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Originally Posted by PassTheBypass  My kids are playing baseball this summer. You know in all the old baseball movies, like Bad News Bears, The Sandlot, etc. There was always the one heavy kid that was made the catcher. In the pros, there was Babe Ruth, hitting home runs with a little extra around the middle.
Well, in the year 2007, 5 of the 9 kids out there are built like "the catcher" in those movies! 3 of the 9 MLB starters (including pitchers!) are built like that, too! The thing is, they can hit the HECK out of the ball, while the thinner players are just getting it out of the outfield.
When we were kids, the chubby kid was told to "put his weight into it", well, these kids are doing that, and doing it well. Is this common now? I don't want my kids to bulk up just to hit the ball farther, but heavy Barry Bonds hits home runs, heavy Miguel Cabrera hits home runs, heavy Prince Fielder hits home runs, while the "skinny" healthy hitters are getting by with singles.
Not a big deal, not an obsession, just curious if anyone else has seen that trend on the field both in little league and in the pros. |
The game of baseball (professionally) has turned into more of a power game and less of a speed game. Fans want to see the long ball, and the game of baseball is giving it to them. Fences are shorter, pitching is diluted, balls are wound tighter, and pitchers throw faster (which makes for longer home runs), not to mention supplements are helping players get stronger.
Home runs=sexy, Stolen bases and bunting= not so much.
As far as the little leagues go, it's a function moreso of kids in general are a LOT heavier now then when you and I were growing up. In any sport you're going to see more overweight kids (in the United States anyway), because of the drastic increase in childhood obesity.