I think the best players of all time are probably more recent. More competition.
Who would you rather pitch one game: prime Pedro or prime Ruth/Cy Young? I’m going with the guy with the filthier pitches- Pedro.
Because of technology, I think modern day athletes, machines (computers, vehicles), and society as a whole improve year over year. The Apple in 1984 was awesome. Apple’s products are much better today.
That’s why part of any assessment needs to be performance against one’s peers.
I think that’s a different conversation. Greatest competitor/most dominant vs the best player to ever play the game. I’d imagine 18/20 top baseball players are from the last 30 years. Ruth was playing against guys that had part time jobs. The league was less legitimate 100 years ago.
Not really. The NBA wasn't less legitimate when Russell played, either. It was just a different era. Just like in 50 years when guys are being genetically engineered to be 6'10" in the womb, and are getting eye surgery to give them 20-10 vision, it won't mean that the 1993 or 2023 seasons are less legitimate.
Sure, if you drop Peak DeAndre Jordan in 1963, he'd be a Hall of Famer. That's because he'd have advantages that guys back then didn't have. It doesn't mean we should rank him higher than Bill Russell.