Speed of Major Leaguers vs. distance runners

Another thing that matters is which side of the plate a batter hits from. Lefties have the advantage of being two steps closer to first, and the momentum of their swings take them that way anyhow. Their weight is on their front foot, so it's just a matter of pushing off and crossing over with their back foot, using the momentum they had going that direction already, and they are almost up to speed. Ichiro does it best because he is practially out of the box at contact, which helps him get down there faster. He hits more like a slap hitter in fast pitch softball -- put it in play and beat the throw to first. Righties' swings take them away from first, and with the weight on their front foot going that way too, their back leg has to help them reverse their momentum and start the first explosive move in the other direction, which probably costs them a third step, too. Kind of why I'm teaching my kids to hit lefty -- when you are as slow as I am (and they might be if they take after me) the extra steps help.

I think the difference between ballplayers and runners is that first 90 feet. Because a lot of ballplayers have more explosion, they would get to first faster. But if you are racing to the right-field foul pole (about 110M), a distance runner would probably take it because their finishing speed might be better, and they would carry their acceleration farther.

That's really a lot of what it is, how good you are at accelerating. I was pretty slow getting down the line, but I got a lot faster when it came to running extra bases because my opening acceleration wasn't good, but I was still picking it up as I rounded first.

And yeah, don't discount adrenaline. First you get a shot of it just standing up there, and you are a lot faster getting down the line when you are the potential last out of the inning or whatever.

i played baseball until the end of 7th grade, and at 4' 7" and less than 100lbs, i was far and away the fastest person on my team. had the best batting average and on base percentage on my team, and could turn what shouldve been a double into a triple ruitinely. i was also running a 5:36 mile at that time.

Interesting side question: what do you think the slowest all out 100m dash a middle distance runner can have and

still break the roughly equivalent (assuming ideal training at the given distance)...

1:54 for the 800

4 minutes for the mile

13:20 for the 5km

28 minutes for the 10km?

kingofthehalf wrote:

i played baseball until the end of 7th grade, and at 4' 7" and less than 100lbs, i was far and away the fastest person on my team. had the best batting average and on base percentage on my team, and could turn what shouldve been a double into a triple ruitinely. i was also running a 5:36 mile at that time.

how many of your teammates play pro ball now?

one could either take this as a commentary on baseball players versus runners as a whole or, more likely, how crappy your teammates were. comparing 7th graders to pro players seems a bit tenuous to me.

I am guessing that the "average" 100m sprint speed of a 27:30 10k type is in the high 11/low 12 range. I am also guessing that the average D1 track guy (say 15-flat 5K) would get badly burned in a dash against your average major leaguer. Yes, baseball appears to be a slow, lazy game, but most of the players are great athletes (pitchers aside) and these days are roided to the nines to boot.

Kennedy's point was that if you cannot run 13 sec for the 100m, you have no chance of being a world class runner. Not that if you can run that time you WILL be a Worlc class runner.

luv2run wrote:

Kennedy's point was that if you cannot run 13 sec for the 100m, you have no chance of being a world class runner. Not that if you can run that time you WILL be a Worlc class runner.[/quote]

Guys like Bob and Meb have 400 PRs in the 52-53 second range. I think what Bob Kennedy meant is that a world class distance runner needs speed over 400 of 13 seconds/100. Someone running 52 that is not a 400 specialist would need to run 12 flat in the 100, not 13. 13 flat for 100 equates to just under 60 second 400 speed which isn't going to get you far as a world class distance runner.

Now, If I look up a hand-timed 12 flat in standard sprint charts, the equivalent is 4.4 sec for 30 meters out of blocks, so I think a distance runner (without training for acceleration) is going to be hard pressed to crack 4.0 sec for 30 yards. This would be even worse for someone not a sprinter or capable of 13-low or, say, 1:55 for 800.

But what you are talking about in running to or between bases is ACCELERATION, not really speed. Running at 100% from a dead start, you have 6 seconds to get to top speed before you start using the lactic energy system (everybody starts to slow). Many people can accelerate over 30 meters; It's what happens in the next 30 that separates the world class from the ordinary. Improving top speed tends to be hard because you have to improve both the power to accelerate long enough to reach a high top speed and the ability to hold a fast speed long enough (speed endurance) to improve that speed. But just accelerating to first base is easier to improve: squats, hill sprints, short accelerations on a track. So, if you take a distance runner with decent speed (say 4:30 mile) and have that person work on acceleration and maybe some plyometrics, he might be able to approach the base running speed of baseball players, but having the speed to play outfield would probably be doubtful.

Alan Wiggins got down the line pretty quick, if anyone remembers him playing for the Padres in the 80's. I want to say 2.9 or 3.0, but I don't remember. My dad and him were teammates in college so I'd have to ask him. It's all hand timed anyways.

a couple play in college, one was drafted of those, and another one is a D-I quarterback. is that sufficient?

I think everyone is overestimating how fast distance runners are. I'm pretty quick, whenever I play sports such as baseball, backyard football, or ultimate frisbee, I'm almost always the fastest guy on the field.

People have even said to me, wow, did you used to run track? I tell them yes, though I don't bother to say that I was a middle distance runner and not a sprinter like they're assuming.

Anyway, long story short - I'm pretty fast, and the only time I've run a 100 with electronic timing I ran 12.2x.

Sub-12 is faster than you guys realize. And can't see most skinny Kenyans running that fast.

Don't forget that 90% of players are also right-eyed dominant, which gives lefties more of an advantage. You must had read the same book as I had. Anyways, you won't regret it, there's no dominant side in hitting a baseball, just throwing.

alex....you are a moron.

Thanks Kevin Beck once again.

Mickey Mantle was the master of the drag bunt. On a drag bunt, you are already running when you make contact.

I watch Ichiro all the time, his number of infield hits speak for themselves. He flies every time, hits first base with the same foot in the same place after the same unmber of strides. No one has ever been better at beating the ball to first.

The speed of baseball players varies a lot. The fast ones are true sprinters, they would kick any distance runner's butt. I can't tell how fast the average major leaguers are.

jumping high now wrote:

Sub-12 is faster than you guys realize. And can't see most skinny Kenyans running that fast.

That is a very interesting comment....