Who is the best baseball player of all time?

Babe Ruth is the most influential and widely known baseball player of all time

Question: Who is the best baseball player of all time?
Position1 of 5›: Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player ever
Argument‹3 of 3: Babe Ruth is the most influential and widely known baseball player of all time

Ruth's impact on the game of baseball was undeniable since his beginning in 1914, and not only did he catapult baseball into the mainstream American consciousness, but he still stands today as the most recognizable baseball player ever.

The argument

The claim here is about influence rather than accumulation, and the argument is built accordingly: Babe Ruth's legacy is cemented in all of popular American culture, not simply baseball. The influence begins with how the game was played. Ruth arrived in a time when baseball was somewhat losing popularity with the era of "scientific" strategy, in which teams attempted to slowly score one base at a time — a style built on incremental advantage that rewarded patience more than spectacle. Ruth made the home run into an art form. Clearing the bases at will, he redefined what it meant to be a "slugger" and created an exciting, ball-crushing environment, changing not just his own results but the kind of event spectators came to watch. The scale of the break is what makes the case for influence rather than mere excellence. The Bambino hit 602 home runs from 1918 to 1931, while no one else cracked 300 in that period — more than double the output of any contemporary, which means he was not leading a trend but constituting one. He finished his career with 714, third on the all-time list, a total that stood as the measure of power hitting long after the conditions he played in had changed. What followed is the argument's real evidence. Ever since his tenure with the league, the popular fascination with home runs and with feats of pure skill and athleticism has shaped the entire MLB landscape, and it continues into the current game — the taste he created outlived him, which is the test influence has to pass. Combined with his personality, his sportsmanship and his absolute mastery over the craft of hitting, this is what has made him the most beloved and recognisable figure in baseball history, and the most influential and widely known player the sport has produced.

Premises

[P1]Babe Ruth transformed baseball by turning the home run into an art form at a time when 'scientific' small-ball was dulling the game, redefining what it meant to be a slugger. [P2] He hit 602 home runs from 1918–1931 when no one else reached 300, finishing with 714, and his personality and mastery made him the sport's most beloved and recognisable figure. [C] As the most influential and widely known player in the game's history, Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player ever.

Counter-arguments

There is no accurate gauge for Babe Ruth's name being the most prevalent and widely known throughout American baseball history. He was an essential cog in the beginning machine, but that does not necessarily mean his legacy continues into the minds of young, modern baseball fans. This claim is unsupported by definitive evidence. Additionally, home run hitting is not the one arbiter for baseball through history, and there are more aspects of the game that permeate through all of American sports culture. Slugging is one of the most exciting attributes of baseball, but pitchers' ERAs and the forever evolving defensive strategies of teams throughout the league's history are important as well. Babe Ruth was a pioneer in slugging, but to prioritize home runs over everything else is factually irresponsible. The American sports consumer enjoys more than slugging, and that has been evident through time. Babe Ruth is not automatically the most influential figure in baseball because of his home run revolution, and he certainly cannot be posited as the greatest baseball player of all time based on these parameters.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] Home runs are the not the sole focus of American popular culture in baseball, so Babe Ruth's legacy is not necessarily the most "influential" through time. [Rejecting P3] The jump from Ruth's legacy to his influence here is illogical, especially because there is no accurate measurement of his prevalence in the American consciousness of today. [Rejecting P4] Basing Ruth's greatness as a baseball player off of his popularity and influence is illogical.

Framing

Popularity and renown are based upon an individual's ability to both revolutionize the environment in which they thrive and captivate their audience with their performances and overall persona. Home runs in baseball are some of the most essential cornerstones of the modern game, and Babe Ruth was the first player to introduce such a sweeping and league-altering phenomenon that still stands today, cementing his mark in history forever.