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Who are the top MLB players of the 1970s? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Steve Carlton: despite a somewhat volatile decade (he twice led the league in losses), Carlton nevertheless was a 5x All-Star, 4x 20-game winner, and 2x strikeout king in the 1970s who earned 44.6 total WAR and won two Cy Young Awards, including his incredible 1972 season.
9. Mike Schmidt: the prototype third basemen, Schmidt was a virtuoso with both the bat (3x home run king in the 1970s) and the glove (4x Gold Glove) en route to four All-Star selections and 50.3 total WAR during the decade.
8. Gaylord Perry: the first pitcher to win Cy Young Awards in both the AL and NL, Perry accumulated 59.0 WAR while pitching for four different teams in the 1970s: four All-Star selections, the two Cy Youngs, and four 20-win seasons while tossing well over 200 innings each year.
7. Reggie Jackson: earning the “Mr. October” nickname for winning five World Series titles with two World Series MVPs, Jackson also made eight All-Star teams and won the 1973 AL MVP while leading the AL in home runs for the decade en route to amassing 51.3 total WAR.
6. Rod Carew: a 6x batting champion in the 1970s and the 1977 AL MVP, Carew hit .300+ and was an All-Star every year of the decade, compiling 56.3 WAR in the process while leading the AL in hits and all of MLB in on-base percentage.
5. Pete Rose: both baseball’s all-time hits king and the hits king of the 1970s (including a batting title and 4x leading the league in hits), Rose also made nine All-Star teams, won the 1973 NL MVP, won a Gold Glove while playing numerous positions, led the league in runs scored 3x (most runs for the decade), and won a pair of World Series titles with the Cincinnati Reds (including World Series MVP in 1975) for a total of 50.6 WAR.
4. Jim Palmer: an 8x 20-game winner for the decade, Palmer made six All-Star Games, won three Cy Youngs and four Gold Gloves, led the league in ERA twice, and won the 1970 World Series with the Baltimore Orioles (54.1 WAR).
3. Tom Seaver: the top pitcher of the 1970s with 67.1 WAR, Seaver was an 8x All-Star who won a pair of Cy Young Awards while winning 20+ games 4x, and leading the league in strikeouts 5x and ERA 3x.
2. Joe Morgan: the engine of Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine” offense of the 1970s, Morgan was a 9x All-Star and 5x Gold Glover during the decade who won back-to-back MVP awards in 1975 and 1976 while also leading the Reds to World Series titles both years; moreover, his 67.0 WAR tops all batters for the decade, bolstered by leading MLB in walks and being second in on-base percentage.
1. Johnny Bench: as his manager Sparky Anderson once said, “I don’t want to embarrass any other catcher by comparing him to Johnny Bench”; Bench could do it all – during the 1970s, he was an All-Star every year, won two MVP awards, earned eight straight Gold Gloves behind the plate, and led the decade in runs batted in while leading the Reds to two World Series titles and racking up 58.9 WAR.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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