Why did Babe Ruth switch from a pitcher to an outfielder?

Question

He was the Red Sox's best pitcher when he was and when he went to the Yankees, he played OF.

Why did the Yankees use him at OF?
He was slow and he was an amazing pitcher and he could have been the ace for the Yankees.

But, he could hav been DH if the Yankees opted for him to do so

he could have pitched and been DH at the same time

Answer 1

"Why did Babe Ruth switch from a pitcher to an outfielder?"

His bat was TOO valuable to only have in the lineup once or twice a week.

"He was the Red Sox's best pitcher when he was and when he went to the Yankees, he played OF."

He was a HALL-OF-FAME caliber LHP. He still holds a few records, in fact. BUT, how many Championships did the Yankees win with Ruth in the OF? I dare say, they made the right move there. Seven A.L. pennants and their first four World series Championships.

"Why did the Yankees use him at OF? He was slow and he was an amazing pitcher and he could have been the ace for the Yankees."

Slow? He was actually quite swift for a man of his size. The Yankees had

"But, he could hav been DH if the Yankees opted for him to do so"

Um, NOPE the DH was a creation of the 1970s and was not in place when Ruth played for the Yankees from 1920-1934.

"he could have pitched and been DH at the same time"
STILL no... he could not. Not to mention how tough it would be to swing a bat the day after pitching. He's have done some VERY serious damage to his arm!

Answer 2

First of all, he wasn't as slow as most people think, not when he first made it to the Yankees anyway. Pitchers also got tired back in Ruth's day, sure they didn't use 5 man rotations, but they used more than one pitcher. Pitching one day, and playing outfield the next day is too taxing, especially on a guy like Ruth. It was decided by the Red Sox, not the Yankees, that his bat was too valuable not to have him play nearly every day. So in 1918 they began experimenting with Ruth playing in the outfield and pitching some. His numbers got better and better, and eventually he became an everyday player, in the outfield.

Edit: He could not have been a DH, as the DH did not exist until 1973, after Babe Ruth had died, let alone played. Like I said before, pitching him every 4th day, and putting him in outfield would have been too taxing. Back in those days most pitchers threw until their arms fell off, and they didn't even throw it that hard. If Ruth had played outfield, and pitched every 4th day his shoulder would have practically imploded by the time he was 30. The Red Sox thought it better to have him hit every day, and the Yankees finally went all the way and didn't have him pitch much at all. Just a game or two every season, in relief.

Answer 3

As everyone has previously mentioned, he was way to good of a hitter to only be in the lineup every 3rd or 4th game. He orginally had an agreement and tried to pitch every 3rd or 4th game and play the outfield in between. But in the end Babe just wanted to hit and he was damn good at it. Also you have to realize that he was revolutionizing the sport at the time. Baseball, just like all professional sports, was and will always be a business. As a pitcher Babe was great but just another great pitcher, which many people had seen before, as a hitter no one had ever seen someone hit so mnay homeruns. He had people sprinting to the ball park to see him play. Not to mention he brought new life to america's past time when the US was going through the Great Depression. So......
1) He wanted to hit all the time.
2) He was amazing at it
3) It worked out for the team both in terms of helping the team win and brought more people to the stadium.... more $$$

Answer 4

He was such a good hitter and he wanted to be an every day player. added: There was no DH in the 1920's, that didn't come until after Babe Ruth was dead.

Answer 5

he was such a great hitter, the yankees couldnt not have him bat on a daily basis. he had a good arm, so they put him in the outfield. aaahhhh good old babe, i wonder what he would think about all this barry bonds cheating crap.

Answer 6

yes he could have been an amazing pitcher for them. but the moved him to outfield so he could get more playing time and they could use him at bat more often

Answer 7

Because he had such a great bat that, if he was still pitching, it could only be used once in four or five games.

Answer 8

he wanted to play everyday. he played outfield his last year with the Res Sox.

Answer 9

Because his bat would be more valuable playing every day then pitching every 4th game or so.