1980s Franchise Hits Leaders

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In the second of a series, here are the franchise-by-franchise hits leaders for the 1980s.

Atlanta Braves

Not a big surprise here as Dale Murphy is the 1980s hit king for the Atlanta Braves with 1,553 and the rest of the list are staples of TBS programming back in the day. 

Top 5:

  1. Dale Murphy – 1,553
  2. Rafael Ramirez – 929
  3. Glenn Hubbard – 866
  4. Bob Horner – 755
  5. Chris Chambliss – 727

Baltimore Orioles

Again, no surprise at the top of the list, and very familiar names round out the Top 5.

Top 5:

  1. Eddie Murray – 1,495
  2. Cal Ripken Jr. – 1,402
  3. Rich Dauer – 662
  4. Al Bumbry – 656
  5. Ken Singleton – 637

Boston Red Sox

Wade Boggs tops the list and is in the discussion for most hits in the decade (4th) despite not making his debut until 1982. The Sox have three players with more than 1,400 hits in the decade. 

Top 5:

  1. Wade Boggs – 1,597
  2. Dwight Evans – 1,497
  3. Jim Rice – 1,476
  4. Marty Barrett – 899
  5. Rich Gedman – 738

California Angels

As is the case in home runs, Brian Downing tops the list for the Angels, but Carew at No. 2 despite retiring after 1985 shows the turnover the franchise had. 

Top 5:

  1. Brian Downing – 1.227
  2. Rod Carew – 838
  3. Bobby Grich – 780
  4. Doug DeCinces -765
  5. Bob Boone – 742

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs hits leaders looks a lot like their home run leaders. Four of the five are the same with Bill Buckner replacing Andre Dawson at No. 5.

Top 5:

  1. Ryne Sandberg – 1,394
  2. Keith Moreland – 912
  3. Leon Durham – 898
  4. Jody Davis – 834
  5. Bill Buckner – 703

Chicago White Sox

A similar story on the South Side of Chicago as four of the five names are the same. Ozzie Guillen replaces Ron Kittle on the hits list. 

Top 5:

  1. Harold Baines – 1,498
  2. Carlton Fisk – 966
  3. Greg Walker – 740
  4. Ozzie Guillen – 726
  5. Greg Luzinski – 496

Cincinnati Reds

A local boy tops the list with a franchise icon close behind.  

Top 5:

  1. Ron Oester – 1,069
  2. Dave Concepcion – 1,058
  3. Dave Parker – 694
  4. Eric Davis -582
  5. Eddie Milner – 553

Cleveland Indians

Kind of a surprise at the top of the list, though there was not a lot of roster stability on Cleveland in the 1980s. 

  1. Julio Franco – 1,051
  2. Brook Jacoby – 886
  3. Joe Carter – 876
  4. Mike Hargrove -750
  5. Pat Tabler – 729

Detroit Tigers

Two all-time Tiger greats top the list. One is in the Hall of Fame and the other should be.  

Top 5:

  1. Alan Trammell – 1,504
  2. Lou Whitaker – 1,452
  3. Chet Lemon – 988
  4. Lance Parrish -915
  5. Kirk Gibson – 876

Houston Astros

A professional hitter tops the list but a bit of a surprise at No. 2. 

Top 5:

  1. Jose Cruz – 1,211
  2. Bill Doran – 1,040
  3. Terry Puhl – 935
  4. Kevin Bass – 862
  5. Glenn Davis – 713

Kansas City Royals

The 1982 N.L. Rookie of the Year heads the list 

Top 5:

  1. Willie Wilson – 1,639
  2. George Brett – 1,446
  3. Frank White – 1,333
  4. Hal McRae -882
  5. Kevin Seitzer – 576

Los Angeles Dodgers

The 1982 N.L. Rookie of the Year heads the list. He backed up that performance by appearing on Square Pegs.

Top 5:

  1. Steve Sax – 1,218
  2. Pedro Guerrero – 1,093
  3. Mike Marshall – 882
  4. Mike Scioscia -848
  5. Ken Landreaux – 714

Milwaukee Brewers

Franchise icons from 1-5 as the decade’s leading hit-man tops the list. 

The Brewers are the only team to have four guys reach 1,000 hits in the decade while wearing their uniform. 

