2 points:
1. The possible population for MLB baseball players today extends beyond the USA far more than it ever has. Before 1947 it was essentially limited to white males in the USA.
2. They change out the baseballs far more than they did in the past. Before 1920 (Mays sidearm kills Chapman and Spitballs legal) they tried assiduously to conserve baseballs during MLB games.
These 2 changes make cross-historical comparison of hitters very difficult. The former clearly means that there was much much less competition in the past. The later meant that hitting was often a very different challenge than it is today.
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