Two cogs of the Big Red Machine, George Foster and Joe Morgan, finished first and second in the RBI race. Foster, having his second productive season as Cincinnati’s left fielder after three very poor ones, finished in the lead with 121. He finished second in slugging percentage and fourth in OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage).
Unfortunately for Foster, he could not even take credit for being the best player on his team. Though he came in second with 111 RBI, Morgan had a season for the ages. He finished fifth in home runs, fifth in batting average, second in runs, second in steals, and first in slugging on-base percentage, and OPS. Those numbers won him his second straight MVP, while Foster was a distant second in the voting. The great years by Morgan and Foster, along with typically solid performances by Pete Rose, Ken Griffey Sr., Tony Perez, and Dave Concepcion, earned the Reds a 102-60 record and their second straight championship.
