No one hit 60 home runs this year. Mark McGwire's quest for another 60-homer season was ended by injury; Sammy Sosa had to settle for 50, which was still enough to lead the league. But lots of players still managed to post big power numbers, including Barry Bonds, who set a career high with 49 homers, and led the Giants to the best record in the league. But Barry didn't win another MVP Award; instead, his teammate, Jeff Kent, took the trophy.

         There were so many players with big numbers this year that it is hard to choose from among them. Sosa didn't hit 60 home runs, but he set career highs in batting average, doubles and walks, and an argument can be made that this was his best all-around season. At age 36, Bonds had one of the best seasons of his great career. Another veteran, Jeff Bagwell, quietly scored 152 runs, the most by any player since Lou Gehrig in 1936.
        Todd Helton had the best hitting numbers in the league, including 405 total bases. Helton's numbers were inflated by his home park, Coors Field in Colorado, but this year he proved that he could also hit on the road. Helton batted .391 with 27 homers at home, but also .353 with 15 homers on the road, and those numbers are more than respectable as well.
        Helton wasn't the only young player who had a big year. Vlad Guerrero of the Expos was only 24 years old, but had his third straight outstanding season. Richard Hidalgo was 25, and had never hit more than 15 homers in a season, but this year exploded with 89 extra-base hits. Andruw Jones was 23, and led the Braves to another division title. Jones' offensive numbers weren't among the very best in the league, but he established himself as the premier defensive outfielder in the league.
        McGwire played just half a season before he was felled by a bad knee. His production was incredible when he was in the lineup; when he was gone, the Cardinals still had Jim Edmonds to provide home run power. The Cardinals also acquired Will Clark to replace McGwire; Clark dipped into the fountain of youth, hitting a home run in his first at bat and batting .345 over two months, helping St. Louis win their division. After the season, Clark retired, ending his career with a great finish.
         The Giants were led by two big bats in their lineup, Bonds and Jeff Kent. They didn't have a lot in common; Bonds was black and left-handed, Kent was white and right-handed. Bonds had established himself as one of the greatest players in the game, and had an ego to match his big numbers; Kent had quietly established himself as a good power-hitting infielder, and had a reputation as a "blue-collar" player, if that is possible in today's era of multi-millionaires. Despite their differences, they clicked as a run producing tandem; after the season, the writers decided to give Kent the MVP Award.
        Though the Giants led the league in wins, they were eliminated from the playoffs by the Mets. The Mets then knocked off the Cardinals, and challenged the Yankees in the World Series, the first New York "Subway Series" since 1955. The Mets were led by their great catcher, Mike Piazza, who had yet another big season at the plate. Piazza suffered two concussions during the season, struck once in the head by a ball and again by a bat, but he was still catching in October. The Mets also got a big season from their outstanding second baseman, Edgardo Alfonso.
        So, who to choose? I believe that the best two MVP candidates were Bonds and Kent; it's just a matter of choosing between them. Bonds was clearly the better offensive player, but Kent was in the lineup more often and played a tough defensive position. I would have voted for Bonds; the writers thought differently, but Bonds had been the best in the league for many years, and the same was true this year. Then I'll pick Kent, Piazza, and I'll give Sammy Sosa the edge over Helton and all of the other big hitters.