The Red Sox surprised everybody by having a big season and winning the pennant (much like they did in 1967 and 1986), only to lose the World Series in heartbreaking fashion (much like they did in 1967 and 1986). They were led by two superb rookies, Fred Lynn and Jim Rice. Lynn became the first rookie to win the MVP Award.

        John Mayberry was a very talented hitter who blossomed with the Royals after escaping from Houston. He had three monster seasons in Kansas City, but he was also inconsistent; he was 26 years old this season, and it was the last really good one of his career. After two disappointing seasons Mayberry was dealt to the expansion Blue Jays, where he hit a few home runs and toiled in obscurity. He finished his career with 255 lifetime home runs.
        Lynn and Mayberry were the best hitters in the league, but Big John was no match for Fred on defense. At age 23, Lynn was a phenomenon, a flawless performer at bat and in the field who led the Red Sox within a few outs of winning the championship. But if you know anything about baseball in the 70's, you know that Lynn never became the great player he was expected to be. His next three years were good, but not great. He had a huge year in 1979, but after that he wasn't really an impressive player. Lynn was plagued by injuries, and only once played 150 games in his career. A lot of people complained that Lynn was injuried too often, but there's not much point in debating it now.
        Lynn played a long time, retiring in 1990. Throughout the 80's he was always very consistent, putting up solid, unremarkable numbers every year. He had one amazing stretch when he had four consecutive 23-homer seasons. He had another amazing stretch when his RBI total dropped for seven consecutive seasons. Still, it was a pretty good career; over 300 home runs, almost 2000 hits. He won an MVP, and I've given him another in 1979. He was a consistently valuable player, but you have to wonder why he didn't accomplish more.
        This was Rod Carew's last year at second base, and it was one of his best years there. A case can be made that he was the best player in the league. As a hitter, he was a match for Lynn and Mayberry; at second base he still played pretty good defense. Carew was moved to first so he could stay healthy, not because he couldn't play second base.
        Toby Harrah probably had his best season, though I'm not sure if his defense at shortstop was very good. Harrah was moved to third base a year later, and wasn't regarded as a good defensive player at that position, either. Harrah played for 17 years, most of them with Texas and Cleveland. He was a good hitter who piled up almost 2000 career hits, with plenty of walks, 195 home runs, and 238 stolen bases. If he had been more consistent, or had been a better defensive player, he might have been a star.
        Gene Tenace was similar to Harrah, except that he was a slow catcher. His defense was not great, and he often played a lot of first base as well. Tenace could hit for power, and he could draw walks; he had almost as many lifetime walks as he did hits. This was his best season, but he is most famous for his 1972 World Series performance; that year, Tenace took everyone by surprise, hitting four homers and driving in nine runs, and leading the Athletics to the championship.