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Best batters of 1976-1980

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Best batters of 1976-1980

Two Georges — Brett and Foster — set the pace in the late 1970s

G. Scott Thomas
Jul 8, 2022
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George Brett became a star in 1976.

The third baseman for the Kansas City Royals had already enjoyed a pair of solid seasons, but he soared to a different level in the bicentennial year. He posted a .333 average, edging teammate Hal McRae for the American League batting title.

Brett maintained that level of performance for half a decade, hitting a collective .330 from 1976 through 1980. He capped this impressive run with a stratospheric average of .390 in the final year.

And that’s why Brett ranked as the AL’s best batter for the 1976-1980 period in the latest iteration of my Five-Year Test, which analyzed contemporary hitters in six key statistical categories.

Brett’s counterpart in the National League was left fielder George Foster of the Cincinnati Reds, who led the NL in home runs two times and runs batted in three times between 1976 and 1980.

Today’s rankings continue my series of five-year breakdowns of Modern Era hitters, which began with the 1961-1965 standings and will continue up to 2016-2020. Each successive half-decade is covered on the subsequent Friday.

The runners-up for the 1976-1980 period were Jim Rice and Reggie Jackson in the American League, Mike Schmidt and Dave Parker in the National. Scroll below to see my lists of the top 20 batters in each league.

These rankings cover every batter who crossed the minimum threshold of two plate appearances per game, the equivalent of 1,620 appearances in five 162-game seasons.

A total of 102 batters in the American League and 91 in the National League qualified for the 1976-1980 application of my Five-Year Test, which ranks hitters in these categories:

  • Batting average

  • Slugging average

  • Bases per out

  • Runs scored per 500 plate appearances

  • Runs batted in per 500 plate appearances

  • Wins above replacement (WAR) per 500 plate appearances

Each batter below is followed by a breakdown of his 1976-1980 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 offer plenty of food for thought (and comparison).

This series will continue next Friday (July 15) with my rankings of batters in both leagues during the span of 1981-1985. You can see the previous standings through these links:

  • 1961-1965

  • 1966-1970

  • 1971-1975


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American League top batters (series so far)

  • 1961-1965: Mickey Mantle

  • 1966-1970: Frank Robinson

  • 1971-1975: Reggie Jackson

  • 1976-1980: George Brett

National League top batters (series so far)

  • 1961-1965: Willie Mays

  • 1966-1970: Willie McCovey

  • 1971-1975: Willie Stargell

  • 1976-1980: George Foster

American League top 20 batters (1976-1980)

1. George Brett, G 697, H 928, HR 85, BA .330, BPO .934

2. Jim Rice, G 758, H 932, HR 173, BA .308, BPO .901

3. Reggie Jackson, G 693, H 720, HR 156, BA .287, BPO .942

4. Rod Carew, G 717, H 936, HR 34, BA .342, BPO .921

5. Fred Lynn, G 668, H 751, HR 101, BA .301, BPO .896

6. Larry Hisle, G 481, H 518, HR 85, BA .287, BPO .856

7. Cecil Cooper, G 693, H 848, HR 97, BA .313, BPO .811

8. Ben Oglivie, G 670, H 672, HR 124, BA .288, BPO .845

9. Al Oliver, G 432, H 538, HR 45, BA .322, BPO .790

10. Ken Singleton, G 770, H 819, HR 116, BA .299, BPO .904

11. Willie Wilson, G 467, H 470, HR 9, BA .307, BPO .833

12. Andre Thornton, G 419, H 367, HR 87, BA .252, BPO .887

13. Carlton Fisk, G 665, H 680, HR 91, BA .284, BPO .817

14. Eddie Murray, G 638, H 712, HR 111, BA .291, BPO .808

15. Lyman Bostock, G 428, H 520, HR 23, BA .318, BPO .770

16. Bobby Bonds, G 559, H 555, HR 103, BA .268, BPO .863

17. Hal McRae, G 692, H 794, HR 69, BA .297, BPO .818

18. Amos Otis, G 694, H 699, HR 85, BA .277, BPO .828

19. Ron LeFlore, G 592, H 762, HR 41, BA .310, BPO .832

20. Steve Kemp, G 579, H 608, HR 80, BA .285, BPO .822

National League top 20 batters (1976-1980)

1. George Foster, G 725, H 816, HR 176, BA .297, BPO .932

2. Mike Schmidt, G 769, H 725, HR 190, BA .266, BPO 1.006

3. Dave Parker, G 742, H 923, HR 106, BA .319, BPO .895

4. Reggie Smith, G 548, H 546, HR 104, BA .291, BPO .942

5. Dave Winfield, G 773, H 827, HR 116, BA .290, BPO .863

6. Keith Hernandez, G 769, H 810, HR 60, BA .302, BPO .855

7. Ted Simmons, G 720, H 748, HR 95, BA .297, BPO .851

8. Ken Griffey Sr., G 701, H 832, HR 49, BA .310, BPO .840

9. Joe Morgan, G 694, H 626, HR 82, BA .269, BPO .969

10. Willie Stargell, G 495, H 448, HR 104, BA .275, BPO .891

11. Steve Garvey, G 811, H 998, HR 121, BA .310, BPO .774

12. Jack Clark, G 588, H 576, HR 88, BA .278, BPO .833

13. George Hendrick, G 580, H 626, HR 84, BA .298, BPO .795

14. Dave Kingman, G 582, H 526, HR 151, BA .258, BPO .817

15. Jose Cruz, G 760, H 830, HR 51, BA .301, BPO .841

16. Greg Luzinski, G 696, H 674, HR 132, BA .275, BPO .889

17. Cesar Cedeno, G 610, H 650, HR 55, BA .287, BPO .857

18. Johnny Bench, G 641, H 565, HR 116, BA .260, BPO .815

19. Ellis Valentine, G 604, H 648, HR 91, BA .289, BPO .763

20. Bake McBride, G 610, H 679, HR 49, BA .298, BPO .771

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