Babe Ruth, challenged by the criticism he took after his disappointing season the year before, promised to come back with a big year. And he did. Ruth posted the highest batting average of his career (almost hitting .400), while adding his usual heavy doses of power and walks. The Yankees cruised to the pennant, and won their first World Series.

         There isn't a whole lot to say about Ruth's season that isn't already evident. Obviously, he was the most dominant player in the league. His 170 walks were a major league record until 2001, when Barry Bonds set a new record. I think this season ranks with 1920 and 1921 as Ruth's greatest. He posted the highest batting average of his career, and just missed winning the Triple Crown.
        What a year Tris Speaker had. Speaker was 35, and playing the best ball of his life. He led the league in runs produced, with five more than Ruth. He hit for average and power, drew a lot of walks, and rarely struck out. Despite his age, he was still one of the best defensive outfielders in the league. He wasn't as good as Ruth, but he was great.
        Oh, and Harry Heilmann hit .403. With power. He was great, too. Heilmann reached the majors at age 20, and spent seven years as a mediocre outfielder. When the lively ball arrived he then figured out how to hit, and had ten straight monster seasons, including four batting titles. His nickname was "Slug"; I don't know if this refers to his hitting prowess or his baserunning.
        Joe Sewell had the best season of his career, and a mighty fine year it was. Sewell was only 24, and was still a wild swinger; he struck out 12 times. He would later become famous for becoming the most difficult man to strike out in baseball history, fanning only 114 times in 7132 ABs. In 1997, Melvin Nieves struck out 157 times in 359 ABs.
        Sewell played for 14 years, pounded out over 2200 hits in his career, and is in the Hall Of Fame. When he was 21 years old, he took over the shortstop position in Cleveland following the death of Ray Chapman. He was a remarkably durable player, and a career .319 hitter. He moved to third base when he was 29 years old, and retired at age 34; the relative shortness of his career is the only blemish on his record. In his prime Sewell was consistently one of the best players in the league.
        Speaking of strikeouts, Eddie Collins did a good job of making contact, too. Collins was 36, but was still one of the best hitters in the league. He could rank among the top four MVP candidates, except that his team was really awful. After having eight of their best players banned from the game, the White Sox did encounter some tough times.