Most Valuable Player Award

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The Most Valuable Player Award (or MVP) in Major League Baseball is given to a player in each league who has contributed the most to the success of the player's team. It is awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America. There have been three interations of MLB MVP awards. The first two were awarded in the 1910s and 1920s, however the award did not become an annual one until 1931.

The Award was officially named the "Kenesaw Mountain Landis Most Valuable Player Award", in honor of baseball's first Commissioner, although the full name was almost never used. In 2020, the BBWAA rescinded the name after an overwhelming vote, due to Landis's role in blocking integration of Major League Baseball. Proposals for alternative names have been floated, including naming it for Josh Gibson.

Chalmers Award (1911-1914)[edit]

The Chalmers Automobile Company sponsored the first Most Valuable Player Award, the Chalmers Award award in 1911. The creation of this award was due to the controversy in the American League from the previous year in which the company gave an automobile in to the batting champion in each league. It was the first attempt to recognize a player for overall contributions to his team's success — hence the designation "Most Valuable" rather than "player of the year."  A Chalmers "36" car was awarded to the winners. An article in the Oakland Tribune just before the 1912 season said that Chalmers would also award a car to the most valuable player of the Pacific Coast League that season.

Year
voting totals
American League National League
Player Team Position Player Team Position
1911
AL NL
Ty Cobb Detroit Tigers OF Frank Schulte Chicago Cubs OF
1912
AL NL
Tris Speaker Boston Red Sox OF Larry Doyle New York Giants 2B
1913
AL NL
Walter Johnson Washington Senators P Jake Daubert Brooklyn Superbas 1B
1914
AL NL
Eddie Collins Philadelphia Athletics 2B Johnny Evers Boston Braves 2B

League Award (1922-1929)[edit]

In the 1920s the leagues awarded MVPs, called the League Award. However only one player per team was listed on the ballot causing there being no National League MVP in 1922 or 1923. The American League also allowed players to win the award only once. This caused Babe Ruth to be ineligible for the award in historic 1927 season.

Year
voting totals
American League National League
Player Team Position Player Team Position
1922
AL 
George Sisler St. Louis Browns 1B None awarded
1923
AL 
Babe Ruth New York Yankees OF None awarded
1924
AL NL
Walter Johnson Washington Senators P Dazzy Vance Brooklyn Robins P
1925
AL NL
Roger Peckinpaugh Washington Senators SS Rogers Hornsby St. Louis Cardinals 2B
1926
AL NL
George Burns Cleveland Indians 1B Bob O'Farrell St. Louis Cardinals C
1927
AL NL
Lou Gehrig New York Yankees 1B Paul Waner Pittsburgh Pirates OF
1928
AL NL
Mickey Cochrane Philadelphia Athletics C Jim Bottomley St. Louis Cardinals 1B
1929
 NL
None awarded Rogers Hornsby Chicago Cubs 2B

BBWAA Award (1931-present)[edit]

In 1931, the Baseball Writers Association of America began awarding the Most Valuable Player Award to one player in each league. It is officially called the Baseball Writers Most Valuable Player Award.

After the Cy Young Award was created in 1956 to be given to the best pitcher in Major League Baseball, the belief arose that the Most Valuable Player should be awarded to a position player since pitchers had their own award. In the years since 1956, 11 pitchers have won the award; in the 26 years prior pitchers won 12 of the awards.

The award is voted on by 30 members of the BBWAA (one from each Major League city) and uses a weighted score system. Each ranks their top ten players in each league with points awarded from on a 14-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. The players with the highest point total in each league wins the award.

