I like the first photo. I've always been a fan of pairing a photo of the player signing autographs with an actual autograph (even if the item being signed in the photo is not the one framed with it). I think it makes for an interesting combination, almost like a wide-out shot, and then zooming in for the extreme close-up on the signature.
Plus, any sharp period photo of Ruth in action during his playing days will stand well on its own, and in my mind, the separate signature becomes a distraction from the photo (or vice versa) rather than having an additive value.
Maybe that's just me though
