Top Baseball Hitters of the 1960s

The Five Best Hitters of the Beatles and Free Love Decade

May 31, 2007

In a decade best known for superb pitching, these five hitters were able to break through with Hall of Fame level hitting performances year in and year out.

1. Frank Robinson (Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles)

In 1961, when Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were slugging it out to see who could reach 61* homers first, Frank Robinson was busy winning the National League MVP and leading his Cincinnati Reds to the NL pennant. That year, Robinson hit .324 with 37 home runs and 124 RBI.

The next year he had an even better season, batting .342, with 208 hits, 51 doubles, 39 homers and 136 RBI. But that was only the beginning of Robinson's great decade. Over the next three seasons, he averaged 28 dingers and 100 RBI, but apparently that wasn't good enough for the Reds. After the 1965 season, they traded him to the Baltimore Orioles for pitcher Milt Pappas. It was a trade the Reds would live to regret. In 1966, Robinson won the Triple Crown, became the first player to win an MVP in each league, and also took home the World Series MVP. His greatness continued through the end of the decade, culminating with the 1969 season when he led the Orioles to 109 wins and the AL pennant by hitting .308 with 32 home runs and 100 RBI.

For the decade, Robinson hit .303 and averaged 32 home runs, 101 RBI, and 101 runs scored.

2. Harmon Killebrew (Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins)

There was no bigger slugger during the 1960s than Harmon Killebrew. In a decade dominated by pitching, Killebrew topped 40 homers and 100 RBI six times. The winner of the 1969 American League MVP, Harmon made the All-Star team eight times during the 1960s, won 5 home run crowns, and finished in the Top 5 in RBI seven times.

3. Hank Aaron (Milwaukee Braves)

The Home Run King really hit his stride in the 1960s. He topped .300 seven times. He hit 30 or more home runs eight times, and drove home more than 100 runs in seven seasons. For the decade, Aaron hit .308 with 375 home runs and a decade best 1,107 RBI.

4. Willie Mays (San Francisco Giants)

Already one of the top hitters of the 1950s, Mays didn't slow down a bit during the '60s. His best season was 1965, a year in which he won his second MVP award by hitting .317 with a career best 52 home runs and a total of 112 RBI. In the '60s, Mays topped 100 RBI seven times and smacked for than 40 homers four times. For the decade, the Say Hey Kid played in 10 All Star games, hit 350 home runs, drove in more than 1,000 runs and finished in the Top 5 in MVP voting six times.

5. Roberto Clemente (Pittsburgh Pirates)

Clemente was one of the best all-around players in baseball history. He could hit (.317 Career Average and 3,000 hits), he could hit for power (240 homers) and he could field (12 Gold Goves). Clemente became a Hall of Fame player during the 1960s, when he hit better than .300 in nine out of ten seasons (he hit .291 in 1968), won the 1966 MVP award and won four batting titles. From 1960 through 1969, Clemente hit .328, averaged 189 hits, 18 home runs, and 87 RBI.

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