BOLD indicates unanimous selection
Year
voting totals
American League National League
Player Team Position Player Team Position
1931
AL NL
Lefty Grove Philadelphia Athletics P Frankie Frisch St. Louis Cardinals 2B
1932
AL NL
Jimmie Foxx Philadelphia Athletics 1B Chuck Klein Philadelphia Phillies OF
1933
AL NL
Jimmie Foxx Philadelphia Athletics 1B Carl Hubbell New York Giants P
1934
AL NL
Mickey Cochrane Detroit Tigers C Dizzy Dean St. Louis Cardinals P
1935
AL NL
Hank Greenberg Detroit Tigers 1B Gabby Hartnett Chicago Cubs C
1936
AL NL
Lou Gehrig New York Yankees 1B Carl Hubbell New York Giants P
1937
AL NL
Charlie Gehringer Detroit Tigers 2B Joe Medwick St. Louis Cardinals OF
1938
AL NL
Jimmie Foxx Boston Red Sox 1B Ernie Lombardi Cincinnati Reds C
1939
AL NL
Joe DiMaggio New York Yankees OF Bucky Walters Cincinnati Reds P
1940
AL NL
Hank Greenberg Detroit Tigers OF Frank McCormick Cincinnati Reds 1B
1941
AL NL
Joe DiMaggio New York Yankees OF Dolph Camilli Brooklyn Dodgers 1B
1942
AL NL
Joe Gordon New York Yankees 2B Mort Cooper St. Louis Cardinals P
1943
AL NL
Spud Chandler New York Yankees P Stan Musial St. Louis Cardinals OF
1944
AL NL
Hal Newhouser Detroit Tigers P Marty Marion St. Louis Cardinals SS
1945
AL NL
Hal Newhouser Detroit Tigers P Phil Cavarretta Chicago Cubs 1B
1946
AL NL
Ted Williams Boston Red Sox OF Stan Musial St. Louis Cardinals 1B
1947
AL NL
Joe DiMaggio New York Yankees OF Bob Elliott Boston Braves 3B
1948
AL NL
Lou Boudreau Cleveland Indians SS Stan Musial St. Louis Cardinals OF
1949
AL NL
Ted Williams Boston Red Sox OF Jackie Robinson Brooklyn Dodgers 2B
1950
AL NL
Phil Rizzuto New York Yankees SS Jim Konstanty Philadelphia Phillies P
1951
AL NL
Yogi Berra New York Yankees C Roy Campanella Brooklyn Dodgers C
1952
AL NL
Bobby Shantz Philadelphia Athletics P Hank Sauer Chicago Cubs OF
1953
AL NL
Al Rosen Cleveland Indians 3B Roy Campanella Brooklyn Dodgers C
1954
AL NL
Yogi Berra New York Yankees C Willie Mays New York Giants OF
1955
AL NL
Yogi Berra New York Yankees C Roy Campanella Brooklyn Dodgers C
1956
AL NL
Mickey Mantle New York Yankees OF Don Newcombe Brooklyn Dodgers P
1957
AL NL
Mickey Mantle New York Yankees OF Hank Aaron Milwaukee Braves OF
1958
AL NL
Jackie Jensen Boston Red Sox OF Ernie Banks Chicago Cubs SS
1959
AL NL
Nellie Fox Chicago White Sox 2B Ernie Banks Chicago Cubs SS
1960
AL NL
Roger Maris New York Yankees OF Dick Groat Pittsburgh Pirates SS
1961
AL NL
Roger Maris New York Yankees OF Frank Robinson Cincinnati Reds OF
1962
AL NL
Mickey Mantle New York Yankees OF Maury Wills Los Angeles Dodgers SS
1963
AL NL
Elston Howard New York Yankees C Sandy Koufax Los Angeles Dodgers P
1964
AL NL
Brooks Robinson Baltimore Orioles 3B Ken Boyer St. Louis Cardinals 3B
1965
AL NL
Zoilo Versalles Minnesota Twins SS Willie Mays San Francisco Giants OF
1966
AL NL
Frank Robinson Baltimore Orioles OF Roberto Clemente Pittsburgh Pirates OF
1967
AL NL
Carl Yastrzemski Boston Red Sox OF Orlando Cepeda St. Louis Cardinals 1B
1968
AL NL
Denny McLain Detroit Tigers P Bob Gibson St. Louis Cardinals P
1969
AL NL
Harmon Killebrew Minnesota Twins 3B Willie McCovey San Francisco Giants 1B
1970
AL NL
Boog Powell Baltimore Orioles 1B Johnny Bench Cincinnati Reds C
1971
AL NL
Vida Blue Oakland Athletics P Joe Torre St. Louis Cardinals 3B
1972
AL NL
Dick Allen Chicago White Sox 1B Johnny Bench Cincinnati Reds C
1973
AL NL
Reggie Jackson Oakland Athletics OF Pete Rose Cincinnati Reds OF
1974
AL NL
Jeff Burroughs Texas Rangers OF Steve Garvey Los Angeles Dodgers 1B
1975
AL NL
Fred Lynn Boston Red Sox OF Joe Morgan Cincinnati Reds 2B
1976
AL NL
Thurman Munson New York Yankees C Joe Morgan Cincinnati Reds 2B
1977
AL NL
Rod Carew Minnesota Twins 1B George Foster Cincinnati Reds OF
1978
AL NL
