Most Underrated Hitting Season of All Time?

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by todeen

Ichiro once said in an interview if he wanted to hit me home runs he could, he just didn't want to. If you ever saw one of his HR, he could smash them pretty far. What a great player. His career is underrated because he likes to be in the shadows.

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That reminds me of Boggs. I believe he said the same thing, long before Ichiro....but I guess, long after Ty Cobb.

Boggs decided he was going to try and hit HR's in 1987. Banged out 24, and went back to his single digit usual output nearly every season after.

Oh, and under-rated seasons. That year he hit 24 HR's, he also led the league in BA .363, OBP .461, OPS 1.049, OPS+ 174 and WAR for a Position Player 8.3.

He came in 9th in the MVP voting that year.

[BobC]

This thread is about underrated "hitting" seasons, and one common recurring theme seems to be that unless your focus is on home runs, no one seems to care or pay much attention anymore. There are a lot of great hitters (and overall great players) who don't seem to get the credit they deserve because they're not bashing tape measure home runs all season long. Sad commentary on the state of the game.

And that Cobb story is a great example of how great hitters can be easily put down by others just because they don't focus on hitting home runs. Mentioned that same story to a Ruth fan here on the forum once before and got crap from them, accusing me of saying Cobb was better than Ruth and basically making fun of Cobb, and myself, for daring to somehow show up Ruth. I've always felt there's a huge difference between someone who doesn't do something because they can't do it, and someone who doesn't do something because they choose not to. And to go along with that Cobb story, don't forget Cobb hit those five homers over two games at the age of 38. A little past his prime, wouldn't you say? And also don't forget Cobb has a Triple Crown to his credit, something else Ruth failed to do at any time in his career.

To be a great hitter you at least need tremendous eyesight, hand-eye coordination, and bat speed. Having strength and power are great, but if you can't first get the bat on the ball, all the power and strength in the world (including that generated by PEDs) isn't worth squat. I remember at an early age being told hitting a baseball is one of the hardest things to do. You've got a round ball, and a round bat, and all everyone tells you to do is hit it squarely.