Over the previous two years, there had been a growing sentiment that the best player in baseball was Dave Parker of the Pirates. This year, he settled the issue. The year was a disappointment for the Pirates, who finished in second place, one game behind the Phillies. But for Parker, it was the year of his life, and he easily won the MVP Award.

         Parker was the National League's best hitter, and was also possibly the best defensive outfielder in the league. His title as baseball's Best Player was solid, and became more so next year when the Pirates won the World Series.
         If you lived through the era, you know what happened. Parker signed a huge contract in 1980, and fell apart. He stopped hitting, stopped fielding, stopped running; he put on weight, and was often injured. He became extremely unpopular with the fans in Pittsburgh. He was eventually dealt to Cincinnati. There, his deep involvement in cocaine abuse was exposed.
         Parker cleaned up, and had a couple of terrific seasons for the Reds, leading the league in RBI in 1985. He then settled down as a decent DH for the Athletics. He has remained in the game, working as a coach. His career numbers are impressive, including over 2700 lifetime hits, and he still may make the Hall Of Fame. However, he is another player from the 1970's who should have been one of the best ever but didn't get there.
         After Parker, I'm not sure which player from the above group to rank next. Steve Garvey was runner-up in the vote, but I have a hard time believing Garvey was a better player than George Foster or Jack Clark. Reggie Smith was terrific, but was also injured a lot. I guess I'll take Foster, but it's not a clear choice.
        Larry Bowa, who helped the Phillies win their division, finished third in the MVP vote. He was the only player from this group to rank among the top 15 in the vote. As you can see, Bowa really wasn't any kind of hitter. He never got on base, and had no power. The key to Bowa was his defense; he was the Gold Glove winner at shortstop. But there is some debate about the true quality of his defense.
         Bowa was sure-handed, and almost never committed an error; his .980 fielding percentage is the best ever for a shortstop. His supporters use this fact to argue that he was a terrific defensive player. But Bowa also didn't make many plays in the field, and his detractors claim that he had limited range. What do I think? Well... I know that his Gold Glove was misguided; Ozzie Smith was the best defensive shortstop in the league. The evidence is pretty solid that Bowa covered a limited amount of range in the field; he was probably a good defensive player, but I don't believe that his defensive skills were good enough to make him an MVP candidate.
        One of Bowa's teammates with the Phillies was catcher Bob Boone. Boone had one of his best years with the bat, though he is primarily known for his glove. Boone caught 2225 games behind the plate, a record when he retired, though he was later passed by Carlton Fisk. He wasn't a very good hitter, but he was durable and had remarkable longevity; at age 40, Boone played in 122 games and hit .295, the highest average of his career.
        Boone hit .412 in the 1980 World Series, leading the Phillies to their first championship. He batted over 100 times in the playoffs and was a .311 hitter in the postseason. Since retiring as a player, Boone has managed both the Royals and the Reds. He is the son of major leaguer Ray Boone, and the father of both Bret and Aaron Boone.
         Ted Simmons had the biggest bat of any infielder in the league, and that includes first basemen. Simmons didn't get any MVP votes; his team stunk, which didn't help his cause, but I really don't know who else to take ahead of him. I think it would be a stretch to say that either Bowa or any of the other infielders was a better player than Simmons this season.
         After Simmons, it's a toss-up between Davey Lopes and Ron Cey, both Dodgers teammates. Cey was a better hitter, but Lopes was a spectacular base stealer; their offensive output was pretty much the same. Lopes was a good player who had his best seasons with the Dodgers; he played for 16 years, stole 557 bases, and also chipped in with a few home runs. This was Lopes' best season, and I will give him a slight edge over Cey.