Hey guys,

Johnson's speed was clocked between 91 - 95 MPH. But, more significantly, he pitched with a "wicked" Sidearm motion. Right-handed batters could not touch his stuff.
And, Left-handed batters were not too successful, either. In my opinion, Johnson would be very effective in today's game.

Furthermore, Babe Ruth was the greatest BB player in the 20th Century....and, would still be the greatest in the 21st Century. He is a unique human being in the realm
of sports history. Since he started playing BB approx. 100 years ago, we have not seen the likes of him. And, I doubt that we ever will again


TED Z
.

We can't just take Ruth out and say that if he was born in 1990 he would have better nutrition and training, so he'd be just as good or whatever. What made Ruth was his circumstances. He grew up in the orphanage. His fuel for winning was based on his life. Baseball was America's pastime, and boys all over the country wanted to play it. If Ruth is a 10 year old in 2000, he'd probably be playing video games in his free time and who knows if he is even motivated to play sports at all?

I am a high school teacher. We have 1,500 students at our school. Guess how many guys tried out for the baseball team this year. 13. If you tried out, you made the team. Period. When I was a teenager, I can remember baseball tryouts had dozens of guys showing up. I was thrilled to squeeze onto the roster. It was an honor to play. It just isn't the same anymore. This is why we see so many Latin American players in MLB. It still is competitive in the Dominican Republic. Those guys still love the sport and still want to compete. And, I would surmise that this will not change for some period of time.

So, Ruth is forever stuck in his own era, right where he belongs.

1500 kids and 13 tried out for the baseball team. That is sad. I guess today's Babe Ruth is Mark Zuckerberg. OH well, the Babe will always be the Babe, possibly grander than life but definitely grand for his time.

Yes...He would be a star, certainly not an asterisk.

People keep bringing up how hard Walter Johnson threw and are using archaic measurements taken in his own time to say that he threw 91 to 95. When they wanted to find out how hard Bob Feller threw he threw a baseball while another guy rode a motorcycle. I wouldn't put any stock in those numbers. I think it's clear that Johnson threw extremely hard for any time period considering he was the top of the food chain when he pitched and the human arm isn't any stronger now than it was then.

Also we can't run 100 meters any faster now than we could then.

Anyone who has own adjective, "Ruthian" is all right in my book be it past present or future !

Good point!! Actually, a Ruthian point!!

Would the Legendary Babe Ruth Still Be a Star if He Played Today?
 

Hey guys,

Babe Ruth really started his career in 1915, and Mickey Mantle's first year was 1951.....note the " transposed-coincidence " of those two years in the 20th Century.

At the risk of being accused a biased Yankees fan. In the modern era, I'd say Mickey was the closest BB player we've had to Ruth (in terms of hitting performance).


Indeed, Babe Ruth was the greatest BB player. And, all I am saying here is Mickey came close in terms of power and clutch hitting in big games just as Ruth did in
his era. Therefore, I totally agree with those here who have said that Ruth would be a "star" in the current BB environment.


TED Z
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Ruth
 

Hi Ted it's JoeT and I hope all is well! Great point on Mantle and consider this: Mickey Mantle hit 10 DOCUMENTED 500 FT+ home runs which is an absolutely incredible feat. If a current player hits ONE in todays PED driven era it's plastered all over ESPN as a miraculous accomplishment. Mantle did it 10 times with no steriods, world class conditioning programs, etc. He was simply the strongest hitter in baseball history, bar none. True, athletes are faster, stronger and more athletic in the 21st century. However, there will always be a handful of supernatural-like athletes that even outdistance today's superstars, with Ruth and Mantle being two classic examples. Also consider this: the physics of baseball has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that lighter bats generating more bat speed augment the distance of a batted ball. Imagine Ruth & Mantle swinging 33/34 ounce bats with these tightly laced baseballs...wow!

So I think the bottom line here is that every sport will have its past supernatural players that would outdistance even the "hi-tech" 21st century studs. Another perfect example of that is the immortal race horse Secretariat who set track/ racing records that continue to easily stand the test of time. Consider even in lieu of faster Tracks and more advanced training, he still holds all 3 Triple Crown records for the fastest times. In fact, if you put all 3 TC races together, he would have beaten TC winner American Pharoah by an astounding 57 lengths or 1-1/2 football fields!!!! There is no science for this.....just the fact that Secretariat was a "once in a lifetime" freak of nature. Same with Ruth & Mantle. They would dominate in 1890...1930...1960....2017....and in the year 3000!!!

Best Regards,.
Joe

He not only would be great today but he would b the best player in the league, yes over trout and harper. He would hit third on any team every day, except the days he pitches as the teams 1 or 2 starter. :eek:

I'd love to see how Mike Trout would hit with a 46+ ounce bat against a 90+ mph fastball. Even an 80+ mph fastball would be interesting.

Thanks Joe T

Speaking about Mantle's 500+ ft HR's....if you haven't read this Spring Training exhibition game (March 25, 1951 at USC) story regarding Mickey then please check-it-out......
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar...antle-20110326

It was an amazing performance by the 19-year old rookie....an unbelievable start to an illustrious BB career.


TED Z
.