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Best of the 1960's? My American League MVP's
JoeBanzai
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in Sports Talk
I thought I would take a look at the 1960's and see what the American League MVP's would have been if I was voting. No pitchers, they have their own award.
1960 Mantle should have won over Maris. Mickey was supposedly left off of three MORONIC writers voting lists completely. Mantle was a jerk at times to reporters, so a few idiots stuck it to him.
Maris had a fine year. Honorable mention goes to Sievers, Killebrew and Lemon. Ted Williams final year and he hit well, but played in only 113 games.
1961 Again I would give it to Mantle over Maris, but will not argue with Maris supporters. Mantle's WAR of 10.5 was amazing. Cash certainly had the numbers to win as well. Gentile and Killebrew has OPS above 1.000 and get honorable mention.
1962 No argument here Mantle all the way. Siebern has a career year and Harmon leads the league in HR and is 2nd in SLG% and OPS.
1963 Going to disagree with Elston Howard here. Down year for OPS. Kaline, Yaz and Killebrew were better, but I am going to award the MVP to (surprise) Bob Allison! Killer leads in HR and SLG 2nd in OPS and 3rd in TB, would be a good choice too.
1964 Disagreeing again and giving it to Mantle even though B. Robby had a huge WAR. Oliva, Killebrew (tops in HR, 2nd in Runs Created, 3rd in TB, and 4th in OPS) and Allison are all good choices if you are tired of Mantle. Killebrew hits 49 HR the next best is Boog with 39 and gets him honorable mention.
1965 Getting hurt cost Killebrew the MVP as the Twins made it to the WS. Can't argue too hard against the winner that year. Zoilo had a career year at the plate. I might go with Oliva or Yaz, both had great seasons. Harmon was on his way to a fourth cosecutive year leading the AL in HR, but was hurt in a collision at first base.
1966 Who needed a pi$$ed of Frank Robinson?!?!?!? Killebrew is the clear second place finisher here. Thanks a lot to the idiots in Cincinati. Oliva and Kaline deserve a look too.
1967 Yaz has been one of the better players every year up till now and he puts together a monster year, Killebrew is again the second best in the league with Kaline and F. Robby having great seasons as well.
1968 I know, the year of the pitcher. Yaz wins it again with Frank Howard and Willie Horton not that close behind. Yaz's WAR is 10.5!!!!! Killebrew is badly hurt in the All Star game.
1969 FINALLY I agree with the voters (Ha Ha) Reggie almost spoils Harmon's year with an absolute MONSTER first half, but cools off and the Twins Win the division led by "Killer" who has his finest season. Frank Howard has a great year as well. Petrocelli has a huge year as well with a 10 WAR.
My thoughts are that Mantle was clearly the best for the first half of the decade, then Killebrew, Yaz, Oliva and Kaline took over with no clear winner for the next couple years. F. Robinson coming over added him to the mix and Frank Howard shows up a lot near the end of the decade just below the leaders.
For the decade I give the 1960's AL MVP to Harmon Killebrew!!!!!
Thoughts anyone? Someone want to do the NL?
1960 Mantle should have won over Maris. Mickey was supposedly left off of three MORONIC writers voting lists completely. Mantle was a jerk at times to reporters, so a few idiots stuck it to him.
Maris had a fine year. Honorable mention goes to Sievers, Killebrew and Lemon. Ted Williams final year and he hit well, but played in only 113 games.
1961 Again I would give it to Mantle over Maris, but will not argue with Maris supporters. Mantle's WAR of 10.5 was amazing. Cash certainly had the numbers to win as well. Gentile and Killebrew has OPS above 1.000 and get honorable mention.
1962 No argument here Mantle all the way. Siebern has a career year and Harmon leads the league in HR and is 2nd in SLG% and OPS.
1963 Going to disagree with Elston Howard here. Down year for OPS. Kaline, Yaz and Killebrew were better, but I am going to award the MVP to (surprise) Bob Allison! Killer leads in HR and SLG 2nd in OPS and 3rd in TB, would be a good choice too.
1964 Disagreeing again and giving it to Mantle even though B. Robby had a huge WAR. Oliva, Killebrew (tops in HR, 2nd in Runs Created, 3rd in TB, and 4th in OPS) and Allison are all good choices if you are tired of Mantle. Killebrew hits 49 HR the next best is Boog with 39 and gets him honorable mention.
1965 Getting hurt cost Killebrew the MVP as the Twins made it to the WS. Can't argue too hard against the winner that year. Zoilo had a career year at the plate. I might go with Oliva or Yaz, both had great seasons. Harmon was on his way to a fourth cosecutive year leading the AL in HR, but was hurt in a collision at first base.
1966 Who needed a pi$$ed of Frank Robinson?!?!?!? Killebrew is the clear second place finisher here. Thanks a lot to the idiots in Cincinati. Oliva and Kaline deserve a look too.
1967 Yaz has been one of the better players every year up till now and he puts together a monster year, Killebrew is again the second best in the league with Kaline and F. Robby having great seasons as well.
1968 I know, the year of the pitcher. Yaz wins it again with Frank Howard and Willie Horton not that close behind. Yaz's WAR is 10.5!!!!! Killebrew is badly hurt in the All Star game.
1969 FINALLY I agree with the voters (Ha Ha) Reggie almost spoils Harmon's year with an absolute MONSTER first half, but cools off and the Twins Win the division led by "Killer" who has his finest season. Frank Howard has a great year as well. Petrocelli has a huge year as well with a 10 WAR.
