In the American League, George Brett made headlines when he almost hit .400. But in the National League, another third baseman was putting up some big numbers. Mike Schmidt had the best year of his career, and won his first MVP Award. He also led the Phillies to the pennant, and they later won the first World Series in franchise history, ending a drought of 80 years.

         Schmidt was clearly the best player in the league. He may have had the best season ever by a third baseman; though he didn't hit as well as George Brett, he was much healthier, and a better defensive player. His 48 home runs are still, as of 2001, a record for third basemen. Throw in a good average, lots of walks, good baserunning, and spectacular defense, and you've got a great MVP season.
        The next best player may have been Gary Carter, who was also the runner-up in the vote. Carter led the Expos to a close second place finish for the second year in a row; they finished one game behind the Phillies this year, two games behind the Pirates the year before.
      Ozzie Smith's hitting numbers weren't good enough for serious MVP consideration, but he was no longer an automatic out, and he stole some bases. And he was playing perhaps the best defense at shortstop in the history of the game. He continued to improve as a hitter, and later in his career became a serious MVP candidate.
        Keith Hernandez won the MVP in 1979, but this year dropped to eleventh in the voting. But he was still a better hitter then anyone except Schmidt, leading the National League in runs produced by a wide margin. Hernandez played for 17 years in the majors; he could hit for average, had line drive power, and could draw walks. But despite his many accomplishments with the bat (he was a career .296 hitter with over 2100 hits), Hernandez is probably best remembered as a brilliant defensive player. He won eleven straight Gold Gloves at first base.
        Hernandez won an MVP Award and a batting title, and led the Cardinals to a World Series championship in 1982. But he was traded midway through the 1983 season to the Mets, after clashing with St. Louis manager Whitey Herzog. In New York, Hernandez' involvement with cocaine use was made public, but his career got a second wind. He was an All-Star with the Mets, and led them to a championship in 1986.
        Injuries brought Hernandez' career to a premature end. Since his retirement, he has worked as a broadcaster, and also made a terrific guest appearance on Seinfeld. I think he was an outstanding player, though he didn't last long enough to reach many milestones. He also lacked the home run power that is typical of great first basemen. Hernandez hasn't gotten much Hall Of Fame support at this writing, though he may get in some day. I still think he was comparable to Tony Perez and Orlando Cepeda, two recent Hall Of Fame inductees. Keith's time may come, too.
        The Houston Astros also won their first division title, leading the NL in wins. Their best players were Cesar Cedeno and Jose Cruz; Cruz finished third in the MVP vote. This was Cedeno's last really good year, though he didn't do very well in the voting. He did miss a little time with injury, but I suspect that his reputation as a headcase prevented him from being seriously considered as an MVP candidate.
        Cruz, on the other hand, was widely admired, and was a fine player. He was a fearsome hitter with line drive power and terrific speed; but his home park (the Astrodome) stifled his power and batting averages. In another park he could have won an MVP Award, and maybe even have put up Hall Of Fame numbers. Cruz player for 19 seasons, most of them with Houston; he pounded out 2251 hits, to go along with 165 homers and 317 stolen bases. His son, Jose Jr., also currently plays in the majors.