*Babe Ruth Thread*

[Dude Paskert]

Babe would have played football.

[Toledo Inquisition]

Babe would have played football.

Only if Brother Mathias didn't like pounding baseballs.

[Dude Paskert]

Only if Brother Mathias didn't like pounding baseballs.

How many kids grow up in Catholic reform schools these days?!?!?!
Babe would have been in a foster home and realized that football would get him the chicks and glory in high school. You see any cheerleaders in high school baseball games?

[Honus Wagner Rules]

• He would have been hated instantly by everyone as soon as he debuted without doing anything to deserve it.
• Yankee fans love him.
• Underrated by sabermetrics.
• Fathers an illegitimate child.
• Subway commercials
• Marries a Kardashian.
• Yankee fans hate him.
• Signs the biggest contract ever. Everyone hates him more for it.
• Body slammed Papelbon.
• Beat up Joe West.
• Gets accused of using steroids.
• Goes to anger management, sex addiction rehab and alcohol rehab.
• Gets fat
• Gets divorced
• Gets back in shape.
• Does a tell all interview with Tom Verducci.
• Got a nutrisystem commercial.
• Kardashian writes tell all, plays victim.
• Cashman insults him.
• Found Jesus
• Got remarried
• Yankee fans hate him.
• Becomes overrated by sabermetrics.
• Move to DH.
• Get accused of using steroids.
• Becomes slightly beloved.
• Carrying the Yankees at 40, Yankee fans pretend they never hated him. But give him no credit.
• Announce his retirement before his final season, teams show him lots of love on the road, everyone hates him for it.
• Retires
• Works for MLB Network.
• Gets caught smoking crack with a transvestite hooker.
• Fired from TV job.
• Does AM talk radio, card shows and alike.
• Marries Asian porn star more than half his age.
• Does Sketchers commercials.
• Dies of a painkiller overdose.
• Nation mourns.
• Awful biopic.

You forgot to mention that the Babe would have a Facebook page with 86,932 friends (Facebook would deactive the FB Friend limit on the Babe's account) and a Twitter account with 37.3 million followers.

[willshad]

If Ruth played today he would pretty much be like how Bonds was when he was juiced from2001-2005. I don't know that he walks quite as much, as I have heard that Babe was not afraid to swing out of the strike zone...so maybe the OBP and walks go down a little, but the RBI and home runs go up. His typical prime season might be 50 HR 120 RBI, .350 BA with 200 walks and a 220 or so OPS+. He would be pitched around a LOT.

[ipitch]

I've never heard of anyone using AB for K's. For HR's definitely.

B-R uses it, and they don't use PA per K (not on the leaderboards anyway).

Either you're showing how biased you are, again, or you just lack common sense. Using PA per K would give Ruth credit for not striking out when he was pitched around, and using PA per HR would penalize Ruth for not hitting a HR when he was pitched around.

[Toledo Inquisition]

In the Bill James Historical Abstract, he uses AB/K and implies that AB/K statistics were used more prevalently in previous generations. I can look it up tonight.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

B-R uses it, and they don't use PA per K (not on the leaderboards anyway).

Either you're showing how biased you are, again, or you just lack common sense. Using PA per K would give Ruth credit for not striking out when he was pitched around, and using PA per HR would penalize Ruth for not hitting a HR when he was pitched around.

I really don't care if the discussion is about Ruth or not. I don't form my opinion based on whether it makes a player look better or worse. Certainly of all players, Ruth doesn't need that. I'm talking my personal opinion, I've just always used AB/HR just like I've always used PA/K. It makes sense to use every trip up to the plate. He starts fresh in that PA and anything can happen from the first pitch on. Why would you retroactively look and say, "Oh well this happened here and here, so let's not count that." If it was a straight up IBB or perhaps on HBP I could see using AB but even on the HBP it depends on the count. What if it's 2-1 and the pitcher is looking to take advantage of an over-aggressive hitter, throws upstairs but it sails into his hands for a HBP. How should that not be included in the K ratio?

