Eddie Murray never won a Most Valuable Player Award, though he came close several times.
Like in 1981 (when he finished fifth in the American League’s MVP voting). Or in 1982 (second). Or in 1983 (second), 1984 (fourth), and 1985 (fifth).
See the pattern? Murray, a first baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, was clearly a dominant player in the AL between 1981 and 1985. My ratings show that he was the league’s best batter during the half-decade.
The story was a bit different in the National League.
Mike Schmidt, a third baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, was named the NL’s MVP in 1980, the season prior to the five-year period we’re studying today, as well as in 1986, the season immediately after its conclusion.
So what about 1981-1985? Schmidt was plenty good then, too, winning another MVP trophy in 1981 and finishing among the top seven votegetters three other times. And, oh yes, my calculations indicate that he was the NL’s top batter during the span.
If you’re a regular reader, you know that I’m devoting my summer Fridays to a consecutive analysis of Modern Era hitters, five years at a time. I started on June 17 with a breakdown of the period from 1961 to 1965, and I’ll keep going until I reach 2016-2020.
My ratings for 1981-1985 are based on my Five-Year Test, which ranks hitters in these categories:
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Batting average
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Slugging average
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Runs scored per 500 plate appearances
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Runs batted in per 500 plate appearances
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Wins above replacement (WAR) per 500 plate appearances
The 1981-1985 rankings include every batter who made a minimum of two plate appearances per game, spread out over the full five-year period. That translates to a threshold of 1,620 appearances.
A total of 100 batters qualified in the American League, as did 81 in the National League. The AL hitters collectively carried a batting average (BA) of .271 and a ratio of bases per out (BPO) of .719 for the half-decade. The corresponding norms for the NL were a .272 BA and a .712 BPO.
The runners-up behind Murray in the American League’s rankings for 1981-1985 are Rickey Henderson and George Brett. Right behind Schmidt on the National League side are Pedro Guerrero and Dale Murphy.
Scroll below to see each league’s list of the half-decade’s 20 best hitters. Each batter is followed by a breakdown of his 1981-1985 statistics: games, hits, home runs, batting average, and bases per out. The first three stats were not part of the Five-Year Test, though they’re still interesting to peruse.
This series will continue next Friday (July 22) with my rankings of batters in both leagues during the span of 1986-1990. You can see the previous standings through these links:
A new installment will arrive in your email each Tuesday and Friday morning
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1. Eddie Murray, G 724, H 816, HR 147, BA .304, BPO .956
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2. Rickey Henderson, G 687, H 747, HR 65, BA .296, BPO 1.061
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3. George Brett, G 615, H 710, HR 95, BA .310, BPO .935
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4. Don Mattingly, G 410, H 499, HR 62, BA .323, BPO .863
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5. Wade Boggs, G 576, H 771, HR 24, BA .351, BPO .895
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6. Robin Yount, G 683, H 806, HR 87, BA .301, BPO .835
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7. Dave Winfield, G 693, H 801, HR 127, BA .294, BPO .831
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8. Cal Ripken Jr., G 668, H 750, HR 108, BA .290, BPO .786
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9. Dwight Evans, G 717, H 760, HR 137, BA .278, BPO .910
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10. Kirk Gibson, G 583, H 577, HR 88, BA .279, BPO .876
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11. Jim Rice, G 707, H 839, HR 135, BA .294, BPO .771
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12. Kent Hrbek, G 612, H 668, HR 88, BA .295, BPO .817
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13. Cecil Cooper, G 723, H 892, HR 101, BA .301, BPO .745
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14. Jesse Barfield, G 557, H 464, HR 88, BA .267, BPO .798
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15. Chet Lemon, G 650, H 623, HR 90, BA .273, BPO .796
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16. Harold Baines, G 706, H 783, HR 106, BA .291, BPO .771
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17. Doug DeCinces, G 614, H 619, HR 101, BA .273, BPO .776
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18. Bobby Grich, G 625, H 561, HR 88, BA .269, BPO .821
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19. Lou Whitaker, G 717, H 785, HR 66, BA .290, BPO .770
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20. Fred Lynn, G 597, H 574, HR 94, BA .269, BPO .804
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1. Mike Schmidt, G 713, H 690, HR 175, BA .278, BPO 1.018
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2. Pedro Guerrero, G 689, H 771, HR 125, BA .305, BPO .924
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3. Dale Murphy, G 752, H 798, HR 158, BA .287, BPO .931
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4. Andre Dawson, G 687, H 758, HR 119, BA .281, BPO .813
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5. Darryl Strawberry, G 380, H 348, HR 81, BA .261, BPO .920
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6. Gary Carter, G 707, H 734, HR 121, BA .280, BPO .808
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7. Tim Raines, G 710, H 833, HR 39, BA .301, BPO .964
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8. Keith Hernandez, G 725, H 802, HR 52, BA .304, BPO .854
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9. Jack Clark, G 574, H 578, HR 97, BA .277, BPO .851
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10. Bob Horner, G 485, H 490, HR 97, BA .275, BPO .821
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11. Leon Durham, G 625, H 635, HR 88, BA .286, BPO .882
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12. Ryne Sandberg, G 636, H 724, HR 60, BA .287, BPO .786
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13. Lonnie Smith, G 521, H 548, HR 24, BA .295, BPO .851
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14. Tony Gwynn, G 452, H 559, HR 13, BA .325, BPO .741
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15. Willie McGee, G 567, H 679, HR 25, BA .308, BPO .743
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16. Jose Cruz, G 723, H 805, HR 57, BA .296, BPO .776
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17. Bill Madlock, G 613, H 672, HR 53, BA .301, BPO .758
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18. Darrell Evans, G 385, H 356, HR 58, BA .265, BPO .833
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19. Dave Parker, G 600, H 653, HR 77, BA .287, BPO .726
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20. Gary Matthews, G 639, H 609, HR 65, BA .276, BPO .812
