Month: June 2021

The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #39 Johnny Bench

Backstopping the list at #39 is Reds catcher Johnny Bench. Known as Little General, Bench led the Big Red Machine to two World Series titles in four appearances in the 1970s. Bench excelled in all facets of the game, ranking third all-time in offensive WAR among catchers and 6th all-time in dWAR among catchers. He’s the only catcher in history with three seasons driving in at least 125 runs, and the only catcher in history to lead the league in RBIs three times. His 45 home runs and 148 RBIs in 1970 are the most by a catcher in history, and his 355 total bases in 1970 are tied with Mike Piazza for the highest single-season total by a catcher. Bench is the only catcher in history to lead the league in home runs, and he did it twice. He was named the World Series MVP in 1976, joining Mike Schmidt and Frank Robinson as the only players in history with two regular-season MVPs and a World Series MVP. During his World Series MVP run, Bench hit a robust .533 with 17 total bases in Cincinnati’s four-game sweep of the Yankees.

The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #40 Sandy Koufax

Curving in at #40 is Dodgers lefty Sandy Koufax. The Man with the Golden Arm had arguably the greatest four-year stretch in Major League Baseball history at any position. Koufax helped lead the Dodgers to three World Series titles, becoming one of only three players in history to win two World Series MVPs. Koufax is the only player in history with two World Series MVPs over a three-year stretch. He won the 1963, 1965, and 1966 Cy Young awards becoming the only player in history with three Cy Young awards and two World Series MVPs, and he accomplished it over just four seasons. Koufax is the only player in history to lead the league in ERA for five consecutive seasons. He’s also the only player in history to lead the league in H/9 for five consecutive seasons. No player in history led the league in WHIP for more consecutive seasons than Koufax’s four. He’s the only pitcher since 1945 to win at least 25 games three times in a four-year stretch. His 382 strikeouts in 1965 are second all-time and just one shy of Nolan Ryan’s single-season record.  His .825 career World Series WHIP is the lowest in history among pitchers with at least 40 innings, and he’s the last pitcher to throw two shutouts in a single World Series.

The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #41 Willie Stargell

Popping in at #41 is Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Willie Stargell. Legends are made in the postseason and that’s exactly where Pops shined brightest. He led the Pirates to six playoff appearances and his performance in a losing effort in the 1974 NLCS solidified his status as a postseason powerhouse, but it was what he did in the 1979 postseason that still echoes through the halls of baseball history. Stargell led the Pirates to a three-game sweep of the Reds in the 1979 NLCS, hitting two home runs, two doubles, and driving in six on his way to the NLCS MVP. In the World Series, Stargell was even better as he piled up 12 hits, three home runs, four doubles, and seven RBIs in a 7-game thriller against the Orioles. His home run and two doubles in Game 7 helped clinch the series for the Pirates and the World Series MVP for Pops. He also won the National League MVP, making him the only player in Major league baseball history to win an LCS, World Series, and regular-season MVP in the same season–and he did it at 39 years old! Stargell’s regular-season accomplishments are nothing to scoff at either. Aside from winning the 1979 MVP, he finished runner-up twice, led the league in home runs and OPS+ twice, finished in the top-10 in home runs 10 times, and finished with a 147 career ops+.