Who was the better hitter, Babe Ruth or Ted Williams.

[ChiefBenderForever]

I have to go with Ted Williams, who sacrificed the prime of his hitting years to serve our country. His stats would be much higher if not for that. I would also say that Ty Cobb, Pete Rose, Joe Dimaggio and Roger Hornsby were better hitters, or had a better swing. Yes Ruth had a more powerful swing but the others had a perfect stroke.

[David Atkatz]

Someone once asked the Babe whether, if he didn't have to hit so many home runs to please the fans, he could have batted .400.

"Hell kid, I could have batted .500!"

I'm inclined to believe him.

[ChiefBenderForever]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

Someone once asked the Babe whether, if he didn't have to hit so many home runs to please the fans, he could have batted .400.

"Hell kid, I could have batted .500!"

I'm inclined to believe him.

I never thought about it that way lol that is to funny ! Maybe the Babe was so good he doesn't seem human. The pressure never seemed to get to him and it would be impossible to say he wasn't the greatest ever. But he had such tremendous talent around him. You have to wonder what would have happened if he was just on a mediocre team like Williams or vice versa. I wonder how Ted would've handled the pinstripes.

[yanksfan09]

I'll cetainly cast my vote for Ruth. He's not only the best Baseball player ever; He was the best athlete ever period. Any Sport, in my opinion.

He would have been an All-Time Great pitcher, possibly top 10 or greater. (Note: Just picked up this Gardner Letter about Ruth's Pitching from ebay)

Instead he decided to revolutionize the game when he started hitting more Home Runs than other teams combined. Even with all the Homers he still hit .342 lifetime!

Especially if you take into account missed at bats from pitching, shorter season than present day (154 to 162), suspensions from misbehaving and barnstorming etc.... And had he taken better care of himself, he probably could have belted over 1000 homeruns under those conditions.

He had God-like natural talent, that I don't believe can or will ever be matched in any sport, at least for many generations to come.


Ted Williams was no slouch, don't get me wrong. He was an incredible All-Time Great who missed time from the war. However, I don't believe anyone even compares to Ruth. Just my opinion.

[drc]

I would say clearly Ruth was the better hitter, as Ruth was the best ever hitter. His power numbers are great by today's steroids standards and in 1919 the home run record was 27, a record that had stood since 1884. Ruth was the first player to hit 30, 40, 50 and 60 home runs. That it took steroids and a medically lengthened career for Barry Bonds to break Ruth's records is a testament to how great Ruth was.

[iwantitiwinit]

Babe Ruth

[Tcards-Please]

The question was the better hitter not the best player. Ted Williams played ball up to age 42 (avg that year .316), 2 years longer than Ruth (age 40 hit .181) did. Won MVP upon his immediate return to baseball having missed 3 years due to military service. Ted hit below 300 only once in his career and Ruth hit below 300 five times. And don't forget Ruth never hit over .400 either. I'm sure if Ted weighed an extra 50 pounds, he probably could have put a little more HR's on his record. Ted has the best OBP of all time. Ted also tried his hand at pitching, but wasn't as successful as Ruth.

Can't go wrong with either in my opinion though.