On the blog today, the latest "expanded league leaders" card, this one the 1975 National League stolen base edition celebrating the top three base stealers of 1974:
Of
course this was a monumental card since it starts off with the great
Lou Brock and his record breaking 118 steals of 1974, breaking the
record set by Maury Wills in 1962.
For Brock, it was ironically the last stolen base title of his Hall of Fame career, his eighth crown over nine seasons.
It's easy to forget when Brock set the record, he was 35 years of age! Not exactly a Spring chicken!
He also hit .306 for the season with 194 hits and 105 runs scored, good for second place in the MVP race at season's end.
In
second place, waaaaay back with 59 stolen bases in 1974 is the guy who
would end up leading the league the following two seasons, Davey Lopes
of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In his second full season as a
Major League second baseman, Lopes helped the Dodgers get to the World
Series, scoring 95 runs while hitting .266 with 26 doubles, 3 triples
and 10 homers.
By the time he retired after the 1987 season, he'd have 557 stolen bases under his belt, not too shabby!
In
third place with 58 steals in 1974, Hall of Fame second baseman Joe
Morgan, who was in the prime of his incredible career, using the stolen
base as a facet of his offensive arsenal.
Along with those 58
steals, Morgan scored 107 runs, hit 22 homers and drove in 67 runs for
the loaded Cincinnati Reds line-up, finishing eighth in the MVP race
while picking up his second Gold Glove Award.
Of course he
would follow up that season with two straight MVP Awards in 1975 and
1976, leading the "Big Red Machine" to two straight Championships,
cementing his place as an All-Timer at second base.
There you have it! Next week we move on to the American League and their top three base stealers.