Brett in Toronto, Ontario asks…
Who is the best baseball player of all-time?
Answer: We will never know.
Sports fans have a desire to quantify and rank athletes’ careers. Put simply, people want to know who the best was.
While analysts, statistic junkies, et al claim to have accurate lists, these declarations are based on incomplete evidence. Statistics cannot wholly account for the differences between eras. Changes in technology, competitions levels, the coaching focus, and the degree of racial equality (to name a few) ensure that juxtapositions of players from many decades will always be lacking.
As such, historical grades and “all-time rosters” are mere speculation.
Babe Ruth could have been an average player if he played today.
