The Top 100 Cubs Of All Time - #5 Billy Williams
from Bleed Cubbie Blue - A Chicago Cubs Fan Community
... One of Billy's biggest disappoinments was never winning a MVP award, even in his two biggest years, 1970 and 1972.
In 1970, a hitters' year, he hit .322/.391/.586, with 42 HR and 129 RBI. He led the National League in runs, hits (tied with Pete Rose) and total bases, but lost the MVP to Johnny Bench, who had a spectacular year for the eventual pennant-winners, the Reds.
Two years later, it was the same story -- Billy won the batting title (the first Cub to do so since Phil Cavarretta in 1945) with a .333 average; the rest of his line included a .398 OBA, a .606 SLG, and finishing second in RBI (by two) and third in HR (by three) -- to Bench, who again won the MVP.
That's about as close as anyone has come to winning the Triple Crown in the last forty years. Billy also led the league in 1972 in total bases, slugging percentage, OPS and extra-base hits. During one 12-game stretch in mid-July 1972, Billy went 28-for-53 (.528) with 6 HR and 17 RBI.