1. Mike Schmidt (1974): 9.4 fWAR
Schmidt entered his second full year with the Phillies in 1974. The Ohio native struggled during 1973 as he compiled a slash line of .196/.324/.373, along with a .697 OPS in 132 games. His .196 batting average was a career-low for him.
He turned his young career around dramatically in 1974 with a club that began to improve gradually. The Phillies went 59-97 in 1972 and 71-91 the following season. They finished with a record of 80-82 in Schmidt's second full season.
Along with second baseman Dave Cash and Bowa, Schmidt played in all 162 regular season games in 1974. He tied with Reds catcher Johnny Bench for second in MLB with 108 runs, two less than Cincinnati's left fielder Pete Rose's league-leading 110.
The Phillies third baseman totaled a .282/.395/.546 slash line. His .282 batting was less than Cash's .300 and first baseman Willie Montanez's .304 average. Schmidt's .395 OBP led Philly and was seventh among league hitters. He also finished first on the team with a SLG of .546. Only first baseman Dick Allen of the White Sox had a higher SLG, which was .563.
Schmidt was first in the league with 36 home runs. He led the Phillies by a large margin in the category as center fielder Del Unser finished second with 11 homers. The infielder was also first on the club by a substantial amount, with 116 RBI. Montanez finished second with 79 RBI. The third baseman's RBI total was the third most in the league behind Rangers right fielder Jeff Burroughs' 118 RBI and Bench's league-leading 129 RBI.
He finished second on the Phillies with 23 steals behind Bowa's total of 39. Schmidt's .941 OPS led the franchise and was second-best in the majors. Only Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Willie Stargell did better in this category, as he compiled an OPS of .944.
Schmidt's 138 strikeouts were the fourth most of his career. He led MLB in punchouts and led the Phillies by a large amount in this category, with Luzinski compiling the second-most strikeouts with 76.
He finished with 160 hits, a career-high for Schmidt that he did not match until the 1986 season. His hit total tied Montanez for third on Philadelphia in 1974. Bowa's 184 hits and Cash's team-leading 206 were the most on the team.
Schmidt's breakout 1974 season represented a turning point in his young career. At 24 years old for most of the season, the third baseman put the rest of MLB on notice. He became a significant contributor to a team that became a contender in the following years. He retired during the 1989 season, ending an illustrious career spent entirely with one franchise. The retired infielder became a Hall of Famer in 1995.