As much as I enjoy baseball, I can't help but thinking that athleticism isn't an absolute necessity to play it

Question

A lot of players are way the wrong side of 30 and while comparitively muscular, they look hard-pressed to run anything more than a warm bath. (Compare them to football (soccer) players) What other sports include as many non-athletes as baseball?

Answer 1

While it is probably true that hitting a baseball at the major league level is the single most difficult thing to do in sports, it's also true that, with the exception of the pitcher and catcher, you really do not have to be in top physical shape in order to play baseball.
If you can HIT a baseball, you really don't have to be able to do anything else with it to make a career at the major league level.

For one thing, the relative inactivity that most players (other than the pitcher and catcher) experience during the game make it possible to 'rest' a lot.

When it comes to physical skills, what's required more in baseball (at the major league level) more than being in perfect condition is (1) hand-eye coordination and (2) fast reflexes.

One does not have to be in perfect physical condition to hit a baseball. As long as the hand-eye coordination and reflexes are there, you can hit (provided you've done it enough and have acquired the proper 'muscle memory').

Thing is, players today, on average, are probably in better physical condition than they were in, for example, the 30's or 40's... back then, players usually worked off-season jobs in offices, and were not able to maintain top condition during the winter. Most players would regularly put on weight during the winter, and would work it off in spring training and during the first part of the season. Today, with the money players make, they can afford not to 'work' during the winter, and can concentrate on keeping themselves in good condition (obviously, some players work harder than others at this). But more baseball players undergo year-round conditioning than not these days.

In the 'olden' days, players had to work off-season jobs, it was not possible to keep in playing shape while working in a bank, real estate office, investement firm, car dealership, or retail store...today, players don't have to work. The last player to be prominently associated with an off season job was Richie Hebner, a fine 3rd baseman during the 1970s... he actually worked as a grave-digger, partly because it kept him in good shape.

But yes, baseball does seem to have a higher percentage of players that are apparently not in tip top physical condition than either basketball or football (I know football linemen are really big, but they are usually incredibly quick for their size). Soccer players have to be in exellent shape as well.

Baseball does allow players to 'rest' more than any other sport, which is what gets a lot of these guys through a game.

Answer 2

In baseball, there is much more specialization involved. Pitchers for example only need the ability to perform the wind up and throw the ball. 90% of their skills come from their arms. So the rest of their body might be out of shape and not very athletic, but their arm is still very strong and specialized. So yes, there is a lot less total athleticism involved due to the increase in specialization. If it really took far less skills, then everyone would be doing it.

But if you compared a pitchers arm (strength, practice, ability, etc) and compared it to a football players complete body, you would find the same amount of athleticism. So most baseball players just have more concentrated athleticism in certain parts of their body.

Answer 3

It depends on your definition of 'athleticism.' I believe the eye/hand coordination it takes to hit a baseball falls under the heading of athleticism. There are also certain positions on the field that require a great deal of athleticism like shortstop, third base and the outfield. You think the Great Oz was not a superb athlete then think again.

Answer 4

I think baseball players are athletic but, I would say that other sports require more athleticism than baseball. And there are other sports that require even less athleticism or none at all.

Answer 5

Have you noticed how fat foootball players are? 350 lbs. is not in shape. Also, soccer players are doing different things. Sure they have more cardio potential. They have to! Do you think any of them could hit even the worst pitcher in the major leagues? You cannot compare sports where the skills are so different. Apples and oranges.

Answer 6

Not any rube off the street can hit a 98 mph slider. Plus have you seen Gary Mathews Jr's catch when he robbed that home run......no soccer player is that fast. Not to mention he jumped about 4 feet in the air. To answer your question, I do not know how many 350 lineman in the NFL who surprise me with their agility.

Answer 7

WOW I like that then why arent you making MILLIONS playing that game? The hardest thing to do in sports is hit a round ball with a round bat,no to mention the ball is going 90-100 mph

Answer 8

I was watching competitive bass fishing on ESPN 2 the other day. That didn't look too athletic to me.

Answer 9

You would be surprised at just how much athleticism is involved. The reason pro ballplayers make it look easy is, that's exactly what they are, pros.

Answer 10

Well, steroids and dexedrine more than make up for the lack of athleticism.