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Best batters of 1996-2000

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Best batters of 1996-2000

Griffey and Walker take top honors in the latest five-year rankings

G. Scott Thomas
Aug 5, 2022
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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

  • Bases per out (BPO)

  • 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:

  • 1961-1965

  • 1966-1970

  • 1971-1975

  • 1976-1980

  • 1981-1985

  • 1986-1990

  • 1991-1995


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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

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