Hypothetical Question, could Ruth hit modern pitching

Touch'EmAll · #1 10-15-2023, 10:44 AM

Fun question to ponder. Take it a step further - could Ty Cobb hit modern pitching, or Hornsby, or Dimaggio, or Ted Williams ? You can't discredit all these top tier hitters throughout the years. So tough to compare era's.

Peter_Spaeth · #2 10-15-2023, 10:55 AM

What about Mays and Aaron? They're MUCH closer to Ruth (Mays started just 16 years after Ruth retired) than to today's players. Yet I think not many would ask the same question about them.

Mark17 · #3 10-15-2023, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Touch'EmAll

Fun question to ponder. Take it a step further - could Ty Cobb hit modern pitching, or Hornsby, or Dimaggio, or Ted Williams ? You can't discredit all these top tier hitters throughout the years. So tough to compare era's.

I think guys with compact swings would fare better than guys with the big swings. So, I'd say Cobb and Williams would be fine, while Ruth and DiMaggio (and Musial) might have a tougher time with the fast, late-breaking stuff.

ALBB · #4 10-15-2023, 11:00 AM

Ruth in todays game - Daniel Vogelbach ? NO !

but the body shapes would be very similar

Peter_Spaeth · #5 10-15-2023, 11:03 AM

From Bill James.

https://www.billjamesonline.com/comp...tside_his_era/

bandrus1 · #6 10-15-2023, 11:04 AM

Ruth, time traveled in his prime directly today couldn't make a AA roster

bnorth · #7 10-15-2023, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bandrus1

Ruth, time traveled in his prime directly today couldn't make a AA roster

and the modern AA player would have a batting average of 612 and hit 97 home runs off the same pitching Ruth faced.

puckpaul · #8 10-15-2023, 11:17 AM

Ruth was the best hitter back then. Of course he could hit today�s pitching. Assuming otherwise seems ridiculous. Many of today�s pitchers are fast but stink. Mets staff has been full of those guys.

BobbyStrawberry · #9 10-15-2023, 11:33 AM

Pitchers throw much harder today and are aided by aided by advances in science that pitchers 100 years ago didn't have.

But, imagine how much better past great hitters would be if they were transported to the present and had access to everything that hitters today have, like strength and conditioning coaching, dieticians and improved health/lifestyle information, data on swing mechanics and other hitting analytics, opposition research, and of course, the new shift limitations.

rhettyeakley · #10 10-15-2023, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bnorth

and the modern AA player would have a batting average of 612 and hit 97 home runs off the same pitching Ruth faced.

Bullshit!

You guys honestly think just nobody alive in the 1920-30�s were in any way athletic? WTF?

There are young players today with some very minor training as youths that can compete at the highest levels of today�s game yet nobody from the past would have been able to compete.

Clown stuff!

doug.goodman · #11 10-15-2023, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhettyeakley

Bullshit!

You guys honestly think just nobody alive in the 1920-30�s were in any way athletic? WTF?

There are young players today with some very minor training as youths that can compete at the highest levels of today�s game yet nobody from the past would have been able to compete.

Clown stuff!

Nailed it!

rhettyeakley · #12 10-15-2023, 03:25 PM

I honestly don�t know who would struggle more�

1. The best from the past being transported today with all the modern advances and salary and computer/video help to adjust their game.

-or-

2. The best from today transported to 1920 and having to play in those conditions with only the technology available at the time with no IR and pitchers having to pitch complete games and little to no use of relief pitching.

Vintageclout · #13 10-18-2023, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Touch'EmAll

Fun question to ponder. Take it a step further - could Ty Cobb hit modern pitching, or Hornsby, or Dimaggio, or Ted Williams ? You can't discredit all these top tier hitters throughout the years. So tough to compare era's.

Joe DiMaggio & Ted Williams would SPANK modern pitchers. Want the proof? They both wore out Bob Feller, who threw approx. upper 90s - 100 mph as well as having one of the filthiest “12 to 6” curveballs in MLB history. Joltin Joe batted .342 lifetime against Feller (17 points higher than his lifetime batting average) in 193 at bats with 11 home runs. Meanwhile, Williams batted .344 lifetime against Feller (equal to his career average) in 154 at bats with 10 homers and an incredible 1.135 OPS! DiMaggio was way ahead of his time, utilizing a virtually “no stride” swing resulting in him rarely missing the baseball (evident by him only striking out only 369 times in 13 seasons). Regarding Williams, his superior vision was literally off the eye charts, and it is no coincidence that his uncanny eyesight led to Ted being one of America’s finest fighter pilots in the Korean War.

One must also keep in mind that pre-1950 players utilized much heavier bats (36+ ounces in many instances). Modern players use lighter bats (roughly 32-34 ounces) since the lighter bat results in significantly more bat speed. That said, imagine putting a 33/34 ounce bat in Babe Ruth’s hands versus the typical 36-44 ounce bats he used throughout his career! If you look at early to mid 1920s film of Ruth’s swing, he swung that 40+ ounces bat like it was a toothpick - utilizing incredible hip speed and torque to whip that lumber around like no one I’ve ever seen. His athleticism and strength was uncanny, and had he used a bat weighing 6-8 ounces LESS, that would have easily assisted him in handling the faster velocity.

One final critical point is that pre-1950 players never had the advantage of high-tech training programs that have ably assisted many pitchers reaching high 90s to 100+!mph. Can you imagine Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, DiMaggio, Williams, etc. reaping the benefits of this advanced training that would easily put them above the levels of most modern day players!

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