Baseball's Best Decade (14 page)

Third baseman Ron Santo was Mr. Consistency for the Chicago Cubs in the 1960s. From 1963-1969, Santo averaged 29 home runs and 104 RBIs, never driving in fewer than 94.

1950s –
The same Brooklyn bombers who led the major leagues in home runs during the 1950s also set the pace for RBI production. Between them, only Duke Snider won an RBI title (1955), while Gil Hodges finished in the top 5 in RBIs 5 different seasons. Yogi Berra was never the American League’s top RBI man, though he too finished in the top 5 in each of 5 seasons. Boston’s Jackie Jensen won the American League RBI crown 3 times.

Who almost made the list?
Mickey Mantle at 841, Ted Kluszewski at 823, Gus Bell and Larry Doby at 817.

1960s –
Four of the game’s greatest sluggers sit atop the RBI rankings for the 1960s, all of whom averaged over 100 RBIs per season. Hank Aaron led the National League in RBIs 3 times. Harmon Killebrew was the American League RBI champion twice during the 1960s. Ron Santo never led his league in RBIs, but his trademark consistency – his lowest RBI total between 1963 and 1969 was 94 – propelled him to fifth ranking for the decade.

Who almost made the list? Ernie Banks at 925, Orlando Cepeda at 896, Roberto Clemente at 862.

1970s –
Two sluggers from the Big Red Machine – Johnny Bench and Tony Perez – were the dominant run makers during the 1970s. Bench led the National League in RBIs 3 times, a feat matched during the decade only by fellow Cincinnati Red George Foster. No player led the American League in RBIs more than once during the 1970s.

Who almost made the list?
Bob Watson at 822, Al Oliver at 812, Greg Luzinski at 755.

The Top
RBI Producers for Each Decade (1980s-2000s)

1980s –
No player drove in as many as 1,000 runs during the 1980s. The player who came the closest, the Baltimore Orioles’ switch-hitting first baseman Eddie Murray, led the American League only once in RBIs, as again no player won more than a single RBI title in the junior circuit. Mike Schmidt and Dale Murphy each led the National League twice.

Who almost made the list?
Jim Rice at 868, George Brett at 851, Harold Baines at 835.

1990s –
Six players drove in more than 1,000 runs during the 1990s, led by Albert Belle’s 1,099, the highest total for an American Leaguer since the 1930s. Belle won the league RBI title twice during the 1990s, one less than Detroit’s Cecil Fielder. In the National League, Barry Bonds was the only player to drive in more than 1,000 runs during the 1990s, winning the RBI title only once. The only repeat winner in the National League was Andres Galarraga.

Who almost made the list?
Rafael Palmeiro at 1,068, Fred McGriff at 975, Jeff Bagwell at 961.

1990s –
Alex Rodriguez was far and away the most prolific run producer during the 2000s. He had the highest RBI total of any player since the 1930s, and led the American League in RBIs twice during the decade, as did Boston’s David Ortiz. Ryan Howard led the league in RBIs 3 times during the decade.

Who almost made the list?
Vladimir Guerrero at 1,037, Lance Berkman at 1,026, Carlos Lee at 1,019.

The Top
Scoring Teams for Each Decade (1920s-1940s)