Active hit leaders

[cgjackson222]

I agree the higher frequencies of walks (younger players are taught at an early age to value walks more than they use to, and to value making contact less), and the prevalence of strikeouts are a big reason for fewer hits. There seem to be a few reasons why players are striking out more. Below are a couple:

The growing specialization of staffs allows managers to create matchups that are to their teams’ advantages. And the amount of information available to teams about hitters’ tendencies allows them to create scouting reports and battle plans that are more effective. Players trying to hit more Home Runs is another. They are sitting on a pitch, and if they guess wrong, they frequently strike out.

I do think Jose Altuve and Freddie Freeman have a chance to get to 3,000 hits if they can stay healthy/productive for 5 more years, but that puts them around 40 years old.