How good of a player would Babe Ruth be in todays MLB?

Ruth is listed on baseball-reference as 6-2/215. With today's training methods, he'd certainly be a factor still.

Lester Ballard wrote:

Also, the pitching alone he'd face today would knock a good 100 points off his batting average. I doubt that even if he made the Major Leagues that he would have topped 100 career dingers, maybe 150. He's be a journeyman if he was lucky.

Ruth would pound these softball pitchers today into oblivion. They don't even pitch a whole game anymore. Pathetic.

The guy had decent speed too for a spindly legged fatty. Over 100 stolen bases in his career, over 100 triples. Someone mentioned his pitching. The revisionist crowd roundly underestimates Ruth's athleticism. He'd be an all-star in today's league. Plus the charisma to go with the play. Stats alone don't propel a man to icon status, Hank Aaron will tell you that, as will Bonds and ARod. Ruth and Paige had it by the barrel-full.

Ruth hit at least 50 home runs over 500 feet that have been thoroughly documented by Bill Jenkinson.

http://www.amazon.com/Year-Babe-Ruth-Home-Runs/dp/0786719060

Ruth has the longest home run ever documented to left field in Fenway Park. Ruth batted left handed which gives one a clue to Ruth's tremendous home run power. How a man born in 1895 could hit home runs so much further than any other major leaguer in history is one of sports history's great mysteries. Here are some snapshots of some of Ruth's 500+ ft home runs. Ruth was simply amazing. Can you imagine of Ruth lifted weights?

http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?84880-Babe-Ruth-500-Foot-Home-Runs-in-MLB-Ballparks&highlight=Ruth

If Dustin Pedroia can be the AL MVP at 5'8" 165 lbs and smack 99 HR in his career, that tells you all you need to know.

At 6'2" 215lbs Ruth physically stacks up against modern era players: Hank was 6'. Hank and ruth had the hand eye coordination and discipline to hit (one of the harder things to do in sports). And they had power.

In the modern era, Hank or Ruth would still be Hank or Ruth.

On PEDS, they'd hit 100 HR a year assuming they did not get walked too much.

Baseball Analyst wrote:

There wasn't a hellava lot available at the turn of the 20th century. Maybe cocaine, but that wouldn't have done anything strength wise.

What? Cocaine would absolutely have helped strength-wise.

All of the stars of the past could compete equally well today because they have star genes. Those haven't changed.

Adam C wrote:

Ruth hit at least 50 home runs over 500 feet that have been thoroughly documented by Bill Jenkinson.

http://www.amazon.com/Year-Babe-Ruth-Home-Runs/dp/0786719060

Ruth has the longest home run ever documented to left field in Fenway Park. Ruth batted left handed which gives one a clue to Ruth's tremendous home run power. How a man born in 1895 could hit home runs so much further than any other major leaguer in history is one of sports history's great mysteries. Here are some snapshots of some of Ruth's 500+ ft home runs. Ruth was simply amazing. Can you imagine of Ruth lifted weights?

http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?84880-Babe-Ruth-500-Foot-Home-Runs-in-MLB-Ballparks&highlight=Ruth

And he did without the juiced balls they have today. Those balls they played with back then were flat as a pancake.

isksk wrote:

Baseball Analyst wrote:

There wasn't a hellava lot available at the turn of the 20th century. Maybe cocaine, but that wouldn't have done anything strength wise.

What? Cocaine would absolutely have helped strength-wise.

Strictly a short-term effect that diminishes with continued use.

Raymond Reddington wrote:

I personally think he would be a minor league player at best.

Thoughts?

He'd be in rehab. I don't know how good he'd be. It doesn't really take an in-shape athlete to play baseball. You need the skills- hand/eye coordination and all but out of shape baseball players aren't uncommon.

DW wrote:

how good would gretzky be in todays NHL? probably an avg player at best.

In my opinion Gretzky would be even BETTER now. His talent is he could see the ice better than anyone, EVER! Same with a lot of players that were good or great they would even be better today because they had more skill. Players like World B.Free in the NBA. He was good before, now he would be a superstar! Same with Barnard King. The NBA is far less physical today than it used to be and the skills are not as good. If the 49'rs were back with their offence and Joe Montana they would destroy todays NFL.

Ok, I'll play:

Shorter baseball fields today- advantage hitter

juiced up balls- advantage hitter

shorter pitchers mounds since 1969- advantage hitter

relief pitchers- advantage pitcher

starters limited to 100 pitches or less per game- advantage pitcher

Yes….if Babe Ruth were “brought to the present day” through a time machine, I definitely think there would be an adjustment period as he learned the ropes of the modern game – but the skill set he had doesn’t just disappear. Baseball is a game about tools, about skills – and the Babe had arguably the best set of skills of any slugger ever. Travel back then was mostly trains and buses and no night games. Day games only. The more I think about, the more I think Ruth would be a star in the modern era. Less hassles.

I think he would be like Miguel Cabrera of today. Cabrera is overweight, doesn't hit the gym at all. Definitely drinks, remember that DUI from a couple years ago? He would also be like Jeter, when it came to bedding women all over the place.

Now if Ruth did Roids, HGH and greenies like the players of today (who knows, maybe he hit 800 homers)...

everyone should also keep in mind that major league baseball was the only true pro sport at the time, so the best athletes of the era played baseball. Football and basketball were not very popular at the time and did not take away too many of the better athletes which means baseball attracted the best athletes of the era. With all the choices of today, baseball tends to be a watered down sport. Ruth would be one of the very best in today's game.

Roid monkees wrote:

Now if Ruth did Roids, HGH and greenies like the players of today (who knows, maybe he hit 800 homers)...

^

This.

With his reputed addictive personality he'd take enough roids to make Jose Canseco look like Andy Dick.

fan of the sport wrote:

everyone should also keep in mind that major league baseball was the only true pro sport at the time, so the best athletes of the era played baseball. Football and basketball were not very popular at the time and did not take away too many of the better athletes which means baseball attracted the best athletes of the era. With all the choices of today, baseball tends to be a watered down sport. Ruth would be one of the very best in today's game.

Not to mention expansion which means you aren't facing the best pitchers as often.

fan of the sport wrote:

everyone should also keep in mind that major league baseball was the only true pro sport at the time, so the best athletes of the era played baseball. Football and basketball were not very popular at the time and did not take away too many of the better athletes which means baseball attracted the best athletes of the era. With all the choices of today, baseball tends to be a watered down sport. Ruth would be one of the very best in today's game.

I agree. The best athletes avoid baseball today, despite the fact that their careers are longer and the checks are guaranteed.

Mr. Obvious wrote:

He'd be 118 years old, so I don't think he would be very good.

Nice!

An impossible question to answer because we don't even know how good he was for his own era? He never faced a black or latin player. How good would MLB be today with no blacks or latins? He never faced a curveball or slider. He faced a steady diet of 80 mph fastballs. He never, or very rarely, faced a relief pitcher. It was like a top end beer league softball league back then, and he was the best of them. But don't even start to tell me you know how well he would perform today. He wouldn't be on a roster today. Think of any sport 85 years ago. Would the best lineman or running back 85 years ago make an NFL roster today? That's preposterous.