Top 5:

  1. Robin Yount – 1,731
  2. Paul Molitor – 1,421
  3. Cecil Cooper – 1,313
  4. Jim Gantner -1,288
  5. Ben Oglivie – 857

Minnesota Twins

The decade began with some really bad baseball and ended with some pretty good baseball, including a ring in 1987. Only serious Twins fans will get #5 on the list.

Top 5:

  1. Kirby Puckett – 1,243
  2. Kent Hrbek – 1,212
  3. Gary Gaetti – 1,144
  4. Tom Brunansky – 829
  5. Mickey Hatcher – 671

Montreal Expos

The Expos could have been a dynasty in the 1980s but never quite got over the hump. Still, there are three Hall of Famers on this list and one of the more underrated players of the decade slips in at No. 2.

Top 5:

  1. Tim Raines – 1,467
  2. Tim Wallach – 1,257
  3. Andre Dawson – 1,077
  4. Gary Carter – 723
  5. Hubie Brooks – 689

New York Mets

This is a VERY interesting list and I almost guarantee you would not have guessed No. 5.

Top 5:

  1. Mookie Wilson – 1,112
  2. Keith Hernandez – 939
  3. Darryl Strawberry – 875
  4. Wally Backman – 670
  5. George Foster – 602

New York Yankees

No 1 on this list is a no-brainer but some of the others may surprise you.  

Top 5:

  1. Don Mattingly – 1,300
  2. Dave Winfield – 1,287
  3. Willie Randolph – 1,171
  4. Rickey Henderson – 663
  5. Ken Griffey Sr. – 563

Oakland A's

One of the more underrated pure hitters of the decade heads the list for Oakland, while Rickey is the only player in the decade to appear on more than one list.  

Top 5:

  1. Carney Lansford – 1,050
  2. Dwayne Murphy – 890
  3. Rickey Henderson – 844
  4. Mike Davis – 680
  5. Tony Phillips – 649

Philadelphia Phillies

The GOAT tops the list here as he did in homers. The Phillies’ hits list is very close to the homers list with the only change being Pete Rose taking Ozzie Virgil’s place.  

Top 5:

  1. Mike Schmidt – 1,287
  2. Von Hayes – 987
  3. Juan Samuel – 921
  4. Pete Rose – 618
  5. Glenn Wilson – 557

Pittsburgh Pirates

A bit of a surprise at No. 1, but who else could it be?

Top 5:

  1. Johnny Ray – 1,009
  2. Tony Pena – 821
  3. Bill Madlock – 768
  4. Jason Thompson – 579
  5. Barry Bonds – 532

San Diego Padres

Mr. Padre heads the list, which is no surprise but some short-term Pads crack the list as well.   

Top 5:

  1. Tony Gwynn – 1,354
  2. Garry Templeton – 999
  3. Terry Kennedy – 817
  4. Steve Garvey – 631
  5. Tim Flannery – 621

San Francisco Giants

The Giants’ hits leaders are the same as their home runs leaders. The only difference is that Brenly and Clark swap spots. 

Top 5:

  1. Chili Davis – 840
  2. Jeffrey Leonard – 809
  3. Will Clark – 638
  4. Bob Brenly – 632
  5. Jack Clark – 578

Seattle Mariners

Junior’s debut came too late for him to make the list, but, as was the case with home runs, the first Rookie of the Year in franchise history tops the list. 

 Top 5:

  1. Alvin Davis – 921
  2. Jim Pressley – 736
  3. Phil Bradley – 649
  4. Harold Reynolds – 628
  5. Dave Henderson – 545

St. Louis Cardinals

Love them or hate them, the Cardinals were fun to watch in the 1980s and the guys on this list were a big reason why.  

 Top 5:

  1. Willie McGee – 1,194
  2. Ozzie Smith – 1,152
  3. Tom Herr – 1,019
  4. Vince Coleman – 792
  5. Terry Pendleton – 785

Texas Rangers

Four of the five on this last are the same as the home run list. Scott Fletcher replacing Pete Incaviglia is the only difference.  

 Top 5:

  1. Pete O’Brien – 914
  2. Buddy Bell -860
  3. Larry Parrish – 852
  4. Ruben Sierra – 620
  5. Scott Fletcher – 545

Toronto Blue Jays

Lloyd Moseby moves from No. 3 on the home run list to No. 1 on the hits list for the Jays.  

 Top 5:

  1. Lloyd Moseby – 1,319
  2. George Bell -1,145
  3. Damaso Garcia – 1,028
  4. Tony Fernandez – 967
  5. Willie Upshaw – 929

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