The Pirates were champions in the East for the second year in a row. They were led by their two sluggers, Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla. In the West, the Braves were surprise champs, having finished in last place the previous season. The Braves got a great year from their new third baseman, Terry Pendleton, who won the MVP Award. The Braves beat the Pirates in a playoff series that featured three 1-0 games, then lost to the Twins in one of the greatest World Series ever played.

        Pendleton began his career with the Cardinals. He was an excellent defensive player who won multiple Gold Gloves, but was not a good hitter. His career was in danger after a dreadful 1990 season, but his first year in Atlanta was a marvelous one. Terry was excelled both at the plate in the field. He was 31 years old at this point, but loved Atlanta so much that he had another great season in 1992, and continued to play well afterwards.
        The MVP vote was a close one, as Pendleton barely edged out Bonds. Who was the better player? Bonds was the better hitter, and won a Gold Glove in the outfield, but Pendleton played at a similar level, and performed his magic with the glove at third base. It says a lot about Barry Bonds that this was one of his weakest seasons of the decade, yet he was probably the best player in the league.
        Full disclosure: when I first published this site in 2000, I picked Pendleton. Him and Bonds are very closely matched, and I felt that Pendleton's combination of defence and clutch hitting was enough to justify the writer's choice (the irrational part of my brain also noted that Bonds has enough MVPs as it is).
        But checking the numbers again... Pendleton did have an amazing year in clutch situations, batting .391 with runners in scoring position - in 1992, his remarkable follow-up season in which he was even better than in his MVP year. He was also good in 1991, but Bonds' clutch numbers were as good or better, just as Bonds' numbers were as good or better than Pendleton's in just about every category. I still don't think that this was a terrible choice by the voters, as some do - but Bonds was clearly the better player, and played on a division champion. Pendleton was a great story but Bonds was the MVP.

        Bonds' outfield mate Bobby Bonilla had one of his best seasons. It was also his last year in Pittsburgh; the Pirates had acquired Bonilla in a trade with the White Sox in 1986 when he was 23 years old, and he had given them five straight outstanding years at the plate. Bonilla was a big man (6'3", 240 lbs) and a powerful switch-hitter who was dangerous with the bat in his hands. With fellow slugger Barry Bonds, Bonilla helped lead the Pirates to two straight division titles (though, like Bonds, he struggled to hit in the postseason).
        After this season, Bonilla signed a big contract with the Mets, and briefly was the highest paid player in the game. His first season in New York was a disappointment, and though he played better in other years his time in the Big Apple was turbulent. Bonilla moved on to Baltimore, and then Florida, where he helped the Marlins win the World Series (and hit a crucial home run in Game Seven).
        Bonilla played for eight teams in his 16-year career. Even after leaving New York, he was dogged by controversy almost everywhere he went. When in the American League, Bonilla refused to be a DH, even though he was a bad defensive outfielder and an even worse defensive third baseman. Bonilla's career ended after the 2001 season; he retired with over 2000 career hits, and 287 lifetime homers.
        The Braves' fortunes also got a boost from the emergence of Ron Gant in the outfield. Gant had a fine rookie year in 1988, as a second baseman. The Braves started moving him around the field after that, and he struggled, but eventually they put him in the outfield and left him alone. Gant was a potent combination of power and speed who had several outstanding seasons with Atlanta; after a serious motorcycle accident cost him the entire 1994 season, Gant returned and continued to play well. At this writing, Gant has 302 lifetime homers, and 239 stolen bases.
        Ryne Sandberg was again one of the best players in the league, though this would be the last MVP-quality year of his career. Howard Johnson also had the last outstanding year of his career; this was Hojo's third 30-30 season, but injuries soon brought his career to an end. Barry Larkin was only 27, and was as good as any player in the league, but he too had problems with injuries, missing almost 40 games. For Larkin, injuries have been the only blemish on an otherwise brilliant career.