The Great Strikeout Debate, Part II

So how do Ryan Howard's 199 strikeouts compare with power hitters from the past. Baseball has changed dramatically over the past century but it's still interesting to go back to the early days.

In 1923, Babe Ruth hit almost 50 home runs with 93 SO and batted, get this, .393.

In the next generation in 1949, Ted Williams struck out 48 times with 43 hr, 159 rbi's and a .343 BA. Williams never struck out more than 64 times in any season. The numbers of Ruth and Williams are really other-worldly.

In 1956, Mickey Mantle won the Triple Crown with 52 HR and 126 SO.

In Roger Maris' historic 1961 season when he broke Ruth's record with 61 HR, Maris struck out only 67 times.

In 1962, Harmon Killebrew hit 48 HR with 142 SO.

In 1977, George Foster hit 52 HR with 107 SO.

In 1993, Barry Bonds, presumably pre-steroidal, hit 46 HR with 79 SO. When Bonds hit 73 HR in 2001, he struck out 93 times. Apparently steroids don't reduce strikeouts.

In Mark McGwire's second season, he hit 49 HR with 131 SO. In this 70 HR year in 1998, he struck out 155 times. Apparently performance-enhancing supplements don't reduce strikeouts either.

So while there has been an uneven upward trend in strikeouts over the decades, the numbers put up by Howard and a few others in the last few years mark a significant jump. But consider: Howard himself had three teammates exceed 100 SO - Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, and Jason Werth. For a player like Utley, a line drive hitter with a compact swing, to strike out this many times, unless the rumors of a mysterious injury are accurate, is telling. Werth struck out 119 times with about one-third less the at bats than Howard, so the right-fielder's strike out rate was in Howard territory. And the Phillies only ranked in the middle of the National League in total strikeouts. The Florida Marlins had six players with over 100 SO with Dan Uggla topping out at 171. The approach to hitting a baseball indeed has changed.

NEXT TIME: Conclusions.

Ryan Howard and the Great Strikeout Debate, Part I

Up until the last 4 or 5 weeks of the season, Ryan Howard was on a pace to strike out well over 210 times. But Howard found his stroke, making much more consistent contact over the last month or so, and finished with "only" 199 k's. This coincidentally was the same number he had last year when he set a major league record (last year, it should be noted, it was accomplished with considerably fewer at bats). A new record of 204 k's was set this year by Mark Reynolds of Arizona. Until Howard's late season surge, there had been intense debate over his strikeout numbers, and to what degree they undermined his value to the team. That debate seems to be a distant memory now. Without the first baseman's torrid September, the Phils would not be knocking on the World Series door, and momentum is building for another MVP award for Ryan.

Yet the strikeout issue is still a valid one and we will be discussing it over the next few days. For now, I would offer two thoughts:

1. 199 strikeouts are too many.
2. If you hit 50 home runs and drive in 150 runs every year, no one will care.

Next time, we'll try to put Howard's numbers into some context, comparing them with past and present players. Feel free to jump in.