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PED history, the so-called "steroids era" and how Miguel Cabrera's huge season are unfortunately tied
Perspective about how the so-called "steroids" era has skewed baseball comes with this truly outstanding season that is being put together by the Tigers' Miguel Cabrera.
It's a season whose magnitude will not be appreciated as much as it should because of what transpired in baseball during the late 1990s and early 2000s when the numbers were artificially enhanced.
Cabrera is on pace to hit .360 with 52 home runs and 157 RBI. Remember when Cecil Fielder topped 50 homers in 1990 and it was the biggest story in baseball? It had not been done since 1978 by Cincinnati's George Foster. Well, it's happened 24 times since, although just once since 2007. Of the 43 times the 50-home run has been topped in a season, 23 occurred between 1995 and 2007.
Henry Aaron, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Harmon Killebrew, Stan Musial are just a few baseball's all-time great sluggers to not hit 50 home runs in a season.
It's clearly an accomplished that has been devalued, which isn't fair to Cabrera if he does it for the first time this season.
At 157 RBI, it would be the most by a major league player since 1949. Oh, except for Juan Gonzalez with 157 in 1998, Sammy Sosa with 158 in '98, Sosa with 160 in 2001 and Manny Ramirez with 165 in 1999.
Batting average is a persistent stat. .360 is outstanding in any era. But it has more meaning now that average MLB batting averages have dropped into the .250 range. At the height of the performance enhancing drugs era, they were consistently above .270.
OPS is where Cabrera's season is especially impressive - 1.141 is off the charts.
But Barry Bonds, from 2001 to 2004, had a considerably higher OPS. Cabrera's OPS, if it stands the rest of the season, would be 49th all-time.
Tim McCormick is doing something about the state of basketball in Michigan. My column: http://theoaklandpress.com/articles/2013/08/19/sports/doc52124ac4ee1db882286342.txt
It's a matter of trust and the Detroit Lions aren't earning it. My Column: http://theoaklandpress.com/articles/2013/08/19/sports/columns/doc5212625baa1ff870250336.txt
It's a season whose magnitude will not be appreciated as much as it should because of what transpired in baseball during the late 1990s and early 2000s when the numbers were artificially enhanced.
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| Cabrera: Stats even more significant |
Henry Aaron, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Harmon Killebrew, Stan Musial are just a few baseball's all-time great sluggers to not hit 50 home runs in a season.
It's clearly an accomplished that has been devalued, which isn't fair to Cabrera if he does it for the first time this season.
At 157 RBI, it would be the most by a major league player since 1949. Oh, except for Juan Gonzalez with 157 in 1998, Sammy Sosa with 158 in '98, Sosa with 160 in 2001 and Manny Ramirez with 165 in 1999.
Batting average is a persistent stat. .360 is outstanding in any era. But it has more meaning now that average MLB batting averages have dropped into the .250 range. At the height of the performance enhancing drugs era, they were consistently above .270.
OPS is where Cabrera's season is especially impressive - 1.141 is off the charts.
But Barry Bonds, from 2001 to 2004, had a considerably higher OPS. Cabrera's OPS, if it stands the rest of the season, would be 49th all-time.
Tim McCormick is doing something about the state of basketball in Michigan. My column: http://theoaklandpress.com/articles/2013/08/19/sports/doc52124ac4ee1db882286342.txt
It's a matter of trust and the Detroit Lions aren't earning it. My Column: http://theoaklandpress.com/articles/2013/08/19/sports/columns/doc5212625baa1ff870250336.txt
posted by Pat Caputo at
11:41 AM
5 Comments:
So who knows for sure that Cabrera's not using?
Well for one, he has never tested positive for any banned substances up until this point unlike other users... so there's that.
If Cabrera, whose seemingly bloated body looks like someone who's on chemo and radiation for cancer, is NOT on PEDs, then it seems Big Head Barry can also be exonerated.
And how about Albert Pujols?
great similarities between him and bonds. there is no hard proof, but sure does look like it. these guys have no conscious what so ever. braun is the perfect example. his shameful press conferences, spewing his lies about being wrongfully accused, then getting busted again....unbelievable. while the hometown fans eat their bullshit up, for the sake of hero worship and winning. hopefully the new commish. will continue trying to keep it clean
The "steroid era" is over, but he "PED era" is in full swing. Not testing positive for banned substances? No problem. The PED industry is constantly creating new and improved ones--ones not on the list of banned substances. As long as athletes stay ahead of the list, they will be seen as clean.
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