Steroids DOES help batting average!?

Question

Why do people keep insisting that steroids/HGH or whatever does not help with hitting when after years of testing, the Balco steroids expert explained that it DOES to Bob Costas? Of couse after that interview, Bonds called Costas 'a little midget'! Getting a little defensive there Barroid?

Bonds going from a .290 hitter to a .350 hitter is proof that it helps batting average!

Bob Costas built his career off of coddling black athletes and making excuses for their low test scores, etc. The one time he blows the whistle on a cheater, you throw him under the bus!

Answer 1

I saw that. He said it puts you in 'the zone'. That is why Bonds also suddenly started hitting .350 after being a .288 hitter at an age he should have started hitting .270.

Answer 2

People believe what they want to believe. Few do any research. I used to believe that steroids don't help hitting until I actually studied the issue myself.

Steroids increases bat speed which allows for a slight delay in starting a swing. This allow the hitter to see more of the flight of the pitch and make a more informed decision on whether to swing and where to swing. The differences are in the order of hundredths of a second, but the time frame a batter is making those decision is about a tenth of a second anyway. Of course, increased bat speed also makes a batted ball go farther (1 mph ~ 60 feet) so that long fly outs end up over the fence instead.

It is also agreed that steroids alone cannot make a person a hitter. There is still a lot of skill involved in putting a round bat squarely onto a round ball when the two are moving at a combined 150-180 mph. It enhances the existing skill, sometimes significantly.

Answer 3

We know from all the thousands of baseball players of the past what happens to bat speed as a person ages. The same happens to other athletes as well... the fast twitch fibers lose some quickness. The "Costas Now" steroid expert said steroids help with hand-eye coordination and slow down the aging process. Barry Bonds stats support both claims. His pre-steroid BA was .288. His steroid BA was .326. His post-steroid BA is .274. His pre-, during and post-steroid HR rates are 31, 52, 29. His HRs rate now is close to his pre-steroid prime. What you are seeing in Berkman, Ensberg, etc is real evidence of previous steroid use despite what the Bonds supporters say.

Answer 4

Steroids help batting average in several ways. They improve bat speed, which allows a batter to wait on a pitch longer, and guess its location better. The improved bat speed will also lead to more ground balls that just barely scoot past an infielder, and more flyballs that just barely clear the fence. Also, in some people, steroids improve eyesight. This is not especially common, but it does happen some times. It's one of the reasons why many people suspect Brian Downing of using steroids - he bulked up incredibly, being one of the first major leaguers to lift weights, and also stopped wearing glasses in the middle of his career. This is on top of any improvement in overall short term health that result.

Answer 5

some people are wicked dumb.. Of course steroids improved batting average. think about what steroids do.. they don;t make you big and strong.. you dont get ripped using steroids and sitting on your couch.. steroids help in recovery of muscle tissue and allow you to stay at peak performance for longer durations so YOU can make your self stronger.

If you've ever played even one game of baseball you know that after 9 innings in the hot sun you get fatigued. If you can recover faster and remain at peak performance longer you will have a better chance at putting a good swing on the ball late in games and over the course of a 162 game season.. whoever doubts that is a moron

Answer 6

Well as you know, I am in complete and total agreement with you there. You can be a good hitter obviously without HGH, but when your strength triples, and you become this bionic power hitter of course the stats are going up. HGH is also the so called fountain of youth miracle drug, so of course even the older guys are body wise younger, and due to the higher range of physical and mental stamina this drug is famous for, again a step above the rest with batting averages.

Answer 7

.Bob costas could find an expert to say anything he wants. That does not make it a fact. Stop acting like a sheep. Bob Costas has an agenda. Hand to eye coordination is about your nervous system. Steroids improve you muscles. Bonds is a great hitter.

Answer 8

Well explain this then! You can't, can you?

Steroids aid in body recovery, muscle growth, and strength. There is no evidence showing it improves skills. How could you even believe that meat-head from BALCO? He just liked being on tv.

Answer 9

So, a chemical engineer at a criminal organization is now an expert on hitting? What comes out of the mouth of BALCO representives has no credibility to begin with, but certainly not to the extent it refers to the game of baseball itself.

First, here is a brief explanation of what anabolic steroids do. Anabolic steroids increase the amount of testosterone in the bloodstream. That increased testosterone helps to build muscle mass, particularly combined with weight lifting.
Muscle mass adds strengh -- that is it.
Hitting a baseball soundly has almost nothing to do with strength. Success is based almost exlcusively on quickness and hand-eye coordination and steroids do NOTHING to help that.
If you need evidence look at the games greatest hitters -- Ted Williams, Dimaggio, Cobb, Hornsby, Boggs, etc. ALL of them have long lean muscles, not beefy biceps.

Second here is a brief description of what HG or human growth hormone, does:
HGH triggers the growth of bone in those bones that are still capable of growing. In adults, that means the hands, feet and head. For the rest of the bones in the body, the growth plates that enable growth have long since closed, thus one cannot get taller taking HGH as an adult.
The second benefit HGH has in an adult is it speeds the bodies recovery from injury. This is a big benefit as athletes age since the natural ability to heal from injury slows incrementally after about age 18.
Obviously, NONE of these HGH benefts increase batting batting average.

The ONLY benefit to batting average would be due to the increased distance one gains on balls that are hit through ones own natural ability. With the added strength of steroids, one could aruge that some warning track flyouts are turned into homers. That factor must be counterbalanced with bloops that otherwise would drop in front of outfielders now go far enough to be caught.

So, there may be a small indirect increase to batting average with steroid use, but that is it.

Answer 10

I don't think steroids help with hand to eye coordination so how could someone hit the ball with any more accuracy due to steroid use?