Posted By:
jay behrensI don't know the actual numbers, but I am willing to bet that players are HBP more today than anytime in the history of the game. The big reason for this is simple, body armor. Look at Bonds and Bagwell. I can't remember for sure if Biggio wears it too, am pretty sure he does. And he (Biggio) recently passed Baylor on the all-time HBP list. Players also hang out over the plate and lunge at pitches outside the plate all becuase the unpires have taken away the inside of the plate from pitchers and with the body, they have no fear of getting hit by a pitch today.
Take away that body armor and give the inside pitch back to the pitchers and I gaurentee you Biggio, Bonds, Bagwell, et al are no longer hanging their bodies over the plate waiting for a pitch. These same types of players would have spent a lot of time in the dirt until they got off the plate facing the likes of Gibson and Drysdale.
Players today also make no effort to get out of the way of a pitch, which the rules clearly state they muct. I work for the local minor league team in my town and was absolutely floored when the umpire told the hitter to get back in the batters box because he didn't make an effort to get out of the way of the pitch. It was also refreshign to see that at least one umpire still follows that rule.
Jay
My place is full of valuable, worthless junk.