3000 hits or 500 homers

[schwaby131647185073]

With the two most recent members to each of the clubs, got me thinking which would you rather be in, 3000 hit or 500 homers? Peronally i believe the the 500 Home runs is a lillte more difficult, and i think thats what i would rather do. Although i really think it depends on what kind of player you are also. thoughts????

[IslandsAC]

both mean you've either been consistently good for a very long time or you're a completely amazing hitter. i would be ecstatic with 1 major league hit, but to answer your question i'd rather have 3000 hits than 500 home runs. don't know why but something about the bigger number makes it seem more impressive to me. with my power stroke, i'm sure they'd go hand in hand, though http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[vacin8r]

I think it depends on the era in which you play. I think if I played in the steroid era of baseball I would prefer 3000 hits as those years showed a lot of mediocre players jacking out 30 bombs thus making less that stellar players who can juice up and somehow keep their body from degenerating still be able to hit 500 homers. If I lived in an era where 35 home runs lead the league, Id much rather have 500 homers as I would have to be among the leagues elite power hitters for over 15 years.

-Don

[Nearsighted Views]

A few years ago, I would have said 500 dingers but with all the whirlwind around juiced balls and players, I now am more impressed with 3000 hits. All of the controversey has cheapend home run numbers.

 

I'd just like to have a shirt that said "Mr. 3000"

[BrewCrewForever]

They are both huge numbers to accomplish. But with all the steroid talk and juiced balls talk. I might have to go with 3,000 hits now. But both are great.

[logan82]

500 HRs could be acheived in a 10 year career. Especially now where 50 HR is reached so often.

[SeriesFinale]

That's a heckuva 10 year career

[GAME05]

i think of players like Rob Deer and Greg Vaughn, who were just big guys who finished with a lot of HRs but did nothing else. obviously that takes a lot of skill, but when i think of the players with real, true, natural baseball talent, i think of the guys who are always on base and getting hit after hit. racking up that many hits in a career really stands out to me as superior. and Biggio trying for 2nd and not stopping at 1st to relish the accomplishment, that was such a great, classy play.

[MessiahRp]

3,000 hits by far. With the frequency of the 35-40 HR season, 500 HR is not a difficult milestone anymore. At least for a star with 15 years under their belt.

 

Rp

[1992casey]

Someone like Russ could check into this for accuracy, but I remember reading a post a couple years ago saying that except for the 1960s, batting averages have remained about the same over the past century. That would seem to support the argument that 3,000 hits is still reasonable to make a player a 'lock' for the Hall.

 

Slugging percentages have gone up a lot, though. 400 homers used to be a 'lock' before Kingman. In recent years, it would seem that 400 has become within reach for a lot of players. 500 may not even be a 'lock' anymore.

[gregmag]

A lot of people seem to believe the present era has cheapened the 500 HR club, but I don't buy it. The present era's 500 HR guys have all been legitmately great players, even if you make big assumptions about steroids and take some air out of their numbers.

 

You would think that, in a "cheap power" era, some middling, one-dimensional power hitters would rack up historic career HR totals, but that hasn't happened. Greg Vaughn only got to 355. Dante Bichette retired with 274. Andres Galarraga, who could play a little first base and retired at like age 97, only got to 399. Ken Caminiti, Mr. Steroid, stalled at 239. Joe Carter hit 396. Matt Williams, a hell of a 3B, stopped at 378.

 

In fact, the worst player by far who ever approached 500 HRs retired in 1986 -- just before the first big year of the present power-heavy era. Dave Kingman hit 442 HRs with a career BA of .236 and OBP of .302. He had little defensive value for most of his career and was useless on the basepaths after he turned 24. None of the recent-current sluggers has been anywhere near that much of a lummox.

 

In contrast, who among the recent 500 club members is a one-dimensional hack? Bonds and Thomas both probably rank among the ten greatest hitters who ever lived. Sosa got all the way to 600 -- which, granted, may overstate his ability, but it's hard to say he isn't a legit 500 guy in historic terms. McGwire was an on-base machine and a power monster for the ages. Griffey did everything well in his prime. Then you think about the recent guys who *didn't* quite get to 500 -- Bagwell was a great, great player; McGriff, Canseco, and Juan Gonzales were very good, far better and more well-rounded than Kingman.

 

The active guys likely to get to 500 are Alex Rodriguez, Thome, Manny Ramirez, Sheffield, Piazza, Delgado, Vlad Guerrero, and Atlanta's Jones brothers. Every one of those guys has been great at one or more things other than mashing -- hitting for a high average, playing great defense, running the bases. Andruw Jones is by far the worst of the group, and I don't think he'll be a historic embarassment if he makes the 500 club. Of the others, I would say only Delgado needs to hit 500 to get to the Hall of Fame; you could make a case that Thome does as well, but I don't think so.

 

Bottom line: I don't think you can fairly say that the present era has cheapened the meaning of 500 HRs.

 

Greg.

[davego]

I sort of felt bad for Frank Thomas this week when he got to his 500. I thought he made a great point on doing it the 'right way.'

 

For me, if I could have a prospect have 3000 hits or 500 HR; I'd take either one. However, I'd think the 3000 hits almost assures that the player had pretty good health, or at least length to his career.

[berniebrewer4life]

Quote:

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3,000 hits by far. With the frequency of the 35-40 HR season, 500 HR is not a difficult milestone anymore. At least for a star with 15 years under their belt.

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I fully agree. Within 15 years, there will be several more members of the 500 hr club. In that same timespan, i can see maybe one or two people reaching the 3,000 hit club plateau.

[logan82]

I checked back a few years and there are between 15-25 people per year that hit 34 or more homers. during that same time there were 7 or 8 guys per yera with 200 or more hits with one year where only 3 made 200. Having a BA of .300 with 500 AB's would give you 150 hits per year. While either are still impressive and point to a long productive career, I would think 3000 hits would be much more difficult.