Thurman Munson was a very good player, a fine defensive catcher who
was durable and could hit. He was a star for the Yankees in the tradition of Dickey, Berra and Howard, and was a key figure in their revival in the late 1970's. He was Rookie Of The Year in 1970 and hit over .300 five times; he set a career high in RBI this season, the second of three consecutive years that he had over 100 RBI. Munson also played in 30 playoff games, and hit .357 in the postseason. In addition to his
skills on the field, Munson had a fiery personality and was a leader
on his teams.
Having said that, I'm not sure that Thurman
was the MVP this year. He was a good hitter, but not a great one. He was
a fine defensive player, but this year he also spent a quarter of the season
as an outfielder and DH.
Instead, I think Royals' star George Brett was the best player in
the league; the biggest arguments against George are his low home run and RBI
totals. But this wasn't a big home run year; Graig Nettles was the only player
over 30. Brett led the American League in total bases, and was among the leaders in OPS and runs produced. The Royals won their division with the league's second-best record. Toss in his durability and defense at third, and Brett
is my choice for the MVP.
In the ALCS, Munson's Yankees faced Brett's Royals. The matchup didn't resolve anything; Munson hit .435 in the series, while Brett hit .444. The Yankees won the exciting series when Chris Chambliss hit a game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth in the fifth and deciding game.
Three years later, Thurman Munson died when his private plane
crashed. He may have been the best American League catcher of the 70's; his only
competition comes from Carlton Fisk, who was not as durable. He hit for
a high average, had a bit of power, and was a good defensive
player. The 1970's may have featured more outstanding catchers than any other decade in baseball history; Munson was certainly one of the most popular and most dynamic of the era.
Rod Carew, the Twins' star second baseman, was playing in his first year at first base. He led the league in runs produced and was second in OPS, and his
team had a good year. Carew's numbers are similar to Brett's,
but I'll stick with the Royals' third baseman as my MVP pick; Brett was a better defensive player, and he led his team to a
division title.
Hal McRae almost won the batting title this
year, falling just a percentage point behind teammate Brett.
McRae was baseball's first career designated hitter; he played for 19
years, most of them as the Royals' DH. He was a good RBI man who hit
line drives; McRae had over 2000 lifetime hits, and hit as many as 54
doubles in a season. He lasted long enough to play with the Royals during
their championship year in 1985, and later became their manager.
This year, there was a bit of a stink made
when McRae suggested that Brett's final hit of the year could have been
caught. The theory was that there was a conspiracy afoot to keep a black
man, McRae, from winning the batting title. I don't know what this has to
do with anything; it's just one more footnote in baseball's long and tangled
history of race relations.
