Finest batters of 1986-1990 – by G. Scott Thomas

Rickey Henderson had some pop in his bat, although he was by no means thought of to be an influence hitter.

The outfielder for the New York Yankees launched a career-high 28 homers in 1986, then matched that determine in 1990 for the Oakland Athletics. These two golden seasons bookended a half-decade by which Henderson ranked as the perfect hitter within the American League.

Intelligence and pace have been the actual keys to Henderson’s success.

No up to date had a greater understanding of the strike zone, and no one was more proficient at baserunning. His batting eye, as measured by the share of walks he obtained, was the perfect within the Fashionable Period (1961 to the current). And his 1,406 profession stolen bases have been far and away the most in big-league history.

These elements propelled Henderson to the highest of my 1986-1990 rankings of American League batters, the main focus of this installment of my Friday-by-Friday journey via the Fashionable Period’s successive five-year intervals.

Henderson’s counterpart atop the Nationwide League was Eric Davis, a middle fielder for the Cincinnati Reds. He hit no less than 26 dwelling runs each season between 1986 and 1990, twice reaching double digits in runs batted in.

The rankings for each leagues have been primarily based on my 5-Yr Take a look at, which analyzed each hitter in six key statistical classes:

• Batting common

• Slugging common

• Bases per out (BPO)

• Runs scored per 500 plate appearances

• Runs batted in per 500 plate appearances

• Wins above substitute (WAR) per 500 plate appearances

The rankings encompassed each batter who crossed the minimal threshold of two plate appearances per sport, the equal of 1,620 appearances in 5 162-game seasons.

A complete of 98 batters within the American League and 71 within the Nationwide League certified for the 1986-1990 utility of my 5-Yr Take a look at. Scroll beneath to see the highest 20 hitters in every league.

The runners-up within the standings for 1986-1990 have been Wade Boggs and Kirby Puckett within the American League, Kal Daniels and Will Clark within the Nationwide.

Every batter beneath is adopted by a breakdown of his 1986-1990 statistics: video games, hits, dwelling 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 included right here due to their plain curiosity.

This collection will proceed subsequent Friday (July 29) with my rankings of batters in each leagues in the course of the span of 1991-1995. You’ll be able to see the earlier standings via these hyperlinks:

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American League high batters (collection up to now)

Nationwide League high batters (collection up to now)

American League high 20 batters (1986-1990)

• 1. Rickey Henderson, G 674, H 740, HR 91, BA .290, BPO 1.057

• 2. Wade Boggs, G 762, H 1,013, HR 46, BA .343, BPO .971

• 3. Kirby Puckett, G 781, H 1,043, HR 104, BA .331, BPO .839

• 4. Fred McGriff, G 578, H 540, HR 125, BA .278, BPO .973

• 5. Jose Canseco, G 670, H 686, HR 160, BA .269, BPO .877

• 6. Mike Greenwell, G 618, H 697, HR 69, BA .313, BPO .867

• 7. Paul Molitor, G 635, H 790, HR 61, BA .311, BPO .890

• 8. Don Mattingly, G 707, H 902, HR 107, BA .314, BPO .813

• 9. George Brett, G 662, H 740, HR 88, BA .301, BPO .894

• 10. Alan Trammell, G 697, H 788, HR 83, BA .298, BPO .822

• 11. Kent Hrbek, G 687, H 685, HR 135, BA .285, BPO .890

• 12. Dwight Evans, G 724, H 725, HR 114, BA .279, BPO .885

• 13. Mark McGwire, G 623, H 550, HR 156, BA .253, BPO .881

• 14. Ellis Burks, G 526, H 606, HR 71, BA .291, BPO .818

• 15. Robin Yount, G 778, H 891, HR 81, BA .299, BPO .839

• 16. George Bell, G 766, H 882, HR 141, BA .290, BPO .767

• 17. Dave Winfield, G 591, H 613, HR 97, BA .282, BPO .810

• 18. Danny Tartabull, G 662, H 659, HR 118, BA .280, BPO .863

• 19. Joe Carter, G 630, H 681, HR 123, BA .270, BPO .788

• 20. Alvin Davis, G 714, H 734, HR 103, BA .290, BPO .876

Nationwide League high 20 batters (1986-1990)

• 1. Eric Davis, G 654, H 631, HR 148, BA .277, BPO 1.022

• 2. Kal Daniels, G 507, H 500, HR 81, BA .300, BPO 1.006

• 3. Will Clark, G 736, H 815, HR 117, BA .302, BPO .900

• 4. Darryl Strawberry, G 729, H 677, HR 171, BA .264, BPO .955

• 5. Jack Clark, G 453, H 374, HR 95, BA .260, BPO 1.056

• 6. Kevin Mitchell, G 681, H 658, HR 135, BA .278, BPO .870

• 7. Mike Schmidt, G 457, H 440, HR 90, BA .273, BPO .876

• 8. Barry Bonds, G 717, H 688, HR 117, BA .265, BPO .907

• 9. Tim Raines, G 674, H 764, HR 57, BA .304, BPO .968

• 10. Tony Gwynn, G 749, H 972, HR 36, BA .332, BPO .858

• 11. Andre Dawson, G 705, H 767, HR 141, BA .289, BPO .829

• 12. Kevin McReynolds, G 751, H 771, HR 128, BA .279, BPO .813

• 13. Bobby Bonilla, G 686, H 694, HR 96, BA .280, BPO .810

• 14. Howard Johnson, G 700, H 623, HR 129, BA .256, BPO .888

• 15. Andy Van Slyke, G 714, H 700, HR 85, BA .276, BPO .830

• 16. Ryne Sandberg, G 753, H 859, HR 119, BA .287, BPO .809

• 17. Pedro Guerrero, G 584, H 620, HR 72, BA .304, BPO .841

• 18. Von Hayes, G 703, H 702, HR 89, BA .276, BPO .882

• 19. Glenn Davis, G 712, H 687, HR 144, BA .262, BPO .812

• 20. Lenny Dykstra, G 700, H 679, HR 42, BA .284, BPO .816