It couldn't be steroids, could it?

[Valuist]

He goes from a gap-hitting doubles hitter to a 50 plus HR guy. Now he's back to hitting doubles.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Ak3GwujNB9OvtF0dCJEr9uwRvLYF?slug=ap-diamondbacks-gonzalez-doubles&prov=ap&type=lgns

Funny how so many players have downsized not only their HR numbers but their pecs, lats and arms from 5 years ago.

[sq764]

He goes from a gap-hitting doubles hitter to a 50 plus HR guy. Now he's back to hitting doubles.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Ak3GwujNB9OvtF0dCJEr9uwRvLYF?slug=ap-diamondbacks-gonzalez-doubles&prov=ap&type=lgns

Funny how so many players have downsized not only their HR numbers but their pecs, lats and arms from 5 years ago.
You mean 26, 31, 57, 28, 26, 17 doesn't seem consistent?? :D :D

I still think my favorite was Brady Anderson:

Homerun totals from 1992 - 2000:

21
13
12
16
50
18
18
24
19

(Not to mention the prior year to his 50 homer season, he had 25 less at bats and 46 less rbis)

http://www.baseball-reference.com/a/anderbr01.shtml

[KingChas]

Guys do you remember Davey Johnson?(Met's manager)Weak hitting second baseman for the Orioles.Now that I think about it.How did a guy who could barely reach the outfield with his power suddenly start popping HR's at an older age.Must have been a late bloomer or this has been going on longer than we think.Unless that's when the juiced baseballs arrived.Anyone recall this phenominal turnaround by DJ years ago?

[dav4463]

http://www.baseball-reference.com/j/johnsda02.shtml

Yeah, 13 seasons, averaged ten homeruns per season and then popped 43 in 1973!
that's worse than Brady Anderson!

[JPinMaryland]

You can find weird anomalies with a stat like HR. Rico Petrocelli is another one who hit 40+ some HR for the Bosox in '68 I guess it was. It couldnt have been steriods.

Old timers would talk about Hal Trosky or Hack Wilson. Hell Roger Maris hit only 261 career HR, almost 25% of them in 1961.

In the case of Brady Anderson wasnt that the year that everyone started hitting baseballs out of the park? Was that 1989? Larry Sheets hit like 30 dingers that year and then ran way to live with the Mormons the next. Ball may have been juiced.

Also if Brady really was on steroids why didnt he stay on them???

I dunno, it might be more productive to look at slugging percentage or total extra base hits to get more quantitative take on this. Not saying guys werent on steriods the last 10 years, just look at them.

[kenwoodallpromos]

"http://www.baseball-almanac.com/hitting/hihr8.shtml"
Note 1993 is when the big jump occurred.
Interesting that early 1990's is also when TBreds set the most track records!

[sq764]

You can find weird anomalies with a stat like HR. Rico Petrocelli is another one who hit 40+ some HR for the Bosox in '68 I guess it was. It couldnt have been steriods.

Old timers would talk about Hal Trosky or Hack Wilson. Hell Roger Maris hit only 261 career HR, almost 25% of them in 1961.

In the case of Brady Anderson wasnt that the year that everyone started hitting baseballs out of the park? Was that 1989? Larry Sheets hit like 30 dingers that year and then ran way to live with the Mormons the next. Ball may have been juiced.

Also if Brady really was on steroids why didnt he stay on them???

I dunno, it might be more productive to look at slugging percentage or total extra base hits to get more quantitative take on this. Not saying guys werent on steriods the last 10 years, just look at them.
Ook, let's look at slugging percentage.. This was Brady Anderson's:

1993 - .425
1994 - .419
1995 - .444
1996 - .637
1997 - .469
1998 - .420

Nothing pops out to you??

[Valuist]

Without question, Brady Anderson's year stands out the most.

I remember when the Cubs got Gonzalez from the Astros in the mid 90s. He reminded me of the character on the old Quisp cereal boxes; his neck was so skinny. He went from being something like 6'2" 170 lbs to 200 lbs real quick and he's coming within 2 homers of 60. Everyone says he's a real likeable guy; I think that's why he didn't come under more scrutiny; at least Sosa and McGwire were legit 35-40 HR a year guys before the chemistry set in. As recently as 1997, Gonzalez had 550 at bats and only TEN home runs.

[sq764]

You can find weird anomalies with a stat like HR. Rico Petrocelli is another one who hit 40+ some HR for the Bosox in '68 I guess it was. It couldnt have been steriods.

Old timers would talk about Hal Trosky or Hack Wilson. Hell Roger Maris hit only 261 career HR, almost 25% of them in 1961.


Roger Maris also hit 36 homers in 136 games in 1960.. So 61 in 161 games in 1961 was certainly a job, but not an insane jump.. Brady Anderson went from 16 to 50!!!!!

