Will we ever again see the likes of these true-blue Power Hitters ?

Section103 · #1 01-14-2014, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RTK

Baseball Almanac;

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/art_hr.shtml

Thank you.

steve B · #2 01-14-2014, 10:46 AM

This made me dig out an old book, "A rooters guide to the Red Sox" from 1974. It has an interesting section on Home runs, including a number of long ones.

At the time there had only been five hit completely out to the right of the flagpole. An interesting list

May22, 1937 Hank Greenberg
Aug 12, 1937 Jimmy Foxx
Apr 20, 1957 Bill Skowron
May 16, 1970 Yaz
Sept. 29, 1973 Bobby Mitchell

Jim Rice joined that club in 1975
Most of those were about 8-10 feet to the right,

Mantle came very close, hitting one that nearly cleared but being 30-40 feet to the right didn't quite make it - still hit at around 480 ft.

The renovations and scoreboard in 76 made it nearly impossible, But Nomar had one that would have been out. It hit on the "new" wall section above the brick. (And of course was probably aided by chemistry)

That section of wall is gone now, so there will be others.

Of the homers I've seen in person Rice was by far the most powerful.
The longest Homer I've ever seen televised was one Kingman hit at Fenway during his brief time with the Yankees. It hit up in the bank of lights on the second tower over from the leftfield line at Fenway. I never even see it mentioned, but it was amazing.

Steve B

frankbmd · #3 01-14-2014, 11:51 AM

The Physics of Baseball (3rd Edition) [Paperback]
Robert K. Adair (Author)

This little book has been around for awhile (3 decades) and has been updated by the author (3rd edition in 2002). The physical limits of how far a baseball can be hit are discussed in one of the chapters. It is an interesting read and was written by a physicist for the non-physicists among us. It is still available on Amazon. Participants in this thread might enjoy it as well as the answers it tries to provide. Hint: An 800 foot HR ain't going to happen.

t206blogcom · #4 01-14-2014, 12:53 PM

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Bryce Harper. Only Prince Fielder launched one longer than him in last year's home run derby (I know, not the same as regular season, just saying).

bnorth · #5 01-14-2014, 01:17 PM

This Glenallen Hill homer always impressed me. He hit the ball on top of the roof on the building across the street. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wDrw76ieTs

Big Six · #6 01-14-2014, 01:18 PM

I have never believed that football is America's pastime...it has always been, and always will be, baseball...and here is why. Baseball is played by guys who look (or used to look) just like we do or did. Most baseball players look like normal, run-of-the-mill people. They don't have the height of basketball players and they aren't the mountain of men that most football players are. We see these guys play a game that looks sooo damn simple and trick ourselves in to thinking we could do it, too...if only we had stuck with it. You don't have to be fast, or strong, or smart to play baseball. Anyone can (and has) played the game at the highest level. Phil Rizzuto, Willie Keeler and Rube Waddell are all Hall of Famers but would have been NOTHING in basketball or football...

Add to this the fact that football players wear helmets w/ face masks and they might as well not even be human. We can't recognize them the way we do with baseball players. How many retired football players that aren't commentators can you recognize if you saw them walking down the street? I love football as much as the next guy but at the end of the day, its a bunch of guys who run around trying to decapitate each other. A lineman gets hurt and a new one takes his place...no one even notices! There are exceptions like Peyton Manning and Tim Tebow and Mean Joe Green who are just magnetic and larger than life that the fans know and love. But they are the exception, not the rule.

That ability to connect with the players is why we are so passionate about the game of baseball, the records, the numbers and the Hall of Fame. That's why it matters so much to us and so many others...

tedzan · #7 01-14-2014, 02:43 PM

An excellent observation between BB, FB, and BskB players.....very well stated.

Furthermore, throughout the years we have had personal connections with many of our "heroes of the diamond". At BB card shows, Hall of Fame weekends.....and,
like my experience growing up in the same neighborhood as Phil Rizzuto (Hillside, NJ).

And, as you noted about our similarity to some of these BB players, Phil and I are (were) of the same stature and build. However, I'll tell you this....for a small guy,
Phil had large hands (and a very strong handshake).

Thanks for posting your "$.02...."

TED Z

RTK · #8 01-15-2014, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Section103

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Yes, the Glenallen Hill home run came to mind. I saw one at Miller Park in Milwaukee from of all people, CC Sabathia, that was a monster shot. I recall Dave Kingman belting a few at Wrigley that landed down the street outside the park. If I remember correctly his homeruns tended to be as high as they were far.

novakjr · #9 01-15-2014, 07:29 AM

I know Maddux and Glavine could sure kill a ball...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ltD21rYWVw

KCRfan1 · #10 01-15-2014, 07:54 AM

David, I think you may have hit the nail on the head. Pitching is so much better, and specialized now, than it was decades ago. Sure the greats would be great in any decade, but Cobb would never have the batting average now ( if he were playing ) than he did when he did play. I don't believe we will see the likes of Ruth, Lou G, Greenberg, Hack Wilson, Ott, Kiner, Ted Klu., Mantle again. The numbers, the moon shots, presently the only player that comes to mind is Stanton in terms of moon shot home runs.

ctownboy · #11 01-15-2014, 08:21 AM

To answer the quetion, "will we see guys who hit moonshots again?", I think part of the answer would have to come from who the guys in the past were hitting moonshots off of.

Was it a starting pitcher early in the game or was it later when he was tiring? Was it a pitcher throwing really hard fast balls or was it on a breaking pitch that hung?

I don't see a lot of MLB pitchers today who throw big breaking curve balls. Ones that if hung would sit there as if placed on a tee. I see more guys throwing sliders and cut fast balls.

I also see starting pitchers getting taken out of games in the sixth inning, way before they are too tired to lose velocity and keep leaving their pitches up in the zone.

I also see more guys coming in from the bull pen who throw 95+ MPH. Tough to square those pitches up and pull them.

As far as moonshots go, Adam Dunn and Wily Mo Pena, I think, both pulled balls that went over the right field seats and out of Great American Ball Park. Dunn's shot hit the concrete outside and bounced into the Ohio River.

Even though he was a horrible ball player, after Dunn did that, his fans gave THAT as a reason for keeping him on the team and paying him so much....

David

packs · #12 01-15-2014, 08:44 AM

I was at a playoff game between the Yankees and Indians where Manny hit one half way up the upper deck in left field at Yankee Stadium. I'd never seen anyone do it before or since.

tedzan · #13 01-15-2014, 10:24 AM

Washington's Griffith Stadium....April 17, 1953....21-year old Mickey blasts the ball out of the park over the centerfield wall....565 ft away.

I was 14 years old when I saw this tremendous HR on TV.

TED Z

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