There was a lot of talk as recently as Mark McGwire's homerun record year about how thin the talent is in MLB. I have listened closely and have not heard that kind of talk lately. The closest theme to that is the talk that 500 homeruns in a career didn't mean what it used to mean (which is baloney). The implied argument behind the 500 career homerun/Hall of Fame debate is difficult to pinpoint. The implication is either that the players are too strong now or that the talent is too thin. My take on the discussions is that the implications are with the former and not the latter. If it is so much easier to hit now, how come we still haven't had a .400 hitter in 50 years?

The same pundits who explain the supposed cheapness of 500 homers are the same who say that Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux (and maybe Glavine) will be the last 300 game winners in our lifetime. The arguments presented there are that starting pitchers only pitch every fifth day and that they only pitch six innings and too much can happen once they leave the game. Neither argument makes much sense. Pitchers still won twenty games last year (though there were less than in recent memory). 300 wins in a career would mean averaging 17 wins for 18 seasons. Not impossible with a few 23 to 25 win seasons thrown in there.

Hitting 500 homers seems just as improbable. To do so means to average 30 homers or more for 17 years and that's a lot of homers. I do believe there has been a convergence of talent in the past few years. McGwire, Sosa, Griffey Jr., Bonds and Palmeiro (and A-Rod up and coming) are and were extraordinary players. But so were Mays, Aaron, McCovey, Killebrew, Mantle from their era. Clumps of talent have happened before.

There are two major differences that do aid the modern ballplayer. First, the science of fitness has dramatically improved and so players now know how to take care of themselves better than ever. Secondly, sports medicine is dramatically improved. Clemens and Schilling have had major shoulder surgeries in their careers. Many others have had the Tommy John procedure. In the past, if the arm broke, it broke and that was the end of it. And so a Clemens can pitch 20 years. That fact alone means that the days of 300 wins are not over with him.

To get back to my original statement, I don't see a thinning of baseball talent. In every game I watch, several pitchers are throwing faster than 90 MPH. Players at every position are making diving stops and plays that make your eyes pop out. There is no shortage of talent to fill the drafts for every team every draft day. Big time college programs provide almost a minor league level of training for players. The whole world is a market for talent with players coming from Hispanola, the Orient, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Baseball talent isn't thinning. I believe it's a very exciting time to be a fan as great players are springing up everywhere. Excuse me while I go check what Blalock and Baldelli are doing tonight...