Top 30 Pre-WWII Players

[cyseymour]

Originally Posted by conor912

Again, different eras so I still feel like were comparing apples to oranges, but I will indulge your WS point. Look at the guys who batted around Ruth in the order and those who batted around Cobb. It takes a whole team to win. Look at all those other HOFers on the Yankees! Had Ruth been the only superstar on his team like Cobb was, he never would have seen one pitch to hit.

So the fact that Ruth had Gehrig behind him makes up for a 543 point difference in World Series OPS?

[packs]

In 1923 Ruth just missed winning the Triple Crown despite batting 393 and won his only MVP award. He then hit 368 in the World Series including 3 home runs. Bob Meusel batted behind Ruth that year and in that series. Bob Meusel had 9 home runs that year.

Ruth was a beast. It didn't matter who hit in front of him or behind him. He didn't need Gehrig, though who would complain.

[yanksfan09]

Originally Posted by packs

In 1923 Ruth just missed winning the Triple Crown despite batting 393 and won his only MVP award. He then hit 368 in the World Series including 3 home runs. Bob Meusel batted behind Ruth that year and in that series. Bob Meusel had 9 home runs that year.

Ruth was a beast. It didn't matter who hit in front of him or behind him. He didn't need Gehrig, though who would complain.

Exactly. Look at his 1921 season. It's utterly ridiculous. It's ridiculous even for video game stats and well before Lou Gehrig was in the picture.

152g 540ab 204h 177Runs! .378avg. .512obp 44 doubles 16 triples! 59 Homeruns 171 RBI! (yes that's 170+runs and 170+Rbi without Gehrig)! 17 stolen bases to throw on top for all the roto fantasy nuts! .846 SLG 1.359OPS 457 total bases! .....

Take a moment. try and let those numbers sink in a bit, I know it's hard..

That was just his third year really as a hitter, he was busy becoming one of the best young pitchers in the game and setting scoreless innings records in World Series before that!

He was on his way to a hall of fame career as pitcher, but he was just too good a hitter!

It was like Ruth was from another planet. He was a Hercules type iconic transcendent sports figure. (Remember Benny the Jet's words from sandlot? More than a man but less than a God like Hercules or something!) Who knows when we'll see another Ruthian player in any sport. I'm confident it likely won't be in my lifetime or maybe even my grand-kids. As far as I'm concerned he was the most ridiculously naturally talented athlete who ever lived, in any sport. Just imagine if he actually didn't party like he did and binge eat and drink himself fat and stupid.... Imagine he exercised and ate right and got sleep and played int he size parks they play in now? Imagine his numbers over a 162 game season instead of a 154? Imagine he never pitched and had all those other years compiling ridiculous hitting stats? 900+ home-runs? Could've been easily when you factor in all those circumstances. I'm amazed how many people think it's even up for discussion who was the best of all time. No doubt Cobb and Ted Williams were absolutely amazing in their own rights but to me it's not even a discussion for who's number one. I'm not even sure it's much of a discussion when you factor in guys from all sports...But that's just my opinion and everyone is certainly entitled to their own...

[howard38]

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[Piratedogcardshows]

As far as what Babe Ruth would do in todays ballparks,Im sure the 295 foot short porch in right helped a bit with Ruth's Home Run Totals in Old Yankee Stadium.I would love to see a chart of his Home Runs compared from Right,Left,and Center.Just saying.

[packs]

Come on. You're really suggesting Babe Ruth, who out slugged an entire league, got some gimme's?

I looked some things up. The year Ruth hit 60 he hit more home runs away than he did at home.

For his career he hit almost exactly the same amount of home runs at home (346) as he hit away (364). I guess information on 4 of those homers isn't available on Baseball Reference. He batted .347 at home and .339 on the road. The man was a machine. Hands down the most dominating athlete in any individual sport that ever lived.

[oldjudge]

In 1932 Connie Mack picked his all time all star team. Unlike all of us, and most of the first HOF voters, Mack saw all these players play and had a basis for comparison. His outfield, as one might expect, was Ruth, Cobb and Speaker. His pitcher was Mathewson (not Johnson) and his catcher----Buck Ewing. I would suggest that Ewing should be added to this list. Interestingly, in 1937 on a radio show Mack again announced his choice for his all time team. This time he picked four pitchers and switched catchers to Cochrane. Below is a tape of the broadcast:


http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=83YIV...%3D83YIVTvfKec

[Clutch-Hitter]

Originally Posted by Jason

As far as what Babe Ruth would do in todays ballparks,Im sure the 295 foot short porch in right helped a bit with Ruth's Home Run Totals in Old Yankee Stadium.I would love to see a chart of his Home Runs compared from Right,Left,and Center.Just saying.

Do you know how many balls he hit to the alleys and center that would have been homeruns? Also, the foul rules were different, which subtracted even more. I'll post some spray charts tomorrow. They played exhibition games during road trips that didn't count.

Iron Man was no slouch either. Has he been mentioned?

[Clutch-Hitter]

Originally Posted by Jason

As far as what Babe Ruth would do in todays ballparks,Im sure the 295 foot short porch in right helped a bit with Ruth's Home Run Totals in Old Yankee Stadium.I would love to see a chart of his Home Runs compared from Right,Left,and Center.Just saying.

Started responding before I read everything you wrote...he hit many balls out to the deep parts as well, including many monstrous shots. Like many, I watched McGwire take BP in '98 and noted that his BP HR's looked and sounded different compared to the other star players. It was like he pictured the field the way a normal adult ballplayer would hitting on a little league field. Ruth was like that times 100, and players from other teams were some of his biggest fans. Guess they didn't use the porch....

Ruth was very generous to fans, especially children. He was raised in an unstable environment and was subsequently overwhelmed with love, so yeah, he partied and whatever anyone wanted him to do. He wanted people to like him, including the black players he played with for fun. It's amazing how badly people quickly overlook positive with Ruth and Cobb. They were the best and that's why negativity follows. Did Cobb like Ruth? If not, there was a reason.

Spray charts tomorrow

[cyseymour]

Butch Wynegar career OPS .695
Ty Cobb World Series OPS .668

[goodtricks]

Added an intial look at the Top 15 based on the feedback received thus far in OP.

[glchen]

Here's my crack at it:

01. Babe Ruth
02. Ty Cobb
03. Honus Wagner
04. Christy Mathewson
05. Lou Gehrig
06. Walter Johnson
07. Joe Jackson
08. Cy Young
09. Cap Anson
10. Nap Lajoie
11. Rogers Hornsby
12. Lefty Grove
13. Tris Speaker
14. Jimmie Foxx
15. Ed Delahanty
16. Eddie Collins
17. George Sisler
18. Kid Nichols
19. G.C Alexander
20. Willie Keeler
21. Ed Walsh
21. Dan Brouthers
22. Eddie Plank
23. Carl Hubbell
24. Jesse Burkett
25. Charlie Gehringer
26. Rube Waddell
27. Mel Ott
28. Harry Heilmann
29. Mordecai Brown
30. Mickey Cochrane