Willie McCovey hit his prime in the late 1960's, about the same time as pitchers were taking over the game. When rule changes swung the edge back to the hitters' favour in 1969, McCovey exploded with two monster seasons. He won the MVP this year, narrowly defeating Mets' pitcher Tom Seaver.

        This was probably the best year of Pete Rose's career. I was surprised to see that he won a Gold Glove; when you think of Rose, defense isn't the first thing that comes to mind. Actually, he had pretty good defensive statistics in the outfield; it is hard to get a good grasp of a player's defensive abilities when he keeps changing positions every couple of years.
        Bobby Bonds set a new record for strikeouts with 187 this season (he broke his own record a year later, with 189, and still holds it as of 2001) Writers and fans have always been looking for the "new" Willie Mays, someone to arise and become the game's next big star. Bonds was one of these players (like Reggie Jackson and Eric Davis) who was very good, but couldn't fill Mays' shoes. Ironically, the player who has come closest to matching Willie Mays' numbers is Bobby's son, Barry.
        Jimmy Wynn was a tremendously talented player who came up at the wrong time (the late 60's) and in the wrong place (the Houston Astrodome, a park that stifled his power). He was small (5'9", 170 lbs) but he boasted an electrifying combination of power and speed; in his 15-year career he hit 291 homers and stole 225 bases.
        While he was never able to utilize all his talents in one season, Wynn has some eye-popping numbers sprinkled throughout his career record: 37 HRs in 1967; 43 SBs (in 47 attempts) in 1965; 148 walks in 1969. Though only a .250 hitter, Wynn had exceptional plate discipline and drew a huge number of walks. The park, of course, worked against him and limited his power output; the late 1960's were also a low-average era. Other misfortunes conspired against him; he lost the 1971 season after he was stabbed in the abdomen in a domestic incident. Wynn retired with most of Houston's hitting records; with better luck and better timing, he might be remembered more as a great player than just a great Astro.
        If Ernie Banks is Mr. Cub, then Ron Santo is... well, the Other Mr. Cub. For much of the 1960's, he was one of the best hitting and fielding third basemen in baseball. He was the team's best player, and also the team captain and spokesman, regularly appearing before the press to address the team's fortunes. He was a streak hitter, and his own performance was often under a microscope from week to week. The team had not won the World Series in 50 years when Santo made his debut; the early years were bad, and though the later years were good, they were also disappointing, as a talented team failed to meet expectations.
        This was Santo's last MVP-calibre season, and the Cubs, under manager Leo Durocher, had a terrific season. But it was also a tumultuous year, for both player and team; the Cubs had not won the pennant since 1945, and many people thought that this would be the team to end the streak. They led their division for most of the season; in mid-August, their lead peaked at nine games. On September 2, the Cubs had played 137 games, and held a five-game lead over the Mets. Then came a seven-game losing streak, and an 8-17 record in September (while the Mets went 23-7). On the last day of the season, the Cubs trailed the Mets by eight games.
        Santo had hit .246 the previous season, a year in which most players struggled to hit for average. Nevertheless, it was regarded as an off-year for the team captain. This year, he was back hitting for average and power, and earning raves for his hardnosed style of play while the Cubs prospered (and drawing criticism from opponents, who didn't like the way he jumped and clicked his heels together on the field after every Cub win). For five months, it was a dream season — until the team crashed in September, a month in which Santo hit just one home run. Santo was booed by the home fans, and received the brunt of their scorn.
        Santo hit 342 lifetime homers and was a career .277 hitter, impressive numbers considering that hitting stats were very low in his era. He was named to nine All-Star teams, and won five Gold Gloves. His reputation as a gritty, hardnosed player was only enhanced by the fact that, at age 18, he was diagnosed with diabetes (he is perhaps the best player ever to play his entire career with diabetes). If the greatest third basemen ever are Schmidt, Brett, Mathews and Robinson, then Santo has as good an argument as anyone to round out the top five. Intuitively, that sounds like a Hall Of Famer, though Santo has been left out thus far.
        Santo was unafraid to speak his mind; he was sometimes criticized for saying too much, or for criticizing a teammate who he felt was dogging it, but was also applauded by many. In 1990, he began a new career for which he is well-suited, doing colour-commentary for the Cubs on the radio. At this writing, he is still doing radio broadcasts, despite having both of his legs amputated from complications from diabetes. And despite the ups and downs during his playing career, he remains enormously popular among baseball fans in Chicago.