Remembering Henry Aaron: The 1960s Most Underrated Slugger?

Hammerin' Hank Aaron wasn't as flashy as Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente. Or as charismatic as Mickey Mantle or Stan Musial. Or as powerful as Harmon Killebrewor even his own teammate, Eddie Mathews. 

He was simply the poster child for quiet, consistent excellence. 

And, probably (even incredibly), the most under-rated slugger of the 1960s.

Aaron's slugging impact on National League pitching was almost immediate. His rookie season of 1954 was good but not great (.280, 13 home runs, 69 RBIs). The next five years, however, were great by any measure. 

From 1955 through 1959, Aaron averaged 33 home runs and 110 RBIs per season, batting .329 over those 5 seasons. He won batting titles in 1956 (.328) and 1959 (.355). He led the National League in home runs (44) and RBIs (132) in 1957, the only year in Aaron's 23-season career when he was named Most Valuable Player.

Then a couple decades went by, and Hank Aaron retired with a boat-load of offensive records: more home runs (755), RBIs (2,297), extra-base hits (1,477) and total bases (6,856) than anyone else who ever played the game – including Babe Ruth.

Hank Aaron's performance in the 1960s was as outstanding and consistent as any period in his career. While the 1960s were probably Aaron's most productive period personally, the Braves' supporting cast was generally not equal to the caliber of the Braves teams of the late 1950s.

From 1960 to 1969, Hank Aaron led the major leagues twice in runs scored. Three times during the 1960s, he was the major league leader in RBIs. 

Aaron led the National League in doubles twice and in home runs and slugging percentage 3 times during the 1960s. He hit over .300 in 8 different seasons during the decade, and scored at least 100 runs in 9 out of the 10 years. 

But during the 1960s, Aaron never had the kind of "monster" season that would earn him a second Most Valuable Player award. His only post-season appearance during the 1960s was in the first National League Championship Series in 1969. The fact that the New York Mets swept the Braves on the way to their "miraculous" championship overshadowed Aaron's performance in that Series. In 3 games, he hit .357 with 2 doubles, 3 home runs and 7 RBIs. 

It was a fitting symbol for Aaron in the 1960s: outstanding performance, largely overlooked.