The best teams in the league were the White Sox and the Blue Jays, and both teams were powered by big seasons from big first basemen. Frank Thomas was an established star who won his first of back-to-back MVP Awards with the Sox. The Jays had John Olerud, who flirted with the .400 mark at mid-season, and won the batting title. Toronto defeated the Sox in the league playoffs, then repeated as World Series champions.

      Thomas had a big year, but I think Olerud was the best hitter in the league. He hit for a much higher average than Thomas, led the league in on-base percentage and OPS, and matched Thomas in terms of power and run production. Olerud is my choice for the MVP this year; John was only 25 years old, but began to struggle after this season. After three disappointing years with the Jays, Olerud was dealt to the Mets, and he has since re-established himself among the best hitters in the league.
     Olerud finished third in the balloting, behind Thomas and his teammate, Paul Molitor. This was Molitor's first season in Toronto; he was 37 years old, and hitting better than ever. Molitor's days in the field were long gone, but he was healthy and quickly moving towards the 3000 hit mark, a goal that at one time seemed impossible because of Molitor's frequent injuries. Molitor capped his wonderful season by winning the World Series MVP Award.
     As good as Molitor was, he is not among my top MVP candidates. Molitor had no defensive value, unlike Ken Griffey Jr., who was an outstanding centre fielder and had his first big home run year. Griffey was only 23 years old, and was a star after five outstanding seasons, but his surge in home run power raised his game to another level. Griffey has since remained one of the best home run hitters in baseball.
     Roberto Alomar finished third in batting average, behind his teammates Olerud and Molitor. Alomar may have had his best season; he was only 25 years old, but had led the Jays to two World Series victories, and was acknowledged as game's best second baseman, both at the plate and in the field. Alomar's career has had its ups-and-downs since then; he left the Jays and had some fine seasons in Baltimore, but also was embroiled in a controversy when he spit on an umpire. Robby moved on to Cleveland and had more great seasons, and remains one of the best players in the game.
     The same cannot be said for Carlos Baerga. The Cleveland Indians were in the process of building one of the best teams in baseball, and Baerga was a key player. Carlos was only 24 years old, and had his second straight outstanding season with Cleveland, though he wasn't quite as good as Alomar. Baerga continued to play brilliantly in 1994, and in 1995 led the Indians to the World Series.
     By the time he was 26, Baerga had four great seasons under his belt, and was a leader of a great young team. But that was it; Baerge stopped hitting in 1996, and his career has never recovered. He was dealt to the Mets, but didn't hit with them. Though Baerga is still young at this writing, it doesn't appear as if he will ever get back what he lost.