Baseball's Best Decade (18 page)

Who almost made the list?
Johnny Mize at .561, Mel Ott at .477, Bobby Doerr at .468.

During the 1950s, two young slu
ggers emerged and joined the ranks of proven power hitters like Williams and Musial, Mickey Mantle (left) and Willie Mays finished fourth and second, respectively, among major league sluggers for the decade. Mays led the league 3 times in slugging average, and Mantle did it twice.

Of the 15 highest single-season slugging averages for switch-hitters, Mickey Mantle has 7 of them, including the highest average for a switch-hitter: .705 in 1956.

1950s –
Ted Williams was just a flat-out great hitter, which is the only way to explain how he could lead the majors with a .731 slugging average in 1957 at age 38 and lead all major leaguers over the 1950s by more than 30 percentage points. Williams and Mickey Mantle led the American League twice each in slugging during the 1950s. Willie Mays was the National League slugging champion 3 times, with Duke Snider posting the senior circuit’s highest single-season slugging average twice.

Who almost made the list?
Hank Aaron at .559, Ernie Banks at .558, Eddie Mathews at .548.

1960s –
Four of the top 5 sluggers during the 1960s are Hall-of-Famers, and among the best power hitters of all time. The lone exception is Dick Allen who, as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1960s, was just as devastating and powerful as the other 4, though not up to their longevity.

Who almost made the list?
Willie McCovey at .546, Mickey Mantle at .542, Frank Howard at .508.

1970s –
Willie Stargell edged out Jim Rice for the top position among 1970s sluggers. No player in either league won the slugging championship more than twice. Dave Parker was the only National Leaguer to accomplish that two-fer. In the American League, Rice, Fred Lynn, Dick Allen and Reggie Jackson each claimed 2 slugging crowns.

Who almost made the list?
Dick Allen at .513, Mike Schmidt at .511, Reggie Jackson at .508.

Individual Slugging Leaders for Each Decade
(1980s -2000s)

1980s –
The 1980s best home run hitter was also the decade’s most efficient slugger. Mike Schmidt led the National League in slugging average four seasons in compiling his major league best .540 average for the decade – the lowest leading average for any decade since before 1920. Though not considered a power hitter, George Brett’s overall hitting prowess translated into the American League’s highest slugging average for the decade – leading the league in that category 3 times.

Who almost made the list?
Jose Canseco at .503, Eddie Murray and Andre Dawson at .497.

1990s –
The home run barrage that characterized baseball in the 1990s was reflected in slugging averages that were the highest since the 1930s. Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds became only the second and third players to average .600 for a decade since 1940. Bonds led the National League in slugging average 3 times. McGwire and Albert Belle each won 2 slugging championships in the American League. McGwire added a third slugging title as a National Leaguer.

Who almost made the list?
Manny Ramirez at .576, Mike Piazza at .575, Frank Thomas at .573.