TWIWBL 51.4: The Awards – Silver Sticks

With no regard for defense, here are the best hitters at each position.

#C

Catching is hard. Only 5 full-time catchers qualified (plus Houston’s Craig Biggio, who only played a couple hundred innings behind the plate). And while Thurman Munson and Buster Posey had fantastic seasons, with OPS’ over .850, the top three are obvious

Name	Tm	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	SB	RC/27
Johnny Bench	IND	31	2	32	82	90	287	385	566	0	8.0
Curt Blefary	BAL	23	3	29	84	90	280	392	549	3	8.1
Elrod Hendricks	HOD	27	1	41	79	94	283	342	619	1	7.7

Blefary is clearly third best. Imma go with Bench here as the more dangerous offensive force despite Hendricks‘ edge in homeruns.

#1B

Name	Tm	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	SB	RC/27
Mike Epstein	HOM	22	0	24	80	79	316	420	528	0	8.8
Hank Greenberg	DET	45	4	31	93	113	317	374	595	1	8.3
Kent Hrbek	POR	36	0	36	91	106	297	365	556	0	7.5

You could spend a lot of time arguing about Epstein and Hrbek, but it wouldn’t change the fact that Greenberg was the best.

#2B

Name	Tm	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	SB	RC/27
Eddie Collins	CAG	28	4	20	106	70	315	409	513	61	8.6
Larry Gardner	BAL	26	5	12	84	72	318	393	471	16	6.8
Bobby Grich	LAA	42	5	12	77	76	288	378	476	12	6.7
Rogers Hornsby	KCM/POR	35	3	19	75	88	294	365	487	2	6.4

There is so little to separate Gardner, Grich, and Hornsby that I had to list all three of them. But they are all far, far behind the force of nature that is Eddie Collins.

#3B

Name	Tm	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	SB	WAR
Dick Allen	CAG	30	10	26	86	109	311	383	559	5	7.9
Bob Bailey	DET	22	3	21	76	70	277	364	462	5	6.1
Doug Rader	LAA	43	7	18	85	134	330	391	529	0	7.8

I like RBI’s too. Really, I do. And BA. But I’ll take Dick Allen over Doug Rader every day. I hadn’t realized how thin the pickings got at 3B after those two.

#SS

Name	Tm	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	SB	RC/27
Jim Fregosi	POR	32	3	17	78	61	300	373	472	16	6.1
Bobby Wallace	BAL	40	4	5	99	60	302	396	418	18	6.1
Robin Yount	MCG	30	5	14	24	68	276	314	454	16	5.0

The choice between Wallace and Fregosi is close, but Fregosi is slightly the better offensive player, even if Wallace is the better shortstop if you add defense into the equation.

#OF

The outfielders include all fulltime players with an OPS over .900 or with a runs created per 27 outs over 7.0.

#LF

Name	Tm	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	SB	RC/27
Rick Reichardt	HOM	23	8	27	83	98	301	378	531	1	7.2
Frank Robinson	BAL	17	2	37	101	111	302	383	539	2	7.3
Babe Ruth	NYY	35	3	48	127	136	312	427	663	14	10.8

The easiest choice of all …

#CF

Name	Tm	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	SB	RC/27
Pete Browning	HOD	34	4	26	82	82	331	370	591	38	8.4
Bobby Murcer	POR	29	8	24	95	87	314	388	542	11	8.2
Willie Mays	NYG	30	5	24	99	97	322	384	516	11	7.1
Reggie Smith	MEM	39	5	22	100	72	304	381	522	20	6.8
Mike Trout	LAA	27	6	21	102	100	321	390	498	37	7.7

Browning‘s year has to be discounted from the amount of time he missed, which really leaves this to Bobby Murcer.

#RF

Name	Tm	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	SB	RC/27
Ron Blomberg	CLE	39	0	44	110	127	336	412	649	0	10.2
Ty Cobb	DET	41	4	21	92	89	352	391	557	52	8.7
Joe Jackson	CAG	33	3	31	109	102	330	412	588	34	9.5
Reggie Jackson	SFS	29	1	30	75	105	317	424	589	23	8.4
Mickey Mantle	NYY	34	2	27	101	85	319	420	552	3	9.1
Stan Musial	KCM	49	4	25	94	98	329	395	577	6	8.4

The quality in RF rolls deep … Ron Blomberg takes this, with Joe Jackson very close behind. The deepest position in the league.

#DH

Name	Tm	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	SB	RC/27
Gavvy Cravath	PHI/POR	36	3	27	86	85	310	385	560	5	7.9
Lou Gehrig	NYY	25	4	27	74	79	275	379	526	3	7.1
Frank Thomas	CAG	33	3	25	93	105	297	405	505	3	7.4

Gavvy Cravath spent a lot of time in RF, both with Philadelphia and Portland, but we’re still going to count him here, where he edges out both Thomas, who slumped late in the season, and Gehrig, who got red-hot as the Black Yankees failed in their attempt to make the playoffs.

#The Silver Sticks

C: Johnny Bench (IND)
1B: Hank Greenberg (DET)
2B: Eddie Collins (CAG)
3B: Dick Allen (CAG)
SS: Jim Fregosi (POR)
LF: Babe Ruth (NYY)
CF: Bobby Murcer (POR)
RF: Ron Blomberg (CLE)
DH: Gavvy Cravath (PHI/POR)