Rogers Hornsby >/= Babe Ruth?

Yes I did just make that headline to gather some attention, I have two posts I need all the attention I can get. And it's frightening (a bit of an overshot, whatevs) that the little attention this blog gets is similar to the attention that Rogers Hornsby seems to get. I know historical players don’t come up in conversation every day, but is it just me or is Hornsby far and away the ‘best player you never heard of, that you actually have heard of, but you just don’t know quite how good he is’? In that category Mr. Hornsby stands alone.

Don’t ask me where or why I came across his statistics (it was wasting my time playing baseball simulation games on the computer) but I saw them and I was pretty impressed. In an era completely dominated by Ruth in the American League, Hornsby was no less than his equal in the National League. From 1920-1925, he lead the NL in Slugging %, On Base %, and Batting Average, and proceeded to do that again in all 3 categories in 1928 and merely just slugging and on base in 1929. From 1921 until 1925 Hornsby batted .402! Chipper Jones batted .364 to win the batting title this year to compare (Yea I know Rogers played in an era with inflated averages bla bla, for now just try to be amazed what you may not have known about him). It is also important (I hope) to note that Hornsby was right-handed in a time where specialists for pitching was not common practice, most of the great all time hitters you see are left-handed. I don't have the ability to really back that up unless there is a good link, but believe me it's true.

With those numbers and I don’t need to go any deeper into them because that’s enough and anyone else who cares probably already knows them, I’m a little shocked Rogers (what’s with the S?, pretty darn ballsy naming your son Rogers, extra s stands for special!) doesn’t get more respect. Maybe it is just me though, because I’m sure anyone knowledgeable with baseball’s past would place him as one of if not the greatest right-handed hitter (save for maybe Mays, Honus Wagner, Foxx or unless they want to get into Negro League stuff with Gibson, or swear A-rod/Pujols/Manny is better because they saw them play—they aren’t but its fun to argue I guess), and the Sporting News Rated him as the 8th best player ever. So I guess he does get due respect in those circles. But his situation seems like the perfect storm of being too old for your family to have watched, and too overshadowed by the Babe to compete, for him to come up in your daily baseball chats, if you have those, I hope you do.

Obviously it’s ridiculous to even compare anyone to Babe Ruth, especially if you consider the fact he was a better than better than average pitcher. Nonetheless, I guess I felt some need to talk about him, at least place him on top of the ‘best player you never heard of, that you actually have heard of, but you just don’t know quite how good he is’ list.