Greatness Among Us!

[jayshum]

More teams now means more pitchers who wouldn't be in the majors when there are half as many teams like when Ruth played so while Ruth generally didn't face as many different pitchers in a game, the pitchers he did face were probably generally better than the average pitcher today even if they weren't all throwing 100 back then.

It really is tough to compare raw numbers from different eras with so many variables. That's what the advanced stats try to adjust for. One example.

OPS+
Ruth 206
Ohtani 148

[DocScoot]

I could not be a bigger Ohtani fan, but one more point in defense of Ruth. Think of what pitchers were able to get away with back then when they might only use a few balls per game. The dirt, grime, scuffs, etc. that got onto those balls must have given those pitchers so many extra tricks that Ruth had to deal with. For so many reasons like that it's borderline impossible to compare players across different eras. Sure is fun to try though!

[jingram058]

Trying to debate pitching between the eras is total nonsense, no matter what "facts" or "data" or "metrics" you try to justify your arguments with. The pitching was good back then. We know it just was. The pitching is good now. It just is. What is different, and why there aren't and won't be any more .400 hitters, is starters, short relief, middle relief, long relief, situational relief, and closers. That makes it virtually impossible. Very, very unlikely at best. The OP nails it. It is stunning. In this day and age, Ohtani is an enigma. He'll never be Babe Ruth, but it doesn't matter. He's Ohtani in an era of incredibly wealthy, robotic ballplayers. Very popular and yes, a household name.

[vansaad]

I'd love to see Ohtani win the Triple Crown and a Cy Young in the same year. Would have to be considered the greatest season of all-time. And it's not as far fetched as it might seem. Ohtani is currently top 3 in each Triple Crown category and the fifth lowest odds to win the Cy Young.

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by jayshum

More teams now means more pitchers who wouldn't be in the majors when there are half as many teams like when Ruth played

There are 87.5% more teams now than in 1920. And rosters are bigger. However, the US population is roughly 220% greater, the game is integrated, and players come from places other than the US.