Quote Originally Posted by FromWayDowntown
That's undoubtedly true. Mark McGwire was a fairly mediocre major league hitter, but (for whatever reason) an exceptional power hitter. In his famous 70 HR season, McGwire had a total of 61 singles and more strikeouts than hits. I'm not sure why a batter would be deemed successful if he struck out more frequently than he reached base by hit. For that reason, I've argued with friends that I don't think McGwire ever should have been a first ballot Hall of Famer, regardless of the su ions heaped on him. To me, McGwire is a somewhat more prolific version of Dave Kingman, without the surliness. I don't find either to have been a particularly great player.
whoa, whoa, whoa. in that season, he may have only hit 61 singles - but he walked 162(!!!) times - for an OBP of .470! You don't have to be a moneyball nut to know that an on-base percentage that high is extremely valuable to any offense. Add in a .750 slugging percentage, and you are getting extraordinary production in any era. (albeit by juicing)

For reference, Dave Kingman had a career OBP of just .302 (which is awful in any era), and was only above .330 twice in his entire career.