We live in the era of the home run. Much like basketball teams have discovered that three pointers are worth more than two pointers, or how football teams have found that passing the ball is more efficient than running the ball, baseball teams have gone all in on the value of the long ball. Players are no longer ashamed to sit back and try to drive the ball in the air, the potential for a swing-and-miss be damned.
The backlash to the rise of the home run has been loud at times. Fans cry foul when teams appear to depend on the long ball.