1998…Power, Wins and
Pitching
When
you ask someone about the 1998 baseball season, most will immediately think of
the home run record chase, with Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. Some may even
remember that Ken Griffey Jr. was in that conversation for most of the summer.
A few
may even mention the New York Yankees winning one hundred twenty-five games
when the season was said and done. Or that expansion had taken place again. Or
that for the first time in the modern era, a team switched leagues. Or that the
‘interim’ commissioner allowed the defending World Series Champions to
dismantle his team, going from the championship to one hundred eight losses at
the end of the year.
Or,
that six teams won ninety or more games, three of them over one hundred. But
only one of the hundred plus win teams made the World Series. Or that
inter-league play would continue in its second season. Or that attendance
increased overall, because of a few factors. The homers, obviously, but also a
renewed interest in Boston, where the Dominican populace from the Jamaica Plain
neighborhood began attending games regularly, mostly to support Sox ace Pedro
Martinez, who was acquired that previous off-season from Montreal.
Yes,
all of this went on, and more…
The
biggest story, obviously, was that heroic home run chase to catch Roger Maris’
all time single season record of sixty-one homers, which was a contentious record.
Commissioner Ford Frick, who was a loyal friend to Babe Ruth, decreed that
Maris’ record of sixty-one was accomplished during a season that had seven more
games, and that Ruth’s record would stand, and Maris’ would carry an asterisk.
The
asterisk was later removed, but there was a bitterness between Maris and the
baseball establishment that lingered long past his playing days.
The
nation was spellbound, and watching the sports highlight shows every morning to
see how the three sluggers fared. McGwire in St. Louis and Sosa in Chicago had
the slight media advantage over Griffey in Seattle. The Midwest games, for the
most part, were over in time for the eleven o’clock news, and the newscasts
would tease the homers in the highlights. Griffey, playing on the coast, was
sometimes missed in the nightly recaps, but all three were fodder for the
morning sport clips programs.
Griffey’s
power numbers began to fade, and while he did finish with fifty-six homers,
becoming the second player to homer fifty times in consecutive seasons (McGwire
being the other) he was almost an afterthought when the season was over.
As was
another west coast slugger, Greg Vaughn of that Padres. Vaughn also hit fifty
homers, marking the first time that there were four fifty homer performances in
the same season.
But…being
in the National League, the first hurdle would be Hack Wilson’s National League
record of fifty-six homers, set in 1930. Wilson’s league record outlasted
Ruth’s original record of sixty in 1927. McGwire was the first to fifty-seven,
on September 2nd, followed by Sosa on the 3rd. Next would
be the coveted sixty-one, which McGwire equaled on September 7th,
and passing it the next night, against Sosa’s Cubs, and with the Maris family
in attendance.
After
hitting number sixty-two, McGwire went into the stands and embraced the Maris’,
with very few dry eyes to be seen. He then embraced Sammy Sosa on the field,
saluted the crowd, and after the long delay, continued the game.
Sosa
would also catch and pass Maris, but it would be several days later. McGwire
finished with the new magical number of seventy home runs, and Sosa would finish
with sixty-six, the new standard for a runner-up for the home run crown in a
season. McGwire’s record would last for just a couple of years, but more on
that later.
During
the epic run, the media requests and expectations were very oppressive, even
more than what Roger Maris felt during his run at Ruth in 1961. Maris famously
reported losing his hair due to the stress he incurred. During one of these
interview sessions, an Associated Press writer
named Steve Wilstein observed a small brown bottle in McGwire’s locker.
“Sitting on the top shelf of Mark McGwire's
locker, next to a can of Popeye spinach and packs of sugarless gum, is a brown
bottle labeled Androstenedione.
For more than a year, McGwire says, he has been using the
testosterone-producing pill, which is perfectly legal in baseball but banned in
the NFL, Olympics and the NCAA.
No one suggests that McGwire wouldn't be closing
in on Roger Maris' home run record without the over-the-counter drug. After
all, he hit 49 homers without it as a rookie in 1987, and more than 50 each of
the past two seasons.
But the drug's ability to raise levels of the
male hormone, which builds lean muscle mass and promotes recovery after injury,
is seen outside baseball as cheating and potentially dangerous.”
Should
this have raised red flags? Yes. Did it? Well, sort of. The supplement was
technically legal at the time that he was taking it. People were rooting for
Big Mac, and seemed to allow the indiscretions, which weren’t illegal according
to the rules.
