Posted By:
BryanI just get a kick how people take personal shots at me when all I am doing is presenting some facts and some arguments about Babe Ruth especially when they can't back up what they say or present any argument otherwise.
So here we go again. Everyone hit for average in the 1920s to 30s. Ruth won one batting title in his career and he was tied for having the second lowest average of the decade out of the players who won it over that decade.
He had 123 stolen bases out of 240 tries. Not too impressive over a 22 year career.
He had 3 good years pitching and two average years on a WORLD CHAMPION ballclub. If you look at the stats of the other pitchers on the team you will see they have similar numbers (Dutch Leonard, Rube Foster) with Carl Mays having better numbers than Ruth. Ruth isn't the great pitcher that everyone thinks. Probobly just average at best.
Ruth was an average fielder. Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner are considered all time greats at their position.
I am not arguing he was a bad player. I believe he was a great player. He just isn't the greatest that people absentmindedly believe him to be. I will give him the nod that he was one of the best things that could have ever happened to the game. He also benefitted greatly from being in the right place at the right time (pitching in Boston, playing in NY with all of the other greats.) But yes, so do many others have that benefit in some shape or form. On the flip side, Ty Cobb fought hard for everything he got.
I still believe Ruth to be a one trick pony. Take away his powerful swing and the only threat he poses is to a hotdog or glass of beer.