Jeff,

Steroids do make you a better hitter. Not a more skillful hitter but a better hitter none the same. I would recommend that you read the biography of Jose Canseco and his account of how steroid use has affected his life and his on field performance.

Steroids will not make you a better hitter in terms of bat on ball contact or hand eye coordination but it will give you a faster bat swing and more distance. Canseco outlined how after he started steroid use the routine fly outs he had a year earlier were now home runs. I think that says something.

Canseco also outlines how he started McGuire on the 'roids and how Bonds was a skinny kid and then within one off season came back a monster. You had stated that Bonds had a thousand more at bats then Ruth did, but you didn't take into account how steroid use allowed Bonds to reach that number.

Canseco specifically outlines the benefits of recovery when he was using steroids. In his opinion, he believes that steroids gave him the opportunity to heal faster from serious injury resulting in more playing time. He also believes that his steroid use allowed him to avoid the nagging injuries that can slow down a player throughout the course of a 160 game season.

Seriously, read the book.