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Greatest batters of 1971-1975 – by G. Scott Thomas

July 17, 2022

106

One other five-year interval, one other Willie.

That was the scenario within the Nationwide League through the interval from 1971 by way of 1975, the third half-decade by which I’ve analyzed the batters on each of the most important leagues.

Willie Mays was the NL’s high hitter in the 1961-1965 period, primarily based on my 5-12 months Check, which ranks batters based on their performances in six statistical classes. His teammate on the San Francisco Giants, Willie McCovey, succeeded him because the league’s finest hitter in the span from 1966 to 1970.

So who took the NL lead in 1971-1975? Willie Stargell, the slugging first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Stargell paced the league in house runs twice through the half-decade, with 48 in 1971 and 44 in 1973. He didn’t win a Most Priceless Participant Award — that wouldn’t occur till 1979 — however he did end among the many high 10 votegetters all 5 years. And he was considered one of solely three hitters within the majors (all within the Nationwide League) to achieve multiple base per out (BPO) over the 1971-1975 span.

Stargell’s counterpart within the American League was Reggie Jackson, the flamboyant proper fielder for the Oakland Athletics, who gained consecutive World Collection in 1972, 1973, and 1974. Jackson powered their assault with 154 house runs, essentially the most hit by any AL batter within the five-year interval. (Stargell topped the majors with 172.)

My rankings encompassed each batter who crossed the minimal threshold of two appearances per sport, the equal of 1,620 appearances in 5 seasons of the present size. The variety of qualifiers was nearly the identical in every league: 78 batters within the American and 79 within the Nationwide. They had been in contrast in these statistical classes:

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

In the event you’d wish to know extra about how the 5-12 months Check’s rankings had been decided, click here. Or you may instantly scroll right down to my lists of the highest 20 batters in every league for 1971 by way of 1975.

The runners-up behind Jackson in my rankings of the American League’s finest batters had been Boston Pink Sox catcher Carlton Fisk and Kansas Metropolis Royals first baseman John Mayberry. Second and third place within the Nationwide League went respectively to proper fielder Henry Aaron of the Atlanta Braves and second baseman Joe Morgan of the Houston Astros and Cincinnati Reds.

Every participant’s stats are confined to the required league, thereby excluding the respective strains for Mayberry with the Astros in 1971 and Aaron with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1975. (These had been the times, don’t neglect, when the Astros had been within the NL and the Brewers belonged to the AL.)

Every batter beneath is adopted by a abstract of his 1971-1975 statistics: video games, hits, house runs, batting common, and bases per out. The primary three stats weren’t crunched by the 5-12 months Check’s system, although they do present invaluable context.

I’ll proceed rolling out the half-decade rankings subsequent Friday, once we’ll have a look at the top-rated hitters from 1976 by way of 1980. Right here’s a touch: Neither of the league leaders was named Willie.