Here's why hitting streaks can sometimes be overrated
Carlos Gonzalez had a 21-game hitting streak snapped on Sunday. Is this a big deal or not?
The Rockies won, 2-0, over the Cubs on Sunday thanks to a pair of Nolan Arenado home runs and some excellent pitching from Tyler Chatwood. What some may not have noticed during the game is that Carlos Gonzalez didn't record a hit and that snapped his 21-game hitting streak dating back to last season, which is done in MLB record-keeping.
It got me thinking: The general idea of hitting streaks is pretty overrated*. Too much attention is paid to something that could be pretty arbitrary. Last week, I heard a broadcaster say someone has a "four-game hitting streak" and I nearly spit my water out all over my computer. Four games? That's like saying a pitcher has a no-hitter going through the first inning. It's technically true, but following it like it matters already is a waste of time.
*Let's not do the thing where someone says something is overrated and you act like what they said is "bad." Hitting streaks can be fun and are generally a great sign that the hitter is locked in. Something can be both great and overrated. It's possible!
Plus, we need context behind the streak, because there are different levels of production within any hitting streak. Simply saying that someone has a hitting streak going implies some level of hotness and it actually doesn't have to be the case. Observe:
- A player can technically hit .200/.200/.200 over the course of a month -- by going 1-for-5 with a single in every game -- but still maintain a 30-game hitting streak if he's lucky enough to sequence his hits properly. In no uncertain terms, hitting .200 with a .400 OPS is brutal and probably grounds for benching or even a demotion to the minors, unless the player is Andrelton Simmons-like with the glove. Yet this fictional player would absolutely be celebrated for a 30-game hitting streak. And what if the manager benched him? "Oh my gosh! He benched a guy with a 30-game hitting streak! FIRE HIM!"
- Let's say a different player has a 25-game hitting streak and extends it going 1 for 5 with a single (he doesn't steal a base or score). In his other four at-bats, he strikes out and leaves a small village on the bases while his team loses 4-3. Did he have a good game? Or did he greatly cost his team? It's the latter, but he extended his hitting streak, so he garners headlines.
- On the flip-side, let's say this player the next game goes 0 for 1 with four walks, steals three bases and scores three runs while his team wins 4-3. Did he have a bad game? Well, his vaunted hitting streak was broken and that's the headline -- yet he had an exponentially better day for his team.
Doesn't this kind of prove how overrated a hitting streak can be, in and of itself?
This isn't to say hitting streaks can never be impressive, of course. In Joe DiMaggio's record 56-game hitting streak, he slashed .408/.463/.717 with 16 doubles, 15 homers, 55 RBI and 56 runs while his team went 41-13. That's an amazing string of baseball. I'm frankly a lot more impressed with about five aspects of that stretch -- namely related to getting on base and hitting for power -- than simply getting at least one hit in each game and I guess that's the overall point.
A single hit can ring hollow in any given game. Sometimes players don't get any pitches to hit and it would help their team more to just accept the walks. DiMaggio actually got on base in 74 straight games that season and, yes, I'm more impressed with that.
The record on-base streak is, of course, Ted Williams' 84 in 1949. During that stretch he hit .371/.518/.695 with 20 doubles, 24 homers, 80 RBI and 81 runs. He had 112 hits (again, in 84 games) and 92 walks, which is just obscene.
Most hitting streaks do come with exceptional production and I guess my over-arching point is that the context behind the streaks matter more than simply a number like 21 or 56. A player can hurt his team while collecting one harmless single just as a player can greatly help his team without getting a hit.
Now, I'm sure this will anger many old-school types, but so be it (I'm not a millennial, by the way, though I'm certain that I am totally ruining baseball). They can still love them just as much as ever. I'll go on with my belief that hitting streaks are cool but vastly overrated. You can have your singles. I'll take getting on base and hitting bombs.