But…
There
was a hypothesis that the bottle in his locker, in plain sight, was a ruse,
that he was using other substances, more salacious, and not as permissible by
the league. But I have no way of verifying that.
In
hindsight, maybe more should have been done, as both Sosa and McGwire’s
reputations have been sullied by the allegations and suppositions of steroid
use have plagued them. And neither one of them have done much to help clear
their names these twenty years later.
The
steroid use and abuse that has plagued our beautiful game was running rampant
through the game during this time. Padres infielder Ken Caminiti was open about
his use of steroids purchased in Tijuana in 1986, and his use helped him win
the National League Most Valuable Player Award that season.
Another factor which may have been
lost in the wash was the league’s expansion by two teams. The stretched talent
level, as the new teams began play, bringing pitchers into the majors who ay
not have been ready, could easily explain the influx of power. After all, the
American League expansion in 1961 coincided with Roger Maris’ overtaking Ruth’s
magical sixty homers.
But, the reality was that the
homeruns overall didn’t necessarily rise in 1998. Well, they did a little. The
1998 had each team averaging 168.4 homers. In 1997, that number was 165.7, for
the first year of inter-league play. So, a small increase. But, in 1996, the
average was 177.3 homers per team.
The assimilation of ‘lesser
talented pitchers’ into the leagues didn’t really have the negative impact on
the overall pitching. But there were some very solid pitching performances that
swung the pendulum away from the offense, especially in the American League.
The AL pitchers performed at an 11.9% statistical advantage over the offense.
The National League hitters held a 5.7% edge over the NL pitchers. But overall,
it was the pitching that held a 2.9 % advantage over the hitters.
The top pitching teams in each
league were:
American
League
|
National
League
|
Yankees
|
Braves
|
Red Sox
|
Astros
|
Blue Jays
|
Padres
|
While the top offensive teams were:
Yankees
|
Astros
|
Rangers
|
Giants
|
Red Sox
|
Rockies
|
And speaking of expansion, there
were the two new teams added, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and the Arizona
Diamondbacks. The Tampa franchise was allowed to join the American League,
hoping to capitalize on the large Yankee and Red Sox fan base that now populate
the area. An interesting concept, to use your opponents as a draw for your
ballclub, but in a way, the New York Mets did something similar in 1962, by
drafting and acquiring many former New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers
players. The Devil Rays also made free agent signings of locally raised
players, namely Wade Boggs and Fred McGriff.
The Diamondbacks, led by owner
Jerry Colangelo, were promised a National League franchise. With the total
teams now numbering thirty, fifteen apiece in each league would lead to
wide=spread interleague play. Essentially, there would have to be inter-league
games played every day of the schedule in order to work.
Instead, interim commissioner Bud
Selig decided to move the Milwaukee Brewers to the National League. That is,
his team, the Milwaukee Brewers. That is, his former team, since he had turned
control of his team over to his daughter, while he formally accepted the
Commissionership.
When Selig championed the cause to
bring baseball to Milwaukee after the franchise moved to Atlanta, Bud
maintained that Milwaukee was a National League town. After the expansion
Seattle Pilots went belly-up just prior to the 1970 season, Selig and his
partners swooped in and purchased the franchise and moved them to Milwaukee to
become the Brewers. So late in the pre-season were they, that they played 1970
as an American League West team. They switched with the Chicago White Sox for
1971, moving to the American League East, where they stayed until 1994, where
they became an AL Central team. And, in an unprecedented move, became a
National League Central team for the 1998 season. The first team to play in
four different divisions.
Prior to Selig, Fay Vincent was
baseball’s commissioner, having succeeded Bart Giamatti. One of Vincent’s
downfalls was his belief that the commissioner should act in the ‘best interest
of baseball’ in his dealings. That didn’t sit well with the owners, who
bristled at some of his rulings that didn’t work in their favor. He was
essentially forced out of office.
I mention this because when Bowie
Kuhn was the commissioner, there were some instances of his voiding player
transactions that he felt would have an impact on the competitive balance
throughout the leagues. Using the ‘best interest of baseball’ as his codicil,
this caused a few cases of lawsuit threats and trade debacles.
He denied, for example, Oakland A’s
owner Charles Finley’s attempt to sell pitcher Rollie Fingers and outfielder
Joe Rudi to the Boston Red Sox in a straight up cash deal. (A quick google
search can find the two players in Boston uniforms that they donned later that
afternoon, only to be put ‘on hold’, and returned back to Oakland later that
evening.)
Had there been an acting
commissioner, one who followed the tenets set down by their predecessors, what
happened in Miami would not have been allowed.
