The Cardinals won 101 games, barely edging out the Mets (who won 98 games) in a classic playoff race. They then beat the Dodgers to win the pennant, only to lose to Kansas City in the World Series. The Cardinals were three outs away from the championship, but the Royals rallied to win in the bottom of the ninth in Game Six (a rally that began with a disputed call by the first base umpire). The Cardinals were then blown out 11-0 in Game Seven.
        Though the Cardinals' season ended ingloriously, centre fielder Willie McGee won the MVP Award.

         Willie was 26 years old; he began his career in the Yankees' farm system, but was dealt to St. Louis, where he debuted in 1982. His rookie year was unremarkable, but he made an impression with an outstanding World Series performance, helping his team defeat the Brewers. Since then, McGee had emerged as a regular, though not a very good one.
        He put it all together this year. McGee had never hit .300 before, but this year won the batting title with a .353 average. He set a career high in almost everything, and was a key part of the Cardinals' speed attack. But this was the best McGee would get; though he did win another batting title, Willie was unable to consistently hit .300, and never developed either power or plate discipline. But he played in a part-time role for many years, and finished his career with over 2000 hits.
        Ozzie Smith was another important player for the Cardinals. His hitting numbers weren't spectacular, but he is arguably the best defensive player in history. Smith placed 18th in the MVP vote; I don't know if he was the MVP, but he certainly deserved to rank ahead of Keith Moreland and Hubie Brooks. Smith was the best hitting shortstop in the league, and his defense at shortwas peerless; that which intuitively sounds like an MVP candidate.
        Tom Herr of the Cardinals was with the right team at the right time. Herr didn't have much power — he didn't hit a home run until his fifth season, and hit only 28 in his career. He wasn't usually a high-average hitter; his lifetime average was .271. But he was a good fit for the Cardinals of the 80's. A line drive hitter with good bat control, Herr could take advantage of spacious alleys of Busch Stadium and the fast artificial turf as well. Defensively, he was a good second baseman who rarely made an error (his fielding percentage is the best ever for a second baseman). Herr and the magical Ozzie Smith were a formidable defensive duo for the Cardinals.
        Herr had a magical season this year, the best of his career. He led the National League in runs produced, and was caught stealing only three times. But I'm not sure that he was better than Ryne Sandberg, who had more power, was a better base stealer, and was a better defensive player. Herr never had a year like this one, but for 13 years he could be counted on durability, plate discipline, good baserunning and solid defense.
        After eleven years with the Expos, Gary Carter joined the Mets and had another big year. He helped the Mets win 98 games, and aided the development of 20-year-old pitching sensation Dwight Gooden.
        When he was in the lineup, Pedro Guerrero was the best hitter in the league. Pedro's experiment as a third baseman had ended, and he celebrated his return to the outfield with a huge season. Injuries kept him out of the lineup for 25 games, but Pedro sizzled when he played, hitting 15 home runs in June. Guerrero led the Dodgers to the West Division title, and was third in MVP voting. Pedro had only two healthy seasons after this one, and his potential was never fully realized.
        Dave Parker had a big comeback year for the Reds, and was runner-up in the MVP vote. With the Pirates, Parker had been an MVP, and the highest paid player in baseball. But his performance declined rapidly, and he put on weight; later, it was revealed that Parker had a bad drug abuse problem. The Reds took a chance on him, and Parker delivered with a big power season. He had a few more solid years with the Reds and with Oakland, before time brought his career to an end.
        As good as Parker was, I don't think I can place him ahead of Guerrero, nor Dale Murphy or Tim Raines. Murphy had another big year for an awful Atlanta team; Raines was great, and was caught stealing only nine times. But I think we can still give the nod to McGee.
        Mike Schmidt is the greatest third baseman ever, and the best player in Phillies history. This is the year they moved him to first base, to make room for future star Rick Schu. Well, the Schu thing didn't work out, so Schmidt was moved back to third next year, and won another MVP Award.