Why Homeruns are so Important

OBP is obviously one of my favorite statistics. I loved Moneyball and I still can't figure out why so many MLB managers refuse to admit how important it is in measuring how good a player is.

But is OBP the most important statistic out there?

It depends.

If you're talking about comparing one player to another, I'd probably say yes—OBP is the best way of comparing two players. But is it the end all be all of stats?

Nope. Homeruns are.

Before you get your panties all in a bunch over sounding like a steroid-munching, ignorant fan that digs the long ball, let me explain.

Baseball is about winning. You win by scoring more runs than the other team. Scoring more runs, therefore, is the most important part of the game. So if you can do something to create a run all by yourself—and do that a lot—then you're very valuable.

Enter the homerun. Hitting a homerun means you're creating a run and an RBI in one swing. Granted, getting on base is the first step in scoring a run, but getting a homerun is an even faster way of getting on and getting in.

Ideally, you have a guy like Albert Pujols that hits tons of homeruns (37 last year) and has a high OBP (.462 last year), but if you had to place value on a player, you have to give the homerun its due.

In terms of pure statistics relative to winning ballgames, there's nothing that can compare to it. Let's take a look at the top ten players for the two categories last year.



Ideally, you have a guy on both lists, which makes Manny and Albert the most valuable players. But take a good look, would you rather have Chipper Jones or Ryan Howard (age issues aside)? Who brings more value to your team, Joe Mauer or Ryan Braun?

These are the questions we are faced with, people. Go forth and answer them.