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Greatest batters of 1966-1970 – by G. Scott Thomas

July 18, 2022

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Willie McCovey was by no means the most important star on the San Francisco Giants — that honor was reserved for Willie Mays — however he was the membership’s greatest hitter for half a decade.

McCovey, the truth is, was the top-rated batter in your entire Nationwide League from 1966 via 1970, based mostly on my evaluation of six key statistics.

I started my collection of five-year breakdowns of Fashionable Period hitters final week, revealing the leaders for the period of 1961-1965 within the American League (Mickey Mantle) and Nationwide League (Mays).

Subsequent half-decades will probably be lined on successive Fridays, with 1966-1970 as the main target of at the moment’s installment. The collection will run till we attain the top of the Fashionable Period with a narrative concerning the span from 2016 via 2020.

McCovey, a rangy first baseman, smashed 187 homers from 1966 via 1970, a complete surpassed within the NL solely by Henry Aaron’s 194. However McCovey was more practical at piling up bases, as mirrored by his ratio of 1.089 bases per out (BPO), in comparison with Aaron’s .967.

The everyday Nationwide League batter posted a BPO of .699 throughout the identical five-year interval. The American League common was even decrease, .691.

Solely 4 big-league batters attained a couple of base per out in 1966-1970, and Frank Robinson was one in every of them. Robinson, who ranked third amongst Nationwide League batters within the earlier half-decade, was traded to the Orioles in 1966. He gained first place within the American League’s batting standings for the half-decade that started the yr he arrived in Baltimore.

The runners-up for the half-decade had been Roberto Clemente and Aaron within the Nationwide League, Carl Yastrzemski and Harmon Killebrew within the American.

My rankings embody each batter who crossed the minimal threshold of two appearances per recreation, the equal of 1,620 appearances in 5 162-game seasons.

A complete of 67 batters within the American League and 75 within the Nationwide League certified for the 1966-1970 software of my 5-Yr Take a look at, which ranks hitters in keeping with their performances in these six statistical classes:

Batting common
Slugging common
Bases per out
Runs scored per 500 plate appearances
Runs batted in per 500 plate appearances
Wins above alternative (WAR) per 500 plate appearances

Click here to be taught extra concerning the 5-Yr Take a look at. Or look beneath to see my lists of the highest 20 batters in every league from 1966 via 1970.

Every batter beneath is adopted by a breakdown of his 1966-1970 statistics: video games, hits, house runs, batting common, and bases per out. The primary three stats weren’t a part of the 5-Yr Take a look at, although they’re nonetheless attention-grabbing to contemplate.

You recognize the drill by now. This collection will proceed subsequent Friday (July 1) with my rankings for 1971-1975.