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Ken Griffey Jr. and Larry Walker were hitting on all cylinders as the twentieth century drew to a close.
Both were outstanding players, of course, though both also had some help. Griffey benefited from the strong baseball genes he inherited from his father, who had starred for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1970s. Walker profited from playing in the ultimate hitters’ park, Coors Field.
Their greatness was reflected in their numbers. Nobody in the American League blasted more homers between 1996 and 2000 than Griffey’s 209. (He amassed that total in just four years with the Seattle Mariners before being traded across leagues to the Cincinnati Reds in 2000.) Nobody in the National League posted a higher batting average over the five-year period than Walker’s .348 for the Colorado Rockies.
Is it any wonder that my latest half-decade breakdown indicates that Griffey and Walker were the best batters in their respective leagues during the 1996-2000 period?
They both peaked in 1997, when they won the Most Valuable Player Awards for their leagues. Griffey paced the AL with 56 homers, 147 runs batted in, and a .646 slugging average. Walker led the NL with 49 homers and a .720 slugging average. His .366 batting average was second to Tony Gwynn’s .372.
I’ve been issuing ratings of the top batters for consecutive half-decades since June 17, when I began with 1961-1965. I’ll keep going each Friday until I reach 2016-2020, the last full five-year period in the Modern Era.
The rankings for both leagues are based on my Five-Year Test, which analyzes every hitter in six key statistical categories.
Batting average
Slugging average
Runs scored per 500 plate appearances
Runs batted in per 500 plate appearances
Wins above replacement (WAR) per 500 plate appearances
The rankings for 1996-2000 encompassed 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 92 batters in the American League and 96 in the National League qualified for the Five-Year Test for that half-decade.
The typical AL batter in these rankings had a five-season batting average of .283 and an .819 ratio of bases per out. The corresponding figures in the NL were .283 and .823. Those stats stamped this as the zenith for hitters, the only half-decade in which the collective batting averages for both leagues topped .280 and their collective BPOs exceeded .800.
It would become known, of course, as the steroids era, though Griffey and Walker were never accused of using performance-enhancing drugs. Both are now enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The runners-up in the 1996-2000 standings were Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez in the American League, Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds in the National. All four were the focuses of PED investigations. And all four remain outside the Hall of Fame.
Scroll below to see my lists of the top 20 hitters in each league. Each batter is followed by a breakdown of his 1996-2000 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 included here to add context.
This series will continue next Friday (August 12) with my rankings of batters in both leagues during the span of 2001-2005. You can see the previous standings through these links:
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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
1981-1985: Eddie Murray
1986-1990: Rickey Henderson
1991-1995: Frank Thomas
1996-2000: Ken Griffey Jr.
National League top batters (series so far)
1961-1965: Willie Mays
1966-1970: Willie McCovey
1971-1975: Willie Stargell
1976-1980: George Foster
1981-1985: Mike Schmidt
1986-1990: Eric Davis
1991-1995: Barry Bonds
1996-2000: Larry Walker
American League top 20 batters (1996-2000)
1. Ken Griffey Jr., G 618, H 703, HR 209, BA .294, BPO 1.084
2. Manny Ramirez, G 717, H 850, HR 186, BA .322, BPO 1.106
3. Alex Rodriguez, G 725, H 922, HR 184, BA .315, BPO 1.017
4. Nomar Garciaparra, G 595, H 812, HR 117, BA .333, BPO .983
5. Edgar Martinez, G 743, H 870, HR 144, BA .328, BPO 1.122
6. Bernie Williams, G 699, H 871, HR 131, BA .324, BPO 1.018
7. Frank Thomas, G 741, H 862, HR 162, BA .318, BPO 1.080
8. Juan Gonzalez, G 680, H 837, HR 195, BA .310, BPO .955
9. Jim Thome, G 725, H 715, HR 178, BA .287, BPO 1.106
10. Ivan Rodriguez, G 683, H 890, HR 122, BA .320, BPO .841
11. Carlos Delgado, G 747, H 775, HR 178, BA .289, BPO 1.020
12. Rafael Palmeiro, G 798, H 866, HR 206, BA .290, BPO .978
13. Roberto Alomar, G 726, H 867, HR 93, BA .314, BPO .931
14. Albert Belle, G 784, H 899, HR 187, BA .298, BPO .956
15. Mo Vaughn, G 756, H 892, HR 188, BA .307, BPO .978
16. Jason Giambi, G 745, H 825, HR 143, BA .305, BPO .980
17. Derek Jeter, G 771, H 996, HR 78, BA .323, BPO .889
18. David Justice, G 564, H 587, HR 116, BA .295, BPO .964
19. Rusty Greer, G 703, H 840, HR 88, BA .312, BPO .907
20. Tim Salmon, G 705, H 736, HR 140, BA .289, BPO .964
National League top 20 batters (1996-2000)
1. Larry Walker, G 580, H 711, HR 136, BA .348, BPO 1.209
2. Mark McGwire, G 448, H 413, HR 191, BA .287, BPO 1.401
3. Barry Bonds, G 718, H 721, HR 202, BA .296, BPO 1.266
4. Jeff Bagwell, G 792, H 859, HR 197, BA .304, BPO 1.173
5. Todd Helton, G 506, H 594, HR 107, BA .334, BPO 1.072
6. Mike Piazza, G 728, H 887, HR 186, BA .331, BPO 1.014
7. Ellis Burks, G 659, H 726, HR 148, BA .312, BPO 1.017
8. Vladimir Guerrero, G 572, H 695, HR 136, BA .322, BPO .978
9. Chipper Jones, G 787, H 910, HR 166, BA .309, BPO 1.025
10. Andres Galarraga, G 607, H 699, HR 160, BA .307, BPO .989
11. Sammy Sosa, G 763, H 868, HR 255, BA .288, BPO .969
12. Gary Sheffield, G 719, H 734, HR 162, BA .300, BPO 1.121
13. Ken Caminiti, G 551, H 574, HR 123, BA .292, BPO .991
14. Moises Alou, G 578, H 652, HR 112, BA .308, BPO .932
15. Bobby Abreu, G 531, H 572, HR 65, BA .313, BPO 1.020
16. John Olerud, G 476, H 524, HR 63, BA .315, BPO .979
17. Ray Lankford, G 686, H 671, HR 124, BA .285, BPO .983
18. Jeff Kent, G 678, H 742, HR 125, BA .292, BPO .891
19. Barry Larkin, G 633, H 686, HR 77, BA .304, BPO .969
20. Scott Rolen, G 593, H 623, HR 108, BA .284, BPO .928