New York Yankees – Babe Ruth (1923)
The Great Bambino. The Sultan of Swat. The Colossus of Clout. The man who said, “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” Babe Ruth is not only the man responsible for the greatest individual season in New York Yankees history, he is, according to the Wins Above Replacement metric, the greatest ballplayer who ever lived. There’s little that can be said about Ruth by this author that has not already been put forth by far more insightful and eloquent students of the game.
Ruth holds not only the top four and six of the top seven seasons in Yankees’ history, but the top three and five of the top ten seasons among position players in the annals of Major League Baseball. His career total of 163.1 as a position player and 183.7 overall are both the high-water marks in the game.
His finest season came in 1923 when he posted the all-time greatest single season bWAR total of 14.1. In leading the pinstripes to the first of 27 World Championships in franchise history, Ruth slashed a mind-blowing .393/.545/.764 while leading the league with 41 home runs, 130 RBIs, 151 runs scored, 170 walks, a 1.309 OPS, and a 239 OPS+, and winning the only MVP award of his career.
Next: Greatest Individual Seasons in AL Central History
In his 22 seasons as a pro ballplayer, 15 of them with New York, Ruth had double digit bWAR totals nine times, won 12 home run titles and six RBI titles, and still holds career records with a .690 slugging percentage, 1.164 OPS, and 206 OPS+. He was, in short, the most dominant force the game has ever seen, and probably ever will.