Cleveland won their second pennant in three years, then lost again in the World Series. This time it was a heartbreaker; the Indians entered the final inning of Game Seven with the lead, and seemed on the verge of winning their first championship since 1948. But the upstart Florida Marlins came back and won both the game and the Series, forcing Cleveland fans to wait for another year.
        Other teams that made a playoff appearance were New York, Baltimore and Seattle. The MVP was the Mariners' superstar centrefielder Ken Griffey Jr.

        Throughout the 1990's, Ken Griffey Jr was widely regarded as the best player in baseball. It is perhaps surprising that this is his only MVP Award to date; on the other hand, Hank Aaron won only one award, and Willie Mays only two, so perhaps Griffey is in good company. Those are the two players to whom he is most often compared. Griffey was on pace to challenge Aaron's home run record when he was dealt to the Reds in 2000. Since then, his career has been curtailed by frequent injuries.
        Griffey is, of course, the son of former Reds star Ken Griffey Sr. Junior began his career in Seattle in 1989 at age 19, and quickly established himself as one of the best players in the league. He has also added home run power as he has aged, and from 1996-99, Griffey averaged 52 home runs a season. Griffey has accomplished a great deal at a young age, and likely is already a sure-thing Hall Of Famer. Yet, his career in his 30's has so far been a disappointment (especially if you live in Cincinnati). Through age 31, Griffey has 460 career home runs, still more than halfway to Aaron's record of 755. If he can stay healthy, he might still get there. But he is no longer one of the biggest stars in the game; his chances of doing something really special, like hitting 700 home runs, seem to be fading quickly.
        Nomar Garciaparra had among the most remarkable seasons ever by a rookie, exploding onto the scene with the Red Sox. He had great numbers in almost every category (including 98 RBI for a leadoff hitter). His only major flaw was a low on-base percentage... but that is easily forgiven, especially when you consider his fine defense at shortstop, and his durability.
     Pudge Rodriguez, who continued his annual improvement as a hitter while delivering outstanding defense behind the plate. While Pudge was the best catcher in the league, it should be noted that Sandy Alomar Jr had a wonderful year as well for Cleveland, putting up big numbers during the season, and delivering some huge hits in the playoffs.
        The 1990's were the greatest decade for hitters since the 1930's. Offensive totals went through the roof, and there were a lot of players with some gaudy numbers. Frank Thomas was the American League's best hitter this season, though he was no match for Griffey with the glove. Dave Justice, Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome all had great seasons for Cleveland, but none of them were quite as good as Griffey. Junior gets my MVP vote.
      Yankee first baseman Tino Martinez finished third in the MVP vote. Tino was a steady, Tony Perez-type player for the great Yankee teams of the 1990's, and annually drove in 100+ runs a year. This year, Tino had a remarkable season, but I think it is difficult to justify putting him ahead of Thomas. Thomas had a much higher OPS, and he produced more runs.