Bill Freehan was McLain's catcher with the Tigers, and was also the
runner-up in the MVP vote. Freehan was a terrific hitter and fielder, and was
the best AL catcher during the 1960's. This season, Freehan set career-highs in
both home runs and RBI. His numbers may not look impressive at first
glance, but remember that pitchers were in total control of the game
this year. The league batting average was only .230; Freehan's .263 batting
average was the equivalent of a .314 average in 1999. It was a great
year for the Tiger backstop, and he is my choice for the MVP.
This was a dream season for Freehan; the Tigers won the World Series, and Freehan had the distinction of catching the final out. This was his best season, though he remained a solid player for many years. Freehan was an All-Star eleven times during
his 15-year career, all of it with the Tigers. He hit 200 career home runs,
and was a lifetime .262 hitter, pretty good considering the era in which
he had his prime years. Freehan also won five Gold Glove awards.
Another Tiger who had a fine year was Dick
McAuliffe. McAuliffe spent his 16-year career playing second base and shortstop
for Detroit; like Freehan, he had the misfortune to have his best years at
a time when pitchers ruled the game. McAuliffe was only a lifetime .247 hitter,
but that does not reflect his value; this season, he led the AL in runs scored
despite hitting only .249. McAuliffe did other important things well, like drawing
walks and hitting for power (197 career home runs). He was among the better
offensive infielders of the era.
A few sluggers managed to have good seasons. Carl Yastrzemski was
the only player in the AL to hit over .300, and he just barely made it.
Yaz was the best hitter in the league, by a good margin. Yastrzemski's
teammate, Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, had the best season of his career, and
led the league in RBI. Harrelson was a legitimate power hitter who had trouble
hitting for average, but he ironically had the best average of his career
in this Year Of The Pitcher.
Willie Horton also had his best year, and
helped his team win the World Series. Horton was a good slugger who
played for 18 years, and hit 325 career home runs. Willie was not consistent
during his career, but he kept his average up and usually provided good
power. In 1979, his career was almost over, but he surprised everyone by
driving in 106 runs with the Mariners. It was the first time that Willie
had driven in 100 runs since 1966, a span of 13 seasons.
The third "H" among the sluggers this season
was Frank Howard. Big Frank was a huge man (he is listed at 6'7", 255
pounds). He was also an awesome power hitter; this was the first of three
mammoth seasons he had for the Senators, over which time he had home run
totals of 44, 48, and 44 again. Early in the season, Howard homered in six straight games; he hit smashed records by hitting ten home runs in one week, over 20 at bats.
Howard began his career with the Dodgers, and was Rookie Of The Year in 1960. He had a great year with Los Angeles in 1962, with 31 homers and 119 RBIs. Unfortunately, his rise to stardom was derailed by a mid-career slump that saw his average dip to .226 in 1964. He was dealt to the Senators, and gradually rediscovered his power stroke, earning the nickname "The Capital Punisher". He was 32 years
old this season, and age caught up to him couple of years later. On the
whole, he had an impressive career, crunching 382 lifetime home runs.
