I have a soft spot in my heart for the near-Hall-of-Famers. I have a bunch of 1970s and 1980s Topps league leader cards, and I remember Bill Madlock for showing up several times as the winner of the batting title. According to Baseball Reference, he ended his career with 2008 hits, a .305 average, and 860 RBI. He won four batting titles, was a three-time All-Star, and won the 1975 All-Star MVP. It was a great career with many accomplishments, but it does seem short of the Hall of Fame.
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| 1975 Topps Bill Madlock. |
Although this card has the Topps All-Star Rookie trophy on it, it unfortunately isn't his rookie card -- I wonder if I knew that when I acquired it. (Topps included Madlock in its 1974 set, on a Rookie Infielders card.)
My favorite thing about Bill Madlock is his contribution to the 1979 Pirates World Series championship. On a team with Willie Stargell and Dave Parker, they still needed some shoring up of their offense, and traded for him mid-season. It was Madlock's only World Series, and he hit .375 in it. I have the 1979 World Series on DVD and watch it every now then -- I think it's clear that the Orioles are actually the better team, but the Pirates rose to the occasion and got great performances from key players at the right time.
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