The Best Hitters of the 1990s
In a Decade of Offense, These Hitters Were the Cream of the Crop
Aug 24, 2008
The 1990s were a slugger’s paradise. Shorter fences, more tightly wound baseballs, bigger players and watered-down pitching all conspired to make life a little bit easier for hitters, especially home run hitters. While one could certainly argue with the five players on this list, keep in mind that none of the players in this article have been implicated in the steroid scandal, and therefore, until further notice, have been placed ahead of guys like Bonds, Sosa and McGwire.
Ken Griffey, Jr.
If you didn't get to watch Griffey play baseball in the 1990s, you missed one hell of a great ballplayer. Junior broke into the majors in 1989 with the Seattle Mariners, where he played side-by-side in the outfield with his father, Ken Griffey, Sr. Initially, it was his death-defying defense that made the highlight films, but in time Griffey showed the world that he could also hit.
In 1991, he batted .327 with 22 home runs and 100 RBI. By 1993, he was up to 45 homers, second best in the majors, and he followed that up with an A.L. best 40 dingers in the strike-shortened season of 1994. The kid didn't hit his full stride, however, until the last four years of the decade, when he hit 49, 56, 56 and 48 round-trippers from 1996-1999.
In total, Griffey hit 380 home runs in the decade (which was second only to Mark McGwire), to go along with 1,181 RBI, the 1997 MVP Award, seven Silver Slugger Awards and four home run crowns.
Frank Thomas, Chicago White Sox
The Big Hurt could do it all. He hit for average; topping .300 in nine out of ten seasons during the 1990s. He hit with power; cracking at least 29 homers and 100 RBI a year from 1991 through 1998. He also walked at least 100 times in each of those years. Like Albert Belle, who is discussed below, Thomas had his best season in 1994, when he won his second straight MVP award on the strength of a .353 batting average, 38 home runs and 101 RBI.
For the decade, he won two MVPs, made five All Star teams, won three Silver Slugger awards, and hit over .320 while averaging 30 homers and 111 RBI a season.
Mike Piazza, Dodgers/Mets
Piazza is widely regarded as the greatest hitting catcher of all time. He finished his career with a lifetime batting average of .308. He also hit 427 home runs and amassed 1,327 RBI; insane numbers for a man wearing the tools of ignorance.
Piazza made a huge splash in 1993, hitting .318 with 35 home runs and 112 RBI, when he won the National League Rookie of the Year honors. His best year at the plate was 1997, when Mike hit .362 with 40 home runs and 124, and finished runner-up to Colorado’s Larry Walker for the MVP. In the seven full seasons that he played during the decade, Piazza hit .320 and averaged 34 home runs with 109 RBI.
Tony Gwynn, San Diego Padres
Gwynn won 4 batting titles in a row from 1994 though 1997. His quest for a .400 season was cut short when the players went on strike on August 12, 1994. AT the time, Tony was batting .394. For those who don't think that Gwynn would have reached the .400 mark if the whole season had been played, consider this: Gwyn was just heating up when the strike hit, batting .475 in his last dozen games of the seasons. Whether he would have made it or not, it sure would have been close.
Albert Belle, Indians/ChiSox/Orioles
Albert Belle was a vicious hitter. He was an absolutely vicious hitter. Between 1992 and 1999, Belle hit at least 34 home runs and knocked in at least 100 runs in every season. During the ten-year span decade, Albert hit 351 home runs, and had 1,099 RBI.
His best seasons were arguably 1994 and 1995, both of which were shortened by the awful strike that cancelled the World Series and delayed the start of the ’95 season.
When the strike hit, Belle was in the thick of a Triple Crown chase. He was hitting .357, second best in the American League behind Paul O’Neill’s .359. Belle’s 36 home runs ranked third to Ken Griffey’s 40, and his 101 RBI were second best in the league. The strike, however, denied Belle a chance to make a legitimate run for the first Triple Crown in 27 years. It also denied him the chance of .350/50 HR/150 RBI season. That still hasn’t been done in more than 70 years.
During the 144-game season in 1995, Bell hit .317 with 50 home runs, 124 RBI and 121 runs. He also collected 50 doubles, making him the only player in baseball history to have 50 doubles and 50 homers in the same season.
Belle continued to have MVP-caliber seasons for the rest of his career. In 1998 with the White Sox, he hit .328 with 49 home runs and 152 RBI. Albert played his final two seasons in Baltimore, and averaged .290 with 30 home runs and 110 RBI per year. But in the fall of 2000, Belle, who had been hurting for a couple of years, learned that he had degenerative osteoarthritis in his hip. His career was over, and he called it quits just two months after his 34th birthday.
Honorable Mention, Mark Grace
Grace had more hits during the 1,754 hits during the 1990s; that is more than any other hitter. He also had the most doubles of the decade, with 364. Oh, and he had the most sacrifice flies, too.
