Hudson is
not saying Ruth would hit .100 in MLB today, he's saying that Ruth would'nt be using a 44 oz bat.
Atlanta Braves' Chipper Jones recently spoke at a clinic at the ABCA Convention in Atlanta. He was told as a rookie to "swing the heaviest bat you can get around on a 90-mph pitch," so Chipper practiced in the off-season with a 39 oz. bat. In games, though, he uses a 33 oz. bat, unless he's facing Curt Schilling, Kevin Brown, or someone else who brings it in the high 90s. Then he drops an ounce and maybe even an inch.
Using a heavier bat brings more momentum to the collision, so a power hitter would want to follow the advice Chipper was given. Getting around on a 90-mph pitch is a good barometer, because the average fastball of today is 91 mph.
I would feel certain that the AVERAGE fastball of the 1920s and 1930s was
not 89 mph. Contemporaries of Ruth, Ty Cobb used a 42 oz bat and Rogers Hornsby used a 50 oz bat. So if Chipper uses a 33oz bat for the "average" 90 mph MLB fastball,
logic suggests that Ruth, Rogers, and Ty werent worrying about an "average" 90-mph fastball on a regular basis.
from ESPN.com, 2011 seasons stats
League Average Fastball Velo
By Month Last Season
April-90.8
May-91.3
June-91.4
July-91.7
August-91.5
September-91.4