Jim Rice Boston Red Sox OF Dave Parker Pittsburgh Pirates OF
1979
AL NL
Don Baylor California Angels DH Keith Hernandez
Willie Stargell
St. Louis Cardinals
Pittsburgh Pirates
1B
1B
1980
AL NL
George Brett Kansas City Royals 3B Mike Schmidt Philadelphia Phillies 3B
1981
AL NL
Rollie Fingers Milwaukee Brewers P Mike Schmidt Philadelphia Phillies 3B
1982
AL NL
Robin Yount Milwaukee Brewers SS Dale Murphy Atlanta Braves OF
1983
AL NL
Cal Ripken Jr. Baltimore Orioles SS Dale Murphy Atlanta Braves OF
1984
AL NL
Willie Hernandez Detroit Tigers P Ryne Sandberg Chicago Cubs 2B
1985
AL NL
Don Mattingly New York Yankees 1B Willie McGee St. Louis Cardinals OF
1986
AL NL
Roger Clemens Boston Red Sox P Mike Schmidt Philadelphia Phillies 3B
1987
AL NL
George Bell Toronto Blue Jays OF Andre Dawson Chicago Cubs OF
1988
AL NL
Jose Canseco Oakland Athletics OF Kirk Gibson Los Angeles Dodgers OF
1989
AL NL
Robin Yount Milwaukee Brewers OF Kevin Mitchell San Francisco Giants OF
1990
AL NL
Rickey Henderson Oakland Athletics OF Barry Bonds Pittsburgh Pirates OF
1991
AL NL
Cal Ripken Jr. Baltimore Orioles SS Terry Pendleton Atlanta Braves 3B
1992
AL NL
Dennis Eckersley Oakland Athletics P Barry Bonds Pittsburgh Pirates OF
1993
AL NL
Frank Thomas Chicago White Sox 1B Barry Bonds San Francisco Giants OF
1994
AL NL
Frank Thomas Chicago White Sox 1B Jeff Bagwell Houston Astros 1B
1995
AL NL
Mo Vaughn Boston Red Sox 1B Barry Larkin Cincinnati Reds SS
1996
AL NL
Juan González Texas Rangers OF Ken Caminiti San Diego Padres 3B
1997
AL NL
Ken Griffey Jr. Seattle Mariners OF Larry Walker Colorado Rockies OF
1998
AL NL
Juan González Texas Rangers OF Sammy Sosa Chicago Cubs OF
1999
AL NL
Iván Rodríguez Texas Rangers C Chipper Jones Atlanta Braves 3B
2000
AL NL
Jason Giambi Oakland Athletics 1B Jeff Kent San Francisco Giants 2B
2001
AL NL
Ichiro Suzuki Seattle Mariners OF Barry Bonds San Francisco Giants OF
2002
AL NL
Miguel Tejada Oakland Athletics SS Barry Bonds San Francisco Giants OF
2003
AL NL
Alex Rodriguez Texas Rangers SS Barry Bonds San Francisco Giants OF
2004
AL NL
Vladimir Guerrero Anaheim Angels OF Barry Bonds San Francisco Giants OF
2005
AL NL
Alex Rodriguez New York Yankees 3B Albert Pujols St. Louis Cardinals 1B
2006
AL NL
Justin Morneau Minnesota Twins 1B Ryan Howard Philadelphia Phillies 1B
2007
AL NL
Alex Rodriguez New York Yankees 3B Jimmy Rollins Philadelphia Phillies SS
2008
AL NL
Dustin Pedroia Boston Red Sox 2B Albert Pujols St. Louis Cardinals 1B
2009
AL NL
Joe Mauer Minnesota Twins C Albert Pujols St. Louis Cardinals 1B
2010
AL NL
Josh Hamilton Texas Rangers OF Joey Votto Cincinnati Reds 1B
2011
AL NL
Justin Verlander Detroit Tigers P Ryan Braun Milwaukee Brewers OF
2012
AL NL
Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers 3B Buster Posey San Francisco Giants C
2013
AL NL
Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers 3B Andrew McCutchen Pittsburgh Pirates CF
2014
AL NL
Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim OF Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers P
2015
AL NL
Josh Donaldson Toronto Blue Jays 3B Bryce Harper Washington Nationals OF
2016
AL NL
Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim OF Kris Bryant Chicago Cubs 3B
2017
AL NL
José Altuve Houston Astros 2B Giancarlo Stanton Miami Marlins OF
2018
AL NL
Mookie Betts Boston Red Sox OF Christian Yelich Milwaukee Brewers OF
2019
AL NL
Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels OF Cody Bellinger Los Angeles Dodgers OF
2020
AL NL
José Abreu Chicago White Sox 1B Freddie Freeman Atlanta Braves 1B
2021
AL NL
Shohei Ohtani Los Angeles Angels DH/P Bryce Harper Philadelphia Phillies OF
2022
AL NL
Aaron Judge New York Yankees OF Paul Goldschmidt St. Louis Cardinals 1B
2023
AL NL
Shohei Ohtani Los Angeles Angels DH/P Ronald Acuna Atlanta Braves OF

