No. 3: Mike Schmidt’s 1974 Season
For as good as Schmidt was in 1977, it wasn’t even his best season according to Fangraphs. It was instead three years earlier when Schmidt was still just 24 years old. He was worth 9.4 fWAR that year as he played in all 162 games.
Prior to 1974, Schmidt did little to impress the Philly faithful. He played in just 13 games in 1972, then managed a meager .697 OPS the next year.
Schmidt first looked like the best third baseman in team history when 1974 rolled around, as he led the league with 36 home runs and a .546 slugging percentage. He also tallied 116 RBI, a .941 OPS, and 23 stolen bases.
That year was Schmidt’s second-most valuable defensive season with 2.4 dWAR. He did make 24 errors, which prevented him from winning a Gold Glove. Schmidt still made the All-Star team that year with ease.
Even though Schmidt led all players in WAR yet again, he finished sixth in MVP voting. Los Angeles’s Steve Garvey took home the award with a 80% share of the votes, but he was only worth 3.8 fWAR compared to Schmidt’s 9.4. It likely didn’t help that the Phillies finished 80-82 while the Dodgers won the NL pennant.