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Posted By: Pennsylvania Ted

Peter

One more factor regarding Ted's hitting style (that both you and I forgot to
take into account). About the only weakness Ted had as a hitter was a "mental"
one, and that was his stubborness in being such a "pure" hitter that he seldom
would slice a ball into Left Field.

We all remember the "Boudreau Shift" which positioned three Infielders to the
right side of the diamond. And, the Outfielders all shaded to the right side
of the outfield. Ted would defy this defensive shift and still get hits or
just clearly hit over their reach.

But, let's consider what greater achievements he could have gained if once
in a while he swung at an outside pitch and sliced it (or drove it) to Left
for an extra base hit. Both Ruth and Cobb hit to all fields, I just wished
Ted would have; because he would've averaged an additional 30 hits per season.
Then his lifetime BA would've ended up at approximately .377 (instead of .347)

I say this as someone who closely followed his career from 1949 to 1960.