Surprising League Leaders of the 1970s

Surprising League Leaders of the 1970s

By Paul Semendinger

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NOTE - This article was published by the IBWAA on May 10, 2025.

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When I conducted my research for my articles on the best Seattle Pilots players of all time, I learned that Diego Segui led the American League in ERA in 1970. Over the course of my lifetime following baseball, I never knew that Segui had a singular season that was so good.

I soon began to wonder about other lesser-known players who led their league in traditional categories in the 1970s. I found that there were more than I imagined! As such, I made a list.

While the following players are not remembered as stars today, for one season at least, they were something very special:

Diego Segui, 1970 A.L. ERA Title (2.56): Segui pitched for 15 seasons, but this was the only time he led the league in any positive category. Segui did lead the A.L. in losses in 1964.

Alex Johnson, 1970 A.L. Batting Champion (.329): Johnson had a 13-year career. This was the only time he led the league in any category. This was his third consecutive season batting over .300, though he'd never reach that mark again in his career.

Rico Carty, 1970 N.L. Batting Champion (.366): Carty played for 15 seasons. Like Alex Johnson, this was the only time he led the league in any traditional category, though he did hit .342 the year before. (In 1970, Carty also led the league in On-Base Percentage, but that wasn't as much of a common statistic at the time).

Bill Melton, 1971 A.L. Home Run Champ (33): Melton played in the big leagues for 10 seasons. He hit 33 homers in 1970 and then again in 1971 (to lead the league). Melton never hit 30 homers in any other season and never led the league in any other categories.

Pedro Garcia, 1973 A.L. Doubles Leader (32, Tie): A rookie in 1973, Garcia batted only .245 and was runner-up for the Rookie of the Year. Garcia's career was a short one, playing only five seasons. He never led the league in any other category. More than one-third of his career doubles came in this one season.

Ron Bryant, 1973 N.L. Wins Leader (24): Bryant had an eight-year career. He won 57 total games, but 24 of them came in his 1973 season when he led the league. He never led the league in any other category in his career.

Buzz Capra, 1974 N.L. ERA Title (2.28): Capra played for seven seasons. Along with his great ERA in 1974, Capra went 16-8, the only season in which he had a winning record.

Larry Hisle, 1977 A.L. RBI Leader (119): Hisle was a big-leaguer for 14 years. He never led the league in any category except for this one instance. Hisle only exceeded 100 runs batted in one other time in his career (1978).

Dave Goltz, 1977 A.L. Wins Leader (20, Tie): Goltz played for 12 seasons. While this was his only time leading the league in any positive category (he led the league in hits allowed twice and wild pitches once), he was better than he is remembered. Goltz averaged 15.4 wins over a five-year period from 1975 through 1979.

Craig Swan, 1978 N.L. ERA Title (2.43): Swan, like Goltz, pitched for 12 seasons. His lifetime record was only 59-72, but he did have this one excellent season.

This all got me thinking... I wonder what little-known or remembered players led the league in various categories in the 1960s...

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Paul Semendinger has authored many books including From Compton to the Bronx (with Roy White) and The Least Among Them. Paul has also been published by SABR and the IBWAA on some great anthologies of baseball. Paul still plays too; he had the pleasure of pitching on Monte Irvin Field in Orange, NJ last Sunday. Paul earned the win for his team! He urges readers to take a moment this weekend and wish those who you love and care for a Happy Mothers' Day.