quote:Originally posted by Three Bagger:
You can prove that the skill level in the Major Leagues is getting higher and higher as the decades go by with some points from this very discussion.
In the 1890 to 1910 era, it was very common for teenagers to make an impact in the majors. By the the 1920-1940 era there were not as many but several stars or superstars made contributions in their teens such as Ott, Foxx, Cavarretta, Feller, as well as twenty year olds like Ted Williams and Joe Dimaggio having immediate superstar seasons.
World War II led to a new influx of teenagers due to the manpower situation but very few became superstars. Since, except for the brief bonus rule years of the mid-fifties the number of teenagers in the Majors, let alone STAR teenagers has decline decade by decade. I feel that the level of play has gotten higher and generally it takes a minor leaguer at least a 1000 ABs to be ready to hit in the Show except for special kids. Pitchers are a slightly different case perhaps.
Three bagger - I have always enjoyed your posts and knowledge of the game! Question - Isn't it possible that the rise of football and basketball has robbed the sport of some of its young stars? I mean for lack of a better example, what if LeBron James had devoted his life to baseball? Obviously we will never know that answer but it is intriguing to wonder. I don't believe it is fair to judge things on Michael Jordan's experiences either. Again, I believe if he would have dedicated his career to baseball, he would have been something special. Interesting discussion!