Faulty comparison

[dextar]

Perhaps the wealthiest ball player of his era, Bob’s salary was nonetheless miniscule by today’s standard.

1) same
2) Although Bob Ruth was perhaps the wealthiest ball player of his era, his salary was nonetheless miniscule by today’s standard.
3) Perhaps the wealthiest ball player of his era, but Bob has a nonetheless miniscule salary by today’s standard.

Here isn't the option 2 wrong here because we are comparing Bob Ruth in the first half of the sentence with his salary in the second half.

[hemanth28]

"Although Bob Ruth was perhaps the wealthiest ball player of his era"
is not a modifying phrase as you are thinking.

Its only a conditional statement.

for example consider this example

Although Amit has a car, he doesn't often drives it.

Although Amit has a car

This is not acting as modifier.

[lunarpower]

Here isn't the option 2 wrong here because we are comparing Bob Ruth in the first half of the sentence with his salary in the second half.

(emphasis mine)

no, because this isn't a comparison.

comparisons are structures that actually compare two or more things. there are few words that signal genuine comparisons; the most common are 'like', 'unlike', 'as',** 'as ADJECTIVE as', and 'than' (used in constructions like better than, older than, etc.).

option 2 above uses a subordinate clause (although...), but that clause doesn't make a comparison of any kind.

** 'as' used alone, to compare two clauses. this is not meant to refer to 'as' used as part of some larger construction (e.g., 'as well as').