Tag: MVP

Nov 1: Most MVPs

NOVEMBER 1, 2016 | NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Most Valuable Player awards have been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BWAA) since 1931.

The players who’ve won the award the most in the American League were Mickey Mantle, Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Alex Rodriquez. All were 3-time MVP winners. And all, except Foxx, wore Yankee pinstripes.

In the National League, Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, Mike Schmidt and Albert Pujols were 3-time MVP’s. Barry Bonds won the award 7 times – pretty phenomenal even for someone who apparently took PED’s (performance enhancing drugs), but then again, Bonds apparently took PED’s.

MVP Winners
Year – National League — American League
2015 Bryce Harper, Was — Josh Donaldson, Tor
2014 Clayton Kershaw, LA — Mike Trout, Ana
2013 Andrew McCutchen, Pit — Miguel Cabrera, Det
2012 Buster Posey, SF — Miguel Cabrara, Det
2011 Ryan Braun, Mil — Justin Verlander, Det
2010 Joey Votto, Cin — Josh Hamilton, Tex
2009 Albert Pujols, StL — Joe Mauer, Min
2008 Albert Pujols, StL — Dustin Pedroia, Boston
2007 Jimmy Rollins, Phi — Alex Rodriguez, NY
2006 Ryan Howard, Phi — Justin Morneau, Min
2005 Albert Pujols, StL — Alex Rodriguez, NY
2004 Barry Bonds, SF — Vladimir Guerrero, Ana
2003 Barry Bonds, SF — Alex Rodriguez, Tex
2002 Barry Bonds, SF — Miguel Tejada, Oak
2001 Barry Bonds, SF — Ichiro Suzuki, Sea
2000 Jeff Kent, SF — Jason Giambi, Oak
1999 Chipper Jones, Atl — Ivan Rodriguez, Tex
1998 Sammy Sosa, Chi — Juan Gonzalez, Tex
1997 Larry Walker, Col — Ken Griffey, Sea
1996 Ken Caminiti, SD — Juan Gonzalez, Tex
1995 Barry Larkin, Cin — Mo Vaughn, Bos
1994 Jeff Bagwell, Hou — Frank Thomas, Chi
1993 Barry Bonds, SF — Frank Thomas, Chi
1992 Barry Bonds, SF — Dennis Eckersley, Oak
1991 Terry Pendleton, Atl — Cal Ripken, Bal
1990 Barry Bonds, SF — Rickey Henderson, Oak
1989 Kevin Mitchell, SF — Robin Yount, Mil
1988 Kirk Gibson, LA — Jose Canseco, Oak
1987 Andre Dawson, Chi — George Bell, Tor
1986 Mike Schmidt, Phi — Roger Clemens, Bos
1985 Willie McGee, StL — Don Mattingly, NY
1984 Ryne Sandberg, Chi — Willie Hernandez, Det
1983 Dale Murphy, Atl — Cal Ripken, Bal
1982 Dale Murphy, Atl — Robin Yount, Mil
1981 Mike Schmidt, Phi — Rollie Fingers, Mil
1980 Mike Schmidt, Phi — George Brett, KC
1979 Keith Hernandez, StL Willie Stargell, Pit (tie) — Don Baylor, Cal
1978 Dave Parker, Pit — Jim Rice, Bos
1977 George Foster, Cin — Rod Carew, Min
1976 Joe Morgan, Cin — Thurman Munson, NY
1975 Joe Morgan, Cin —  Fred Lynn, Bos
1974 Steve Garvey, LA — Jeff Burroughs, Tex
1973 Pete Rose, Cin — Reggie Jackson, Oak
1972 Johnny Bench, Cin — Dick Allen, Chi
1971 Joe Torre, StL — Vida Blue, Oak
1970 Johnny Bench, Cin —  Boog Powell, Bal
1969 Willie McCovey, SF — Harmon Killebrew, Min
1968 Bob Gibson, StL — Denny McLain, Det
1967 Orlando Cepeda, StL — Carl Yastrzemski, Bos
1966 Roberto Clemente, Pit — Frank Robinson, Bal
1965 Willie Mays, SF — Zoilo Versalles, Min
1964 Ken Boyer, StL  — Brooks Robinson, Bal
1963 Sandy Koufax, LA — Elston Howard, NY
1962 Maury Wills, LA — Mickey Mantle, NY
1961 Frank Robinson, — Cin Roger Maris, NY
1960 Dick Groat, Pit —  Roger Maris, NY
1959 Ernie Banks, Chi — Nellie Fox, Chi
1958 Ernie Banks, Chi  — Jackie Jensen, Bos
1957 Hank Aaron, Mil — Mickey Mantle, NY
1956 Don Newcombe, Bro —  Mickey Mantle, NY
1955 Roy Campanella, Bro — Yogi Berra, NY
1954 Willie Mays, NY —  Yogi Berra, NY
1953 Roy Campanella, —  Bro Al Rosen*, Cle
1952 Hank Sauer, Chi — Bobby Shantz, Phi
1951 Roy Campanella, — Yogi Berra, NY
1950 Jim Konstanty, Phi — Phil Rizzuto, NY
1949 Jackie Robinson, Bro — Ted Williams, Bos
1948 Stan Musial, StL — Lou Boudreau, Cle
1945 Phil Cavarretta, Chi — Hal Newhouser, Det
1944 Marty Marion, StL — Hal Newhouser, Det
1943 Stan Musial, StL — Spud Chandler, NY
1942 Mort Cooper,  — StL Joe Gordon, NY
1941 Dolph Camilli, Bro, — Joe DiMaggio, NY,
1940 Frank McCormick, Cin Hank Greenberg, Det
1939 Bucky Walters, — Cin Joe DiMaggio, NY
1938 Ernie Lombardi, trans action comes.  Jimmie Foxx, Bos
1937 Joe Medwick, StL — Charlie Gehringer, Det
1936 Carl Hubbell*, NY — Lou Gehrig, NY
1935 Gabby Hartnett, Chi — Hank Greenberg*, Det
1934 Dizzy Dean, StL — Mickey Cochrane, Det
1933 Carl Hubbell, NY — Jimmie Foxx, Phi
1932 Chuck Klein, Phi — Jimmie Foxx, Ph
1931 Frankie Frisch, StL — Lefty Grove, Phi

