What hitting stat is most necessary for hobby stardom?

[Topnotchsy]

I was thinking about this, and I'm curious to see what others think before I post my opinion. What stat is most "necessary" for hobby stardom for hitters? (Not sure if how I phrased that makes any sense, but I think the idea is there.)

 

[J.O.]

ygpm

 

[brouthercard]

Like, chicks dig the long ball?

 

[ROLLTIDE4LIFE]

Average trumps homers and nothing else matters.

 

[brouthercard]

Average trumps homers and nothing else matters.

Was Wade Boggs really more popular than Mark Mcgwire?

 

[Ian Stewart]

Average trumps homers and nothing else matters.

Then why are you invested in Michael Stanton?

 

[KandKCards]

Average trumps homers and nothing else matters.

I think a big time power hitter trumps all. If average meant so much, why did Ben Revere chromes only go for $30ish even when he was hitting .400 last year?

 

[Topnotchsy]

You guys got exactly what I meant. I'd love to hear debates for the stat you chose. I will argue my case a little later.

 

[200lbhockeyplayer]

Home runs.

No offensive statistic carries as much impact as home runs.

 

[Invest4thefuture]

Average trumps homers and nothing else matters.

I think a big time power hitter trumps all. If average meant so much, why did Ben Revere chromes only go for $30ish even when he was hitting .400 last year?

Have to agree... in terms of prospects at least, people love power hitters. Obviously, you can't strikeout like crazy (see Michael Burgess), but if you can kill the ball, you will get plenty of attention.

 

[muskiesfan]

For the most part, I think HRs is the biggest. Even casual baseball fans and people who don't even follow the sport know HR hitters. Obviously every power hitter doesn't get hobby love (Adam Dunn) and there are players who aren't power hitters who get a lot of love (Jeter). So I don't think there's truly just one stat that makes one a hobby star, but the most prevelant seems to be power.



Joe

 

[brouthercard]

When it comes down to it, you need the higher average to get you legitimized as a good hitter and get you to the show, but the power is the one that launches you to hobby stardom. Kind of like the difference between William Hung and Carrie Underwood.

 

[KandKCards]

When it comes down to it, you need the higher average to get you legitimized as a good hitter and get you to the show, but the power is the one that launches you to hobby stardom. Kind of like the difference between William Hung and Carrie Underwood.

One is super hot and ultra talented, and the other is Carrie Underwood.

 

[brouthercard]

When it comes down to it, you need the higher average to get you legitimized as a good hitter and get you to the show, but the power is the one that launches you to hobby stardom. Kind of like the difference between William Hung and Carrie Underwood.

One is super hot and ultra talented, and the other is Carrie Underwood.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[ROLLTIDE4LIFE]

Let me clarify. I am really only looking to invest in guys that have big time power. That being said without the average being respectable .275 or above you wont get hobby love Adam Dunns a prime example. Now you can have little power and hit for great average and get hobby love ala Tony Gwynn. My main argument is that without the average to supplement power numbers the love from collectors will be small. That is the subjectivity to my prospecting. I own zero cards of Greg Halman and never will. I do not think he can hit above .250 in the bigs. I do believe though that Stanton can hit .275 and hit 50 hrs that is how I justify my investments. Hobby stardom is what he was asking about do not forget not hobby mediocrity and Dunn (the prime exapmle for power numbers) is no hobby star because his avg sucks. That leads me to believe that average is most important for STARDOM with power being a CLOSE second. Think pujols and braun .300 hitters 40 hrs equal hobby love Think Dunn .240 40 hrs no love. Average is the difference all market considerations aside.

 

[brouthercard]

Most guys who hit for average can also hit for power, so it's hard to separate the two.

Placido Polanco has a career average over .300, and he gets zero hobby love.

Neither do Helton or Magglio.

I still don't think you can rely on one number to determine hobby stardom, but I think the power aspect puts you over the edge. Just compare the career top 30 hr hitters to the top 30 in average, then you can see which players have had the stronger hobby impact. (Minus the steroid issues of course). Plus, you need to eliminate the top 30 average guys who have lots of hr's, and see who you have left.

 

[nborton]

I think the main factor more than anything else is personality. Guys that have a great personality, end up in a ton of commercials, and promotions end up being fan favorites. I think that's the #1 reason why Griffey got so popular. He was the kid. Always smiling, being good to the fans, and playing the game with enthusiasm. Obviously, his stats were there, but I think his personality was the biggest factor in shooting him into super stardom.

 

[DaveH]

can't wait till WAR is the most necessary stat for hobby stardom. or WoBA for hitters and FIP for pitchers

 

[matfanofold]

I think HR's are the easy answer because it does not take many to have people start buzzing around you. However, when talking top tier, HR's and avg are side by side. Weither you are batting .393 after 500 AB's or have 58 HR's with a month to go, both will usher in hobby stardom.

 

[All The Hype]

If you're talking about stats alone, homeruns are the only thing that anyone should even be mentioning right now.

Another thing that leads to hobby stardom is clutch hitting (i.e., Derek Jeter). Clutch hitting can make you a fan favorite. A card collector generally will collect his favorite player.

But homeruns still trump everything.