All you need are power hitters in your lineup

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Mar 4, 2018
126
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This could be interesting. Power hitters that also have a great glove would be hard to argue with like Griffey in his prime, Willie Mays, Alex Rodriquez in his prime, etc.

There is also certain positions where range, and glove skill become more important than pure power, like ss, 2nd base, and center field.

Silly question and scenario but which team would win if they both had the same pitcher?

Team 1 - Consists of 8 players that all have the same hitting and defensive capabilities of Frank Thomas. Great hitter, terrible on defense.
Team 2 - Consists of 8 players that all have the same hitting and defensive capabilities of Ozzie Smith. OK hitter, great on defense. Keep in mind that Ozzie stole 580 bases

I think I would go with a team full of Ozzie's.
 
Apr 26, 2015
704
43
DD played on a team last year that had great hitters - who all played for themselves and were never coached to play like a team. They also had no depth in their pitching and a serious weakness in the OF. They were not successful and at the end of the season the majority of the team (including DD) went to other teams.

The team still “exists” but with 8 new players. Once again they have great hitters and weak pitching. They rarely make it past the first game on Sundays and have never made it to the championship.
 
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marriard

Not lost - just no idea where I am
Oct 2, 2011
4,312
113
Florida
Prove me wrong .....

Depends... in reality you still need range in the outfield, a solid infield, pitching/catching and so on so a lot depends on what else they can bring to the table. You are still not going to win with a bunch of big hitters that are all best suited to being a DP.


The other problem with ALL power hitters is the lack of plan B to score.


The stereotypical power hitter strikes out more often, has a lower batting and on base % and is generally a singles hitter when the ball doesn't leave the field as they have less speed to turn gap shots into extra base hits. That means you often are going to need 3 hits to score in an inning. With no threat to steal the defense can play you straighter. It is harder to move runners over as the fielders have more time to make a play. The percentages are not with you in some cases. If you need one run to win, the ability to manufacture a run is a lot harder.

The day the wind is blowing in - that just might not be your day.

And the day the wind is blowing out is probably going to be a lot of fun.

So the answer is 'maybe'
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
FWIW - SC has only one slapper in their lineup and they are having their best season in 20 years. The problem is that many slappers are one trick ponies. Few in the game are legit triple threats. Bases loaded with zero outs the last thing you want is a one trick slapper. You have to hit for her with someone who can find the barrel.

Another issue is that when you play at venues like Alabama, LSU, Arizona, etc. they cater to slappers and the dirt in front of home plate is like concrete. Other venues that have few if any slappers are soft, even softer when they know slappers are coming and the slappers become less effective.
 
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
The stereotypical power hitter strikes out more often, has a lower batting and on base % and is generally a singles hitter when the ball doesn't leave the field as they have less speed to turn gap shots into extra base hits.

Yes (but strike outs are only marginally worse than other outs).
Maybe (but batting average is a bad stat, and OBP is far more important).
Absolutely not (Everybody in the Top 10 of OBP last year in MLB also had 21+ home runs)
And I don't know if that last part is true, but I also don't think it matters much.

Why are we still stereotyping "power hitters" as big lumbering oafs who can't do anything else offensively?
 

ez_softball

Life at the diamond...
Apr 14, 2017
158
28
I've seen it especially at younger ages where some coaches fall in love with bigger "power hitting" players. Those coaches usually don't fair very well even at younger ages. Most of those great power hitters suffer from strike-outs, can't beat out an infield hit or defensive bobble and lack the range to be great on defense. IME the younger "athletes" typically catch those girls in the "power category" by 14-16U and you aren't really gaining much of anything. IMO give me a team full of athletes and we'll run circles around a team comprised of non-athletic power hitters. With that being said, it's hard to find a team solely comprised of just athletes so, I typically have 1 or 2 of those types of girls in the corners of the infield or hitting as a DP. The teams that have 4 or more of those types of girls starting usually have trouble in the areas outlined.
 
Jun 29, 2013
589
18
So, why does the power hitter automatically have to be a big, fat girl?

Good point, most of the ones I see through 12U are actually the long, lean hitters with quick hands. The ones with the larger midsections hit their share of doubles, but unless the game is on turf they don't hit too many triples or homeruns.
 

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