When the Yankees traded for Giancarlo Stanton over the winter, two assumptions were made by almost everyone. First, the team was going to lead the galaxy in home runs. Second, they’d also pace the field in strikeouts. Matching Stanton with the likes of Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird was tantamount to swearing fealty to the notion of three true outcomes.
Three true outcomes, of course, refer to walks, strikeouts and home runs, all three of which have seen spikes in the new era of baseball. Juiced balls, improved tracking of launch angles, the development of relief pitching, and strengthened defense have all led teams to forego traditional offensive strategies in lieu of working counts and hammering mistakes.