Florida Marlins owner, Wayne
Huizinga, opened his checkbook, and started investing in high priced talent,
however he could get it, to make a run at the 1997 World Series. He was
successful, but when it came time to balance the books, he had allegedly over
spent his budget by an estimated fifty million dollars.
So, he had a sale. So, to speak. He
began trading his salary heavy veteran players to the highest bidder, or teams
that could and would pick up the higher salaries. Among those he traded away
were Gary Sheffield, Charles Johnson and Al Leiter. In their trade with the
Dodgers, they received Todd Zeile and Mike Piazza in return. Both would be gone
by September. Piazza was traded within a week.
It was clear what the Marlins were
doing, but there was no executive or administrator that would stop them. The
went from the World Championship to losing one hundred eight games, the biggest
fall from grace for a World Series Champion from one year to the next.
The big news from Baltimore was a
benching. Iron Man Cal Ripken Jr. decided that he needed a rest and took
himself out of the lineup in a game against the New York Yankees, in an
unpublicized move decided shortly before the game started. Once the Yankee team
realized that Ripken was out of the lineup, after 2,632 consecutive games,
their team stood at the top of the dugout steps an applauded Ripken.
Ryan Minor became the answer to the
trivia question, who replaced Cal.
The Yankees, Braves and Astros each
won more than a hundred games, the Red Sox, Cubs and Padres each won ninety
games or more. The Yankees and Padres would be each league’s eventual champion.
Had the divisional realignment not changed in 1994, and no Wild Card introduce,
the Padres would have been a third-place team, behind the Braves and Astros.
The Yankees, who won one
hundred-fourteen regular season games, then swept Texas in the three game
Divisional Series, struggled early against Cleveland, but came back to win the
Championship Series four games to two, and then swept the Padres in the Fall
Classic. One hundred twenty-five wins in all, which puts the 1998 Yankees among
the All-Time greatest teams.
Just as dominant was the Atlanta
Braves, who won a team record one hundred six games, but faltered in the post
season. It marked the seventh straight playoff appearances (in an eventual
fourteen straight) for Bobby Cox’s Braves.
However, they hold the record for
the most wins by a team to not make the World Series.
The final ‘power rankings’ were as
follows:
Yankees
|
World Champions
|
Braves
|
NL East Champion
|
Astros
|
NL Central Champion
|
Padres
|
National League Champions
|
Red Sox
|
AL Wild Card
|
Pitching was the Braves strong
suit, becoming the first team with five different pitchers to win fifteen or
more games in a season, also the first with five pitchers with one hundred
fifty or more strikeouts as well.
But
they had some offense as well, becoming just the third team to have four
different players hit thirty or more homers in a season, and the team homered
in twenty-five consecutive games which se a new National League record.
The season got off to a good start.
As a sign of things to come, Mark McGwire hit a Grand Slam for the Cardinals.
As inauspicious as it seemed, in the long history of the franchise, it was
their first Opening Day Grand Slam.
The New York Mets and Philadelphia
Phillies participated in the longest scoreless Opening Day in National League
history, with the Mets eventually winning 1-0 in fourteen innings.
In other points of interest during
the 1998 season:
In the minors, the Indianapolis
Indians performed a home run cycle in one inning against the Pawtucket Red Sox.
Pete Rose, Jr hit a solo home run, Jason Williams hit a three-run home run,
Glenn Murray hit a Grand Slam home run, And Guillermo Garcia hit a two-run
homer. All in the fifth inning of an 11-4 victory.
The Wendelstadt family, father
Harry and son Hunter became the first father/son due to umpire a Major League
game.
Toronto Blue Jays ace Roger Clemens
won the pitching Triple Crown for the second straight season, joining Yankee
legend Lefty Gomez as the only other American League pitcher to do it in
consecutive years. Sandy Koufax is the only other to accomplish the feat.
Montreal Expos manager Felipe Alou
won his five hundredth game for the club. The starting pitcher in that game was
Dustin Hermanson, who was the starting pitcher in Alou’s four hundredth win,
and his four hundred fiftieth win.
Los Angeles Dodger manager Bill
Russell didn’t finish the season, being fired midway. He became the first
Dodger manager to be fired during the season since Burt Shotton in 1948.
Dodger (and future Marlin and Met)
Mike Piazza became just the fifth player to hit a Grand Slam homer in
consecutive games.
Orioles catcher Chris Hoiles became
the ninth player to hit two Grand Slam homers in the same game but remains the
only catcher to do this.
