What more would Thurman Munson have accomplished had he not been killed in a plane crash on August 2, 1979?  We will never know but prior to his untimely death, Munson’s accomplishments on the diamond were already sizable.

Marty Marion won the NL 1944 MVP based primarily on his leadership and fielding skills as opposed to anything he did with his lumber.  His victory is certainly a reminder that there is a lot more to baseball than sexy offensive stats.

From 1953 to 1960 there were few in the majors who were as good a line drive hitter as Harvey Kuenn.  From that time period, he won the American League Rookie of the Year and won a Batting Title.  Considering that during the 50’s he only batted under .300 once, it was easy to see how even on average Detroit Tigers teams, he could still make eight All-Star teams.

Outside of Boston, it may be forgotten how good Dwight Evans was.  It could be because he played on teams with the more popular players, but Evans was a huge component in both the 1975 and 1986 World Series runs.