I first thought 'free-swinging' would have referred to the strike out peaks of 60, 50, and 36 in a season....
But I think it refers to his first 3 seasons.
Absent those... he would have hit .300 or higher every season, and have a lifetime batting average pretty close to Rogers Hornsby's. Both would be about the best right handed hitters for average, lifetime.
The Sowell book about his death, is about so much more about the formative years of what we consider baseball... the leagues, the contracts, and all.
Sowell, July 2, 1903. It should be required reading here.
Last edited by FrankWakefield; 02-01-2022 at 07:24 PM.
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