[SavoyBG]

I really don't care if the discussion is about Ruth or not. I don't form my opinion based on whether it makes a player look better or worse. Certainly of all players, Ruth doesn't need that. I'm talking my personal opinion, I've just always used AB/HR just like I've always used PA/K. It makes sense to use every trip up to the plate. He starts fresh in that PA and anything can happen from the first pitch on.

Yes, it's not fair. If he takes a close 3-2 pitch he either walks and gets no credit for not striking out, or he strikes out and gets the blame for striking out. Maybe ipitch would prefer his batters to pop up and get an AB without a strikeout rather than take a walk on that 3-2 pitch?

Even the intentional walk, babe should get credit for being so good that they'd rather send him to first than even attempt to strike him out.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

HR per AB is just a stat. Many stats by themselves are pretty meaningless. A player could theoretically have a horrible HR/AB ratio of 1:1,000 and still be anywhere from the worst hitter in history to the best hitter in history.

With BA, singles are just as good as HRs. With OBP, a 15-pitch walk counts just as much as a 4-pitch walk where every pitch is way out of the strike zone. Oh well.

As for your "retroactive" remark, not counting walks as ABs is just as "retroactive" as not counting HBPs in the K ratio. Do you think walks should count as ABs (and therefore hurt your BA)?

When your batting average is .342, which is the 5th highest in modern times, then hitting a home run every 11.76 at bats, then that great AB/HR is a great stat.
Your not a one dimensional hitter, a threat to get the base hit or hit one out.

[Toledo Inquisition]

In the Bill James Historical Abstract, he uses AB/K and implies that AB/K statistics were used more prevalently in previous generations. I can look it up tonight.

My memory was only half correct - while Bill James discussed AB/K for a few players like Tommy Holmes, he primarily referenced Walk/Strikeout.

[ipitch]

When your batting average is .342, which is the 5th highest in modern times, then hitting a home run every 11.76 at bats, then that great AB/HR is a great stat.
Your not a one dimensional hitter, a threat to get the base hit or hit one out.

Like I said, many stats by themselves are pretty meaningless. You're talking about 2 stats, and that's more meaningful.

Mark McGwire is ahead of Ruth in AB/HR, and pretty much no one think McGwire was a better hitter than Ruth. That is proof that a stat like AB/HR wouldn't be very good for ranking players. It's fine to give that stat some weight, but one would certainly need to look at other stats too.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Like I said, many stats by themselves are pretty meaningless. You're talking about 2 stats, and that's more meaningful.

Mark McGwire is ahead of Ruth in AB/HR, and pretty much no one think McGwire was a better hitter than Ruth. That is proof that a stat like AB/HR wouldn't be very good for ranking players. It's fine to give that stat some weight, but one would certainly need to look at other stats too.

I knew that was coming, I did, Ruth was not number one in AB/HR, I never said he was. Just pointing out he was feared because of not only the home run, slugger and yet near the top in career batting average.

Mac' 10.61 will stand in the books and it should.
Some years back I looked at Mac's numbers, before "using" and after" using, by his own admission. Used on and off until 1995-96, went on a regular schedule.

1986-1995 AB/HR 13.20
1996-2001 AB/HR 8.42 what happened here, superman.
Only one other player beat that 8.42 over multiple seasons. Barry Bonds, so they both have something in common.

You can have the last word on the using. I just brought up Babe high average and great AB/HR and you brought another user, so I counter that.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

Surprise to me. That Ty would mention Babe's window breaking approach played a part in him gripping the bat near the end of the handle. As we know in earlier years he showed disdain for the game the young Babe was playing.
1921, first year Ty went double digits in home runs with 12, 128 games.

[willshad]

If Babe Ruth played today..he would be 120 years old.
And STILL be the best hitter in the game.