Further Reading[edit]

  • Ben Alter: "The Relationship Between WAR and the Selection of Annual Performance-Based Awards", Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Vol. 52 Number 1 (Spring 2023), pp. 59-63.
  • Anthony Castrovince: "The best players to never win MVP", mlb.com, December 10, 2021. [1]
  • Thomas Harrigan: "MLB's most valuable position is ... first base?", mlb.com, April 27, 2020. [2]
  • Donald Honig: American League Most Valuable Players, Bantam Books, New York, NY, 1989. ISBN 0553279807
  • Donald Honig: National League Most Valuable Players, Bantam Books, New York, NY, 1989. ISBN 0553280228
  • Bill James: "Three Looks at the MVPs", Bill James Online, February 20, 2020. [3]
  • Douglas Jordan: "Black Swans in Baseball: The Case of the Unexpected MVP Season", in Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Vol. 50, Nr. 1 (Spring 2021), pp. 48-54.
  • Daniel Kramer: "The closest MVP votes in history", mlb.com, May 23, 2020. [4]
  • Sarah Langs: "Does winning MVP, Cy clear path to Cooperstown?", mlb.com, June 16, 2020. [5]
  • Jeremy Lehrman: Baseball's Most Baffling MVP Ballots, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2016. ISBN 978-1-4766-6675-4
  • Bob Nightengale: "Renaming AL and NL MVP awards after Josh Gibson is the right thing to do", USA Today, November 9, 2020. [6]

Related Sites[edit]