Willie McCovey
The most feared left-handed pull hitter of his generation, McCovey's swing was so devastating that opposing managers routinely shifted their entire infield before "the shift" became trendy. His 521 career home runs came despite playing half his games in pitcher-friendly Candlestick Park, where the swirling winds off San Francisco Bay turned routine fly balls into outs.
McCovey's 1970 MVP season tells the story perfectly. That .289 average and 39 homers produced a ridiculous 1.056 OPS in one of baseball's most pitcher-friendly eras. His 148 OPS+ that year ranked among the decade's best offensive performances.
The Giants first baseman's career arc defied conventional wisdom about power hitters. Rather than burning out early, he actually got better with age, launching 36 homers at age 39 in 1977. That longevity, combined with his ability to terrorize right-handed pitching, made him the prototype for the modern slugging first baseman.
Career · Batting
22 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | SF | 52 | 192 | 13 | 38 | .354 | 1.085 | — |
| 1960 | SF | 101 | 260 | 13 | 51 | .238 | .818 | — |
| 1961 | SF | 106 | 328 | 18 | 50 | .271 | .841 | — |
| 1962 | SF | 91 | 229 | 20 | 54 | .293 | .957 | — |
| 1963 | SF | 152 | 564 | 44 | 102 | .280 | .915 | — |
| 1964 | SF | 130 | 364 | 18 | 54 | .220 | .748 | — |
| 1965 | SF | 160 | 540 | 39 | 92 | .276 | .920 | — |
| 1966 | SF | 150 | 502 | 36 | 96 | .295 | .977 | — |
| 1967 | SF | 135 | 456 | 31 | 91 | .276 | .913 | — |
| 1968 | SF | 148 | 523 | 36 | 105 | .293 | .923 | — |
| 1969 | SF | 149 | 491 | 45 | 126 | .320 | 1.108 | — |
| 1970 | SF | 152 | 495 | 39 | 126 | .289 | 1.056 | 148 |
| 1971 | SF | 105 | 329 | 18 | 70 | .277 | .876 | 128 |
| 1972 | SF | 81 | 263 | 14 | 35 | .213 | .719 | 108 |
| 1973 | SF | 130 | 383 | 29 | 75 | .266 | .966 | 137 |
| 1974 | SD | 128 | 344 | 22 | 63 | .253 | .922 | 133 |
| 1975 | SD | 122 | 413 | 23 | 68 | .252 | .805 | 115 |
| 1976 | SD | 82 | 226 | 7 | 36 | .204 | .619 | 91 |
| 1977 | SF | 141 | 478 | 28 | 86 | .280 | .867 | 119 |
| 1978 | SF | 108 | 351 | 12 | 64 | .228 | .694 | 99 |
| 1979 | SF | 117 | 353 | 15 | 57 | .249 | .720 | 99 |
| 1980 | SF | 48 | 113 | 1 | 16 | .204 | .586 | 82 |
| Career | 2588 | 8197 | 521 | 1555 | .270 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.