MLB all-time lists: Five-season peak performance
This criteria is simply the player’s best five-season average OPS+ during the expansion era.
Here are the 10 best peak averages among the 30 candidates.
| Player | Seasons | Average OPS+ |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mike Schmidt | 1980-1984 | 168.2 |
| 2. George Brett | 1979-1983 | 159.0 |
| 3. Wade Boggs | 1985-1989 | 158.4 |
| 4. Chipper Jones | 2005-2009 | 152.6 |
| 5. Josh Donaldson | 2013-2017 | 144.8 |
| 6. Justin Turner | 2014-2018 | 143.2 |
| 7. Ken Caminiti | 1996-2000 | 141.6 |
| 8. Paul Molitor | 1987-1991 | 139.6 |
| 9. Evan Longoria | 2009-2013 | 139.0 |
| 10. Adrian Beltre | 2010-2014 | 138.2 |
Our perceptions of the relative abilities of players are often inordinately influenced by their offense. It’s probably no surprise, then, that the two men generally thought of as the position’s best, Mike Schmidt and George Brett, line up first and second in this category.
Between 1980-84, Schmidt four times led the National League in home runs, three times led in RBI and won two MVP awards.
Between 1979-83, Brett annually batted above .300, topping at .390 in 1980. Although not Schmidt’s match as a slugger, he still drove in 443 runs during that span. He was the 1980 American League MVP.
The status of Wade Boggs, Chipper Jones and Paul Molitor is no surprise. Josh Donaldson, Justin Turner and Ken Caminiti may be more surprising finishers among the top 10. Donaldson’s 144.8 peak OPS+ factors in a 123-RBI season in 2015. Caminiti was not productive over a long period, but in 1996 he had a 40-home run, 130-RBI MVP season.