[Wiley]

Guys do you remember Davey Johnson?(Met's manager)Weak hitting second baseman for the Orioles.Now that I think about it.How did a guy who could barely reach the outfield with his power suddenly start popping HR's at an older age.Must have been a late bloomer or this has been going on longer than we think.Unless that's when the juiced baseballs arrived.Anyone recall this phenominal turnaround by DJ years ago?
If I recall Johnson hit over 40 homers with the Braves in '73- four guys on that team hit 40 or more Baker, Aaron and Evans also. I think the small size of Fulton County Stadium might have had something to do with it and getting pitches to hit by being surrounded by those other guys in the line up.

[Valuist]

I think those reasons are all true. I remember him saying that he learned how to pull the ball late in his career. I wonder what his numbers were after that big 1973 season? I doubt he replicated the big power numbers.

[Bubbles]

Back to Gonzalez for a sec. I think steroids are a possibility, but if he was on them, why only for a year, especially after that huge season? His numbers came back to the level they'd been at the next season (good, but not great), but wouldn't you stay on the stuff, especially after winning a World Series ring?

[ghostyapper]

Back to Gonzalez for a sec. I think steroids are a possibility, but if he was on them, why only for a year, especially after that huge season? His numbers came back to the level they'd been at the next season (good, but not great), but wouldn't you stay on the stuff, especially after winning a World Series ring?

Maybe his wife started noticing a difference she didn't like? ;)

[JPinMaryland]

... at least Sosa and McGwire were legit 35-40 HR a year guys before the chemistry set in. As recently as 1997, Gonzalez had 550 at bats and only TEN home runs.

actually wasnt Sosa really skinny when he first came up? I seem to recall him starting out w/ the Cubs and he was like a tooth pick.

****

Same question as bubbles, but with respect to Brady.

[Valuist]

He was skinny when he came up with the Sox, around 1990. He might've been 180 or so. He got a little bigger, maybe 195-200 over the next 5 years or so. Then in 1998 he comes in weighing around 235. Supposedly he was jealous of McGwire after seeing McGwire hit 3 balls completely out of Wrigley in 1997.

Funny how jealousy of McGwire got Sosa into it, then jealousy of those two got Bonds into it.

[kenwoodallpromos]

actually wasnt Sosa really skinny when he first came up? I seem to recall him starting out w/ the Cubs and he was like a tooth pick.

****

Same question as bubbles, but with respect to Brady.
____________
All I remember about Sosa is he got caught using a corked bat, used the same excuse Bonds used for steroids "if I was using it I did not know it" and is going in the HOF. Baseball has been good to him!

[ponyplayerdotca]

"Maybe the wife started noticing changes she didn't like." (post #13 by Ghostyapper)

Great thought Ghost. Women learned about shrinkage from SEINFELD if they didn't know before that. Perhaps his manhood meant more to him that his manstrength.

Of course, after the one big season, didn't he sign a huge contract and make his money? Perhaps that's why he stopped. It served its purpose. Maybe that's what steroids are all about.

This is why people generally find a distaste for steroids in baseball and track/field more than football. It's done to gain huge money deals.

In football, most of the accusing fingers point at the linemen who are over 300 lbs. but can move quickly for men that size. But those guys don't start taking steroids because it'll make them rich - they do it to make the NFL. Sure, they make good money, but not multimillion dollars. Nor do their positions really tamper with the games history in the record breaking department.

Track stars and baseball players take steroids to get the big numbers that bring in the big money. They're resented more when they are caught because of the damage their influence has on the sport. In track, records are broken all the time. But when they are caught using, fans don't know what to believe the world mark for that event is anymore.

In baseball, Bonds is about to break Aaron's HR record (if he keeps playing next year). But if those drugs he's suspected of using these last 5-10 years allowed his body to not only get bigger and stronger, but also recover from injury faster, are his HR totals worth celebrating? Much of the love affair with baseball is the constant attachment to its history from years gone by.

Because records and legacies are tainted in these sports by steroids (and not so much in football), track athletes and baseballers get the stick they deserve.

Giambi wanted big money and to play on a big team. He got it. At least he admitted it when he got caught though and took the backlash. I just wish McGwire, Sosa, Bonds, Brady Anderson, Gonzalez, Rodriguez, Marion Jones et al would own up and do the same.

Isn't it interesting how Marion Jones announced today that she's sitting out the rest of the year as of today? Whew! Close call, eh Marion? Now what?

[Valuist]

Here we go w/another steroids story. Its amazing the NFL has gotten thru the steroids stuff relatively unscathed.

http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9660236

[Bubbles]

Bringing this up, good article on Gonzo...

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=gonzalezisatruechampion&prov=tsn&type=lgns

[Valuist]

They all say he's a great guy. But that doesn't make his numbers any less suspicious.l