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)