The Kansas City Royals defeated the
Oakland A’s 16-6. They became the first team since 1949 to score a run in every
inning.
San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds became
the founding member of the 400/400 Club, 400 homers and stolen bases.
Also, in a game against the Arizona
Diamondbacks, with the bases loaded, Bonds was issued an intentional walk to
force in a run, it was just the fourth time in history that had been done, and
the first since 1944.
On a ‘Beanie Baby” giveaway
promotion, Yankee left David "Boomer" Wells pitched a perfect game. The Beanie Baby fad
was in full effect, and there were reports of hundreds of fans going through
the turnstiles to get their beanie, and then leave the stadium, never seeing
the game.
Wells became the first Yankee to
throw a perfect game since Don Larsen did so during the 1956 World Series. The
irony is not only being Wells and Larsen both raised in San Diego, they both
attended Point Loma High School. The trivia geek in me wants to point out that
Point Loma High School has the record for the most alumni to throw a major
league perfect game.
Seattle Mariners superstar Ken “Junior”
Griffey, Jr. became the third player to hit fifty homers and steal twenty bases
in a season. The other two, well one is a no brainer, and the other is a surprise:
Willie Mays and Brady Anderson.
Mariner’s catcher Dan Wilson hit an
inside the park Grand Slam home run. It was the first one in team history.
Colorado Rockies third baseman
Vinny Castilla tallied 380 total bases, the record for that position.
And teammate
Ellis Burks homered in his thirty-third major league stadium.
Pirates catcher Jason Kendall, who
at points became the rare catcher to bat in the lead-off position, set a new
National League record with twenty-six stolen bases for that position.
In Oakland, Rickey Henderson lead
the league in stolen bases for his twelfth and last time.
Cubs twenty-year old rookie pitcher
Kerry Wood was already making people take notice when he struck out twenty
batters while pitching a one-hitter. He tied with Bob Feller as the only
pitchers to strike out as many batters as their age. Feller once struck out
seventeen batters at seventeen years old.
Before the Cubs became concerned
with the wear on his pitching arm and shut Wood down, he amassed the third
highest strikeout total by a rookie, behind Dwight Gooden and Hideo Nomo.
Houston Astro Craig Biggio totaled
50 doubles and 50 stolen bases. This was the first time that had been done
since Tris Speaker accomplished in in 1912.
The Astros did manage to swing a
big trade, landing Randy “Big Unit” Johnson in a trade with the Mariners.
Johnson would go 10-1 in eleven games, with an Earned Run Average of just 1.28
for the Astros, which help carry them into the playoffs. Between the Mariners
and Astros, Johnson struck out three hundred twenty-nine batters, which is the
record for a pitcher that was traded mid-season.
Now to the statistical breakdown,
looking at the American League pitching first, our initial top ten list is:
Team
|
W-L
|
Svs
|
ERA
|
|
Roger
Clemens
|
Blue
Jays
|
20-6
|
0
|
2.65
|
Pedro
Martinez
|
Red
Sox
|
19-7
|
0
|
2.89
|
David
Cone
|
Yankees
|
20-7
|
0
|
3.55
|
Orlando
Hernandez
|
Yankees
|
12-4
|
0
|
3.13
|
David
Wells
|
Yankees
|
18-4
|
0
|
3.49
|
Michael
Jackson
|
Indians
|
1-1
|
40
|
1.55
|
Mariano
Rivera
|
Yankees
|
3-0
|
36
|
1.91
|
John
Wetteland
|
Rangers
|
3-1
|
42
|
2.03
|
Kenny
Rogers
|
A’s
|
16-8
|
0
|
3.17
|
Tom
Gordon
|
Red
Sox
|
7-4
|
46
|
2.72
|
And then as compared to their team
pitching numbers, we get this list:
Brian Moehler
|
Tigers
|
14-13
|
0
|
3.90
|
Kenny Rogers
|
Above
|
|
|
|
Roger Clemens
|
Above
|
|
|
|
John Wetteland
|
Above
|
|
|
|
Jamie Moyer
|
Mariners
|
15-9
|
0
|
3.53
|
Rolando Arrojo
|
Devil Rays
|
14-12
|
0
|
3.56
|
Mike Mussina
|
Orioles
|
13-10
|
0
|
3.49
|
Michael Jackson
|
Above
|
|
|
|
Doug Brocail
|
Tigers
|
5-2
|
0
|
2.73
|
Pedro Martinez
|
above
|
|
|
|
Our overall top ten pitchers in the
American League were:
Cy
Young Award, 11th in MVP
|
|
Pedro
Martinez
|
2nd
in Cy Young, 21st in MVP (tied)
|
John
Wetteland
|
16th
in MVP (tied)
|
Kenny
Rogers
|
No
votes
|
Michael
Jackson
|
21st
in MVP (tied)
|
Brian
Moehler
|
No
votes
|
Jamie
Moyer
|
No
votes
|
Mike
Mussina
|
No
votes
|
Rolando
Arrojo
|
No
votes
|
David
Cone
|
4th
in Cy Young
|
Rolando Arrojo, a thirty-two-year
old rookie who defected from Cuba in 1996. He won a Gold Medal in the 1988
Seoul Olympics. He holds the distinction of allowing the 400th
career home run to Cal Ripken, Jr. and Ken Griffey, Jr.
In the National League, I have
decided to add Randy Johnson to the rankings, as he pitched as many, or more
innings than most relievers, while pitching just two months with the Astros.
His impact on the team was enormous, and as such, should be reflected in the
rankings.
Others thought his impact was
enough to garner several post-season award votes in the National League.
So, the initial National League
pitcher rankings are:
Randy Johnson
|
Astros
|
10-1
|
0
|
1.28
|
Tom Glavine
|
Braves
|
20-6
|
0
|
2.47
|
Greg Maddux
|
Braves
|
18-9
|
0
|
2.22
|
John Smoltz
|
Braves
|
17-3
|
0
|
2.90
|
Trevor Hoffman
|
Padres
|
4-2
|
53
|
1.48
|
Kevin Brown
|
Padres
|
18-7
|
0
|
2.38
|
Ugueth Urbina
|
Expos
|
6-3
|
34
|
1.30
|
Robb Nen
|
Giants
|
7-7
|
40
|
1.52
|
Jeff Shaw
|
Reds/Dodgers
|
2-4
|
48
|
1.81
|
Rick Reed
|
Mets
|
16-11
|
0
|
3.48
|
And against their teams, that list
is:
Randy Johnson
|
Above
|
|
|
|
Ugueth Urbina
|
Above
|
|
|
|
Matt Mantei
|
Marlins
|
3-4
|
9
|
2.96
|
Dustin Hermanson
|
Expos
|
14-11
|
0
|
3.13
|
Curt Schilling
|
Phillies
|
15-14
|
0
|
3.25
|
Jeff Shaw
|
Above
|
|
|
|
Robb Nen
|
Above
|
|
|
|
Pete Harnisch
|
Reds
|
14-7
|
0
|
3.14
|
Omar Daal
|
Diamondbacks
|
8-12
|
0
|
2.88
|
Andy Benes
|
Arizona
|
3-4
|
30
|
3.01
|
The
overall top ten pitchers in the NL were:
Randy Johnson
|
7th in Cy Young, 21st
in MVP (tied)
|
Ugueth Urbina
|
No votes
|
Trevor Hoffman
|
2nd in Cy Young, 7th
in MVP (tied)
|
Jeff Shaw
|
No votes
|
Robb Nen
|
No votes
|
Tom Glavine
|
Cy Young Award, 21st in MVP
(tied)
|
Greg Maddux
|
4th in Cy Young (tied)
|
John Smoltz
|
4th in Cy Young (tied)
|
Dustin Hermanson
|
No votes
|
Kevin Brown
|
3rd in Cy Young, 16th
in MVP
|
Ugueth Urbina is an interesting figure.
First, he is the only major league player with the initials UU. Add his middle
name of Urtain, and we get UUU. He pitched for a few season, leading the
National League in saves in 1999, and winning a World Series ring with the
Marlins in 2003.
Venezuelan born, he had to deal
with the kidnapping of his mother, who was held for a reported
six-million-dollar ransom. Urbina and his family refused to pay the ransom, and
the mother was rescued during a paramilitary operation several weeks later.
After his retirement, Urbina
confronted five farm workers on his property, and accused them of stealing a
gun. He attacked the men with a machete and tried to douse them with gasoline.
He was arrested, tried and convicted of attempted murder, and served seven years
in prison.
Now, looking at the American League
hitters, who held a cumulative 8.1% advantage over the National Leaguers, our
initial top ten list is as follows:
Player
|
Team
|
HR
|
RVI
|
AVG
|
Juan Gonzalez
|
Rangers
|
45
|
157
|
.318
|
Albert Belle
|
White Sox
|
49
|
152
|
.328
|
Jim Thome
|
Indians
|
30
|
85
|
.293
|
Manny Ramirez
|
Indians
|
45
|
145
|
.294
|
Bernie Williams
|
Yankees
|
26
|
97
|
.339
|
Nomar Garciaparra
|
Red Sox
|
35
|
122
|
.323
|
Ken Griffey, Jr.
|
Mariners
|
56
|
146
|
.284
|
Carlos Delgado
|
Blue Jays
|
35
|
115
|
.292
|
Alex Rodriguez
|
Mariners
|
42
|
124
|
.310
|
Tino Martinez
|
Yankees
|
28
|
123
|
.281
|
Then, as compared to their team’s
offensive averages, we get this top ten list:
Albert Belle
|
Above
|
|
|
|
Jim Thome
|
Above
|
|
|
|
Manny Ramirez
|
Above
|
|
|
|
Carlos Delgado
|
Above
|
|
|
|
Ken Griffey, Jr.
|
Above
|
|
|
|
Nomar Garciaparra
|
Above
|
|
|
|
Fred McGriff
|
Devil Rays
|
19
|
81
|
.289
|
Dean Palmer
|
Royals
|
34
|
119
|
.278
|
Jeff King
|
Royals
|
24
|
93
|
.263
|
Mo Vaughn
|
Red Sox
|
40
|
115
|
.337
|
Consolidating,
compiling and analyzing brings us this top ten overall American League
offensive performers:
Albert Belle
|
8th in MVP vote
|
Jim Thome
|
21st in MVP vote (tied)
|
Manny Ramirez
|
6th in MVP vote
|
Juan Gonzalez
|
AL MVP
|
Nomar Garciaparra
|
2nd in MVP vote
|
Ken Griffey, Jr.
|
4th in MVP (tied)
|
Carlos Delgado
|
21st in MVP (tied)
|
Bernie Williams
|
7th in MVP
|
Alex Rodriguez
|
9th in MVP vote
|
Mo Vaughn
|
4th in MVP (tied)
|
Over to the National League, where
records were falling, our initial offensive top ten list is:
Mark McGwire
|
Cardinals
|
70
|
147
|
.299
|
Sammy Sosa
|
Cubs
|
66
|
158
|
.308
|
Barry Bonds
|
Giants
|
37
|
122
|
.303
|
Jeff Bagwell
|
Astros
|
34
|
111
|
.304
|
Mike Piazza
|
Dodgers/Marlins/Mets
|
32
|
111
|
.328
|
Jeff Kent
|
Giants
|
31
|
128
|
.297
|
Larry Walker
|
Rockies
|
23
|
67
|
.363
|
Vinny Castilla
|
Rockies
|
46
|
144
|
.319
|
Moises Alou
|
Astros
|
38
|
124
|
.312
|
Chipper Jones
|
Braves
|
34
|
107
|
.313
|
Then, against their teams, we get:
Mark McGwire
|
Above
|
|
|
|
Mike Piazza
|
Above
|
|
|
|
Vladimir Guerrero
|
Expos
|
38
|
109
|
.324
|
Jason Kendall
|
Pirates
|
12
|
75
|
.327
|
Gary Sheffield
|
Marlins/Dodgers
|
22
|
85
|
.302
|
Scott Rolen
|
Phillies
|
31
|
110
|
.290
|
Rondell White
|
Expos
|
17
|
58
|
.300
|
Kevin Young
|
Pirates
|
27
|
108
|
.270
|
Barry Bonds
|
Above
|
|
|
|
Greg Vaughn
|
Padres
|
50
|
119
|
.272
|
This brings our overall top
offensive National Players to:
Mark McGwire
|
2nd in MVP
|
Mike Piazza
|
14th in MVP
|
Sammy Sosa
|
NL MVP
|
Jason Kendall
|
No votes
|
Vladimir Guerrero
|
13th in MVP
|
Barry Bonds
|
8th in MVP
|
Scott Rolen
|
20th in MVP
|
Jeff Kent
|
9th in MVP (tied)
|
Jeff Bagwell
|
No votes
|
Gary Sheffield
|
No votes
|
In each league, my tope five
overall performers were:
American League
Roger
Clemens
Player
of the Year
Albert
Belle
Offensive
Player of the Year
Jim
Thome
Manny
Ramirez
Juan
Gonzalez
National League
Mark
McGwire
Player
of the Year
Randy
Johnson
Pitcher
of the Year
Mike
Piazza
Sammy
Sosa
Ugueth
Urbina