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
Baseball Writers Association of America (BWAA) 
MVP Award – wikipedia   

JAN 1: A STAR IS BORN

JANUARY 1, 1911 | NEW YORK, NEW YORK • A star is born. Slugger Hank Greenberg was born to an orthodox Jewish family on this date in baseball history. He broke into the major leagues with the Detroit Tigers in 1930, just 19 years later.

Greenberg was a 2-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) and 5-time all-star, though he only played 9 full seasons. Henry Benjamin Greenberg, like many major leaguers, had some of his best years interrupted by military service in World War II. He missed 3 full seasons and parts of 2 others.

Greenberg was a fearsome hitter. He hit 58 home runs in 1938 – at the time only Babe Ruth had hit more (Jimmie Foxx hit 58 home runs in 1932). Greenberg’s 183 RBI in 1937 are eclipsed only by Hack Wilson‘s 191 in 1930 and Lou Gehrig’s 184 in 1931. Only a handful of players have a higher lifetime slugging percentage than Greenberg’s .605.

As a youth, Greenberg was an all-around athlete in New York City. He led James Monroe High School to the New York City basketball championship, but his favorite sport was baseball. The Yankees showed interest in the first baseman in 1929, but he decided the odds of cracking the lineup were pretty slim with another New York born slugger already a fixture at first – Lou Gehrig. Greenberg enrolled at New York University, but signed with the Detroit Tigers the following year.

Greenberg quit playing in 1948 to become