a blessing to have the new guys come in and actually teach some of the other guys about the things they have to do to win games.…

We'll see... I'd rather have some walks, bunts, and doubles pile up every game than leaving guys on base like we do hoping for a homer.

Isn't "Runs scored" the most important stat? You can hit a lot, stand on base for 15 minutes, and then head to the dugout all you want. If guys don't head for then white pentagon, it does no good.

No amount of cool stirrup socks or 6 pairs of gloves or sliding wrist braces do a damn bit of good when we just stand there. Might as well put some refreshments out there for the boys.

Is it just me or is there more talk about the value of hitting a runner over than there used to be?

Is it just me or is there more talk about the value of hitting a runner over than there used to be?

Actually, I think there used to be more. When I was a kid, "moving baserunners" or "hitting behind the runner" was used as a bizarre and random explanation for all sorts of things. For example, the Houston Astros rode an incredible and dominating pitching staff to a division title in '86, and their offense got worse despite hitting more home runs and drawing more walks than the Astros had in at least a decade. Yet the popular explanation for the Astros' winning, for some reason, was that they were moving baserunners over.

I think that for a while when the home run explosion peaked in the mid- and late-90s, using "moving baserunners" seemed so patently ridiculous as an explanation for anything that it fell briefly out of favor. It seems idiotic to talk about the importance of making good outs when you have five guys in your lineup driving in 90 runs a year.

Offense is down a bit from that time; hits are down a bit, home runs a bit more, walks are way down. I think that's why we're seeing it come back a bit.