Who is the greatest baseball player of all time?

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by BobC

And even so, for those who would argue Ruth was the most influential baseball player of all time, I'm not so sure Ruth's supposed influence didn't have a lot more to do with him being lucky and in the right place at the right time. MLB was already trying to change the conversation about the game due to the Black Sox scandal, and as a result they changed the ball from a dead to a live ball. They also saw the size and measurements of MLB stadium outfields shortening and making it easier for players to hit home runs. But Ruth himself didn't make or influence such changes, he really just happened to be the one to take the most advantage of the changes that MLB was actually implementing and supporting. So, arguing that it was actually Ruth who was the most influential may actually be more of a case of the tail wagging the dog than a lot of Ruth fans care to admit.

The first year Ruth became a regular outfielder, 1919 (before the Black Sox scandal) he hit more than twice as many home runs as the next highest player (29 to 12.) The next year (before the Black Sox scandal broke) he hit almost three times as many (54 to 19.) The following year, 1921, his third as an outfielder, he hit almost 2.5 times as many home runs as the next guy (59 to 24.)

But your theory is that MLB decided to liven up the ball first, hoping somebody would transform the game to such an extent that a ballclub would need to build a huge new stadium to accommodate the tens of thousands of fans who would come to see someone hit the ball a mile with some regularity... and Ruth just happened to take advantage of the situation.

I think you have the proverbial cart and horse backwards.