My thoughts are that Mantle was clearly the best for the first half of the decade, then Killebrew, Yaz, Oliva and Kaline took over with no clear winner for the next couple years. F. Robinson coming over added him to the mix and Frank Howard shows up a lot near the end of the decade just below the leaders.
For the decade I give the 1960's AL MVP to Harmon Killebrew!!!!!
Thoughts anyone? Someone want to do the NL?
2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
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Comments
Not sure who I would select if I was limited to one player
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
I don't see any others who played 1960-69 that were that good. Too bad Mantle couldn't have played better for a little longer. Too many injuries.
If you include Frank Robinson's numbers from the NL he blows them ALL away. What a STUD!!!!
1960 Mays over Groat. F Robby too.
1961 F Robby was OK Cepeda gets my vote Mays/Aaron were great too.
1962 F Robby was best, no way to Wills. Mays/Aaron were great too.
1963 I don't vote for pitchers, sorry Sandy. Mays/Aaron were great too.
1964 Mays all the way. Santo has a great year.
1965 Mays deserves it. Aaron and Williams were great too.
1966 Clemente was an ok choice Allen gets my vote, Santo was great again.
1967 Santo should have gotten it here. Cepeda and Aaron were great.
1968 Tough to vote against Gibson, but he WAS a pitcher. I vote Aaron or McCovey.
1969 McCovey deserves it, Aaron and Clemente were great too.
My decade MVP Aaron/Mays. If I have to choose I'll take Willie.
Player of the decade both leagues Willie Mays..................sorry Harm.
I collect strictly, non-pitcher HOF baseball.
Favorite Duos & Trios: Mays/McCovey/Cepeda, Aaron/Mathews, Santo/Banks/Williams, Killibrew/Oliva, Kaline/Cash, Mantle/Maris
To be honest, no direction, but...
1966-69 Topps EX+
1975 minis NrMt Kelloggs PSA 9
All Topps Heritage-Master Sets
Wow, pretty good choices. I agree almost 100% with the A.L. choices. I think the N.L. is a tougher group to pick from. Perhaps more HOFers to have to leave out of the discussion, but you are, after all picking "thee" best for MVP. Too bad greats like Banks, Mathews, Rose, etc never even make an honorable mention. That was an era that will always be the best. I don't remember what year had the most HOFers playing at one time, but think it was like, 1963 or '66.
I collect strictly, non-pitcher HOF baseball.
Favorite Duos & Trios: Mays/McCovey/Cepeda, Aaron/Mathews, Santo/Banks/Williams, Killibrew/Oliva, Kaline/Cash, Mantle/Maris
Thanks, I ignored a few things the writers looked at; pitchers and where the teams finished in the standings.
I am more of an AL follower, so I took more time with the American League.
The difference seemed to be that Aaron and Mays were head and shoulders above everybody, year in and year out, with Aaron dropping to #2 (in my opinion) because of Willie being a better defensive player and runner.
The AL seemed to have a different guy having a career year every year after Mantle dropped off, with Killebrew being in the top three every year he was healthy.
I really like Eddie Matthews! He was MUCH better in the 1950's. A quick look at the 1950's puts Banks up there for a couple of years. Mays (again) Musial, Snider were all very good during that decade. Looks like it's between Musial and Mays for the 1950's MVP.
I don't have to look for the AL, it's Mantle. If you just look at hitting..............Ted Williams was in the running about 6 times but Mickey was a much better "all-around" player.
Ted Williams was AMAZING! OPS was over 1.000 every year during his career except his next to last year. TWO Triple Crowns and a .400 season and he didn't win the MVP in ANY of those three seasons! DiMaggio was great and the writers LOVED him and the Yankees won. Joe Gordon over Ted in 1942 hahahahahahahah. 1946-49 should have been four in a row for Ted.
1963: As you noted, a very down year for the AL and Allison is a fine choice, although I agree with Elston Howard winning. Catchers are never the best players in the league looking at stats, and I think it's reasonable to give one of them the MVP when they're close. I also think Tom Tresh would have been a fine choice; I like it when people who fly under the radar get some recognition. Tresh was about as good as Allison that year.
1964: Mantle did deserve it, but it was close and I don't mind that B. Robby won it. Once a player already has multiple MVPs, I don't mind so much when they lose a close race.
1969: There were a few reasonable choices for MVP that year, and Killebrew wasn't a bad choice. I would have voted for Petrocelli, though.
For the NL:
1961: Cepeda wasn't MVP caliber that year, but any of the others that you mentioned were.
1964: Mays was a decent choice, and so, too, would Santo have been. The best player in the NL that year, though, was Richie Allen. Allen, I suspect, got penalized for Gene Mauch's managerial deficiencies when the Phillies choked their big lead that year, but Allen hit .341 with an OPS of 1.051 in September - the choke had nothing to do with him.
1966: Clemente was a poor choice. Allen and Mays were much better, as also McCovey and Santo
1968: Given your comments about pitchers, I can't argue, but this was one of the very few modern years where a pitcher really was the most valuable player in the league. McLain may have won 30 games, but he wasn't close to the most valuable player in the AL; Freehan was even the most valuable Tiger. Gibby earned his MVP.
It is too bad injuries robbed him for a longer career. He was the best player in history during his lengthy prime. The great thing about Mantle is that he would easily be a stud in any era of baseball, because along with his worldly results, he also had worldly tools in every aspect of the game.
As for the length of his career, it is too bad he retired when he did because he felt he wasn't what he once was...which is true because he set the ceiling so high and the league as a whole was down offensively. It is too bad he didn't wait another year or two when league offense went back up, because he clearly had a lot left in his bat at the end(as talked about on here several times before).