4 Reasons the home run is not the most exciting play in the MLB

Home runs are most certainly one of the most thrilling occurrences in the MLB. However, it is but a drop in the bucket compared to the numerous other elements at play. I'll double down on that by stressing that the other aspects of baseball are what make the achievement of the long ball so intoxicating.

The moment you see a home run, you're witnessing more than the peak of hitting achievement. You're observing the crescendo of all the great elements of the game coming together in one thunderous crack of the bat. It's not the home run itself, but all the other exhilarating aspects of the game that make the long ball such a feat.

Without further ado, here are four reasons why home runs are not the most exciting plays in baseball.

The lost art of the strikeout

Carlos Rodon on the mound, San Francisco Giants v Cincinnati Reds

The casual fan places so much emphasis on the long ball that they completely forget to consider the art of the strikeout. With the hitter set to take his hacks, his counterpart 60 feet away is sifting through signs from his catcher to conjure the perfect pitch. That's what makes location and the art of the strikeout such a masterpiece. Take Scherzer, for instance, in this blast from the past.

"Here's a perfect pitch by 2012 Max Scherzer" - David Adler

Everything about this pitch exemplifies the art of the MLB strikeout. Catcher Alex Avila's glove doesn't budge on this one bit. No need to frame it. The pitch may even be slightly off the plate, but that's where precision comes into play. If you've shown the ability to hit your target consistently, there aren't many umpires who will call this a ball.

What makes the strikeout even more of an art is a hitter's ability at the big league level. One mistake to location could cost you as we'll elaborate on later.

The HR is few and far between

Mark McGwire at bat for the St. Louis Cardinals

Home runs occur in roughly 12% of major league hits according to metrics that consider all hits from 2001-2020. If you're sitting there waiting for a home run, you'll have to wait a long time. Focusing solely on home runs means you're missing out on 88% of the excitement that makes up MLB offenses.

You need look no further than the lifetime statistics of one of baseball's pure power hitters, Mark McGwire, to see the evidence.

"McGwire may have only had a .263 lifetime average, but made up for it with 583 home runs." - The 501 Glove

Many fans are surprised to see McGwire's batting average, which wouldn't be Hall of Fame-worthy if not for his 583 HRs. That's not a knock against Big Mac, who most certainly was one of the most polarizing figures in the game. Though he may have hit many home runs, he only batted north of .300 in a full season twice throughout his career.

Lower batting average means fewer hits. It's pretty simple to ascertain that fewer hits means fewer base runners, which in turn means less offensive excitement.

If anything, plate power fuels the art of the strikeout as many power hitters whiff more frequently than most. In brief context, "Big Mac" struck out well over 100 times in nine of his 16 seasons. His home runs were monumental, but so were his strikeout numbers throughout his MLB career.

The intensity of the MLB at-bat

Every at-bat is a battle of wits.

Hitting and pitching is more than swinging a bat or throwing a ball. From the moment a hitter's cleats crack the dirt at home plate, a battle of wits begins. The mental game that goes into each pitch is a thriller no sport can mimic. Every pitcher possesses a fastball mixed with off-speed movement. The batter had better know what's coming, or he'll be gone in three pitches at the MLB level.

For the batter, that means anticipating the pitch before it's thrown. For the pitcher, it means location and keeping his foe in the batter's box guessing. Whoever blinks first loses. All it takes is one mistake to location, as Ohtani's most recent home run here exemplifies, and you're the loser.

"Shohei Ohtani might have one of the most mechanically sound home run swings." - Jared Carrabis

It may be pretty, but it also caught far too much plate away from the target. Thus, Ohtani won this battle of wits.

Every change in the count forces both hitters and pitchers to adapt accordingly in this see-saw battle. That's what the term "knowing the count" refers to in this clash of MLB counterparts. Knowing the count allows the hitter and pitcher to anticipate each other's move. When loud contact is made or three strikes end the at-bat, the intense bout of mental and physical superiority begins all over again.

The basepath game

A runner's lead off of first

You often hear the term "catching the pitcher sleeping" when it comes to stealing a bag in the MLB. A pitcher has to keep the runner honest every pitch whether he throws over or not. Regardless what a pitcher may tell you, he has to give the runner his attention to some degree. If he is too focused on the at-bat and forgets about the runner for one pitch, the runner may just gain 90 feet.

Smart base runners use their lead off first to distract the pitcher from his task at hand.

"Oneil Cruz: First MLB stolen base" - Farm to Fame

This cat-and-mouse game is ongoing from the moment a pitcher is forced into the stretch. As this stolen base exemplifies, one simple base steal has a domino effect on all of the moving parts of the game. One base steal and an errant throw later suddenly equalled a run.

The Art of America's Pastime

Next time you tune in to an MLB contest, focus on the multiple arts cited in this piece. It will change the way you watch baseball. With all the factors at play simultaneously, there's a lot to focus on and enough to occupy your mind for a full nine innings.

There’s no arguing that the home run is among the most exciting plays baseball has to offer. However, it’s the other facets of the game that collectively make every waking moment of an MLB matchup the most intense in sports.