There are numerous ways to measure the relative strength of various leagues, some methods more defensible than others. Now that the 2019-20 season has evaporated is as good a time as any to take a shot at meaningful comparisons.
The eye, or smell, test, otherwise known as what the chattering class perceives, tends to override – or at least outshout — all other measures. This colors most debate.
Far more credible are the mathematically sophisticated formulas of Ken Pomeroy and Jeff Sagarin (USA Today). Like Luis Tiant’s gyrating windup as a major league pitcher from 1964-82, these analyses are mesmerizingly opaque.