In the Reds thread after Bruce hit his first bomb in a while a comment about a "meaningless HR" was made. It caught my attention because it referenced the Big Donkey.

 

How do I determine if a bomb is meaningless or not? If it's a solo shot in a 2- or 3-run game is that meaningless?

 

What does it look like?

Never liked the term.

 

You never hear about a meaningless single.

For what it's worth, I'm not a subscriber to the "meaningless homer" theory.

In the Reds thread after Bruce hit his first bomb in a while a comment about a "meaningless HR" was made. It caught my attention because it referenced the Big Donkey.

 

How do I determine if a bomb is meaningless or not? If it's a solo shot in a 2- or 3-run game is that meaningless?

 

What does it look like?

 

Imagine the local outcry if someone statistically determined that Pete Rose had 2,000 meaningless hits.

Not sure there is such a thing.

 

If there were, I'd define it as a HR hit when leading by more than 4 runs. Up 4 in the 9th and you hit a solo bomb, you just eliminated the "1 swing of the bat can tie it" aspect. Not meaningless.

 

If you're losing, it doesn't matter how much the deficit is, there's no such thing as a meaningless HR.

I play in a very competitive fantasy baseball league, so there is no such thing as a meaningless HR.

 

I made the comment in jest in the Track The Reds thread, since many Dunn (and now Bruce) bashers have frequently taken this stance. I understand what they're saying, but wholeheartedly disagree that any HR is "meaningless." I assume the definition would be a HR when the game is entirely out of reach (i.e. Bruce hits a HR in the top of the 9th when the Reds are up/down 9-1). I assume all "meaningless homers" are solo shots.

 

The flaw in that logic is that baseball is a streaky game, and guys like Bruce (and Dunn) are streaky hitters. One swing of the bat may change their mindset and get them in the proverbial groove. Plus, you can't control who is on base when you're at the dish.

I play in a very competitive fantasy baseball league, so there is no such thing as a meaningless HR.

 

I made the comment in jest in the Track The Reds thread, since many Dunn (and now Bruce) bashers have frequently taken this stance. I understand what they're saying, but wholeheartedly disagree that any HR is "meaningless." I assume the definition would be a HR when the game is entirely out of reach (i.e. Bruce hits a HR in the top of the 9th when the Reds are up/down 9-1). I assume all "meaningless homers" are solo shots.

 

The flaw in that logic is that baseball is a streaky game, and guys like Bruce (and Dunn) are streaky hitters. One swing of the bat may change their mindset and get them in the proverbial groove. Plus, you can't control who is on base when you're at the dish.

 

Finally, baseball is a LONG season and ultimately you're judged by the back of your baseball card - the numbers you've accumulated over the course of the entire season.

I think all hits and dingers are meaningful. But I do like the stats of a players average with runners in scoring position. Always been a fan of a good clutch hitter.

I was going to say about 400 of the HRs which Sammy Sosa hit.

 

Not sure if meaningless is the correct word, but there is something to be said about when you gets hits or knock one out of the park and having added value to that if during a critical juncture. If a team is down 10-1 in the 9th inning and someone belts a 375 ft. homer off a tired pitcher ready to get out of there since the game is over, the significance is diminished.

The home run he hit to clinch a couple seasons ago must have also been meaningless.

It's meaningless when you are clueless. It amazes me how people think it's so easy to do what they do. Most people couldn't see a 95+ fastball from 60', much less make contact with it.

While some homers may have little effect on the outcome of a blowout game I wouldn't categorize any of them as meaningless. Professional hitters don't give away at bats. Doing that can get you in bad habits that can cause an extended slump. Going to the plate and grinding out a professional at bat no matter what the situation is important.

While some homers may have little effect on the outcome of a blowout game I wouldn't categorize any of them as meaningless. Professional hitters don't give away at bats. Doing that can get you in bad habits that can cause an extended slump. Going to the plate and grinding out a professional at bat no matter what the situation is important.

That sounds great in fantasy land, but these guys are human. There will be a multitude of times during a season a pitcher may not be as sharp or care depending upon a situation.... a team down by 8 runs, 25 games out of first on August 1, is not going to have the same level of focus as he did on the opening pitch of that day.

While some homers may have little effect on the outcome of a blowout game I wouldn't categorize any of them as meaningless. Professional hitters don't give away at bats. Doing that can get you in bad habits that can cause an extended slump. Going to the plate and grinding out a professional at bat no matter what the situation is important.

 

I agree 100%

 

But one of the stupid unwritten rules of baseball is that you don't swing for the fences late in a game with a big lead. Losing team gets ticked and then the batter gets hit in either that at bat or the next game. I even heard Joe Morgan talk about apologizing to a pitcher after a game because he took a big cut at a pitch late in a blow out game.

That sounds great in fantasy land, but these guys are human. There will be a multitude of times during a season a pitcher may not be as sharp or care depending upon a situation.... a team down by 8 runs, 25 games out of first on August 1, is not going to have the same level of focus as he did on the opening pitch of that day.

 

You know very many pitchers? Everyone at that level is super-competitive. Pitchers don't like giving up hits, period. Whether that's in a regular season game, spring training game, or live BP session. Hate it!