Next up on my "Hall of Fame" league leader card series is the 1974
Runs Batted In card (#203) featuring two of THE power hitters of the
decade: Reggie Jackson and Willie Stargell.
First up the card:
In a bit of a surprise, 1973 was the only time these future Hall members would lead their leagues in R.B.I.'s.
For Reggie, his 117 ribbies paced the American League, contributing
to his only Most Valuable Player award that season. It was also one off
of his career high, as he drove in 118 in 1969 when he slammed 47
homers in his first big year in the Majors.
Even though the late 1960's and 1970's were a bit of an offensive
down-time for baseball, it's still surprising to remind yourself that
Reggie's high in ribbies is so low. Then again, he also lead the league
in homers in '73 with 32, his only outright
home run title during his career. In a bit of an odd coincidence, his
other three home run titles were all shared, and all with a Milwaukee
Brewer player: 1975- George Scott; 1980- Ben Oglivie and 1982- Gorman
Thomas.
Go figure.
For Stargell, 1973 was arguably the finest offensive year of his
career. In addition to his league leading 119 runs batted in, he slammed
44 homers and also lead the league in doubles with 43. His .646
slugging percentage also lead the league, and he hit
just a shade under .300, finishing up with a .299 B.A.
It would also mark the last time Stargell would drive in 100 or
more runs in a season, even though he'd play for another nine years
before retiring after the 1982 season.
1973 would also be the third year in a row where he'd finish in the
top-3 in Most Valuable Player voting, ending up second behind winner
Pete Rose. In 1971 he finished second behind Joe Torre, while in 1972 he
finished third behind Johnny Bench and Billy
Williams.
Next up on this thread we move on to 1975 and take a look at the
strikeout leader card, featuring two of the all-time best: Nolan Ryan
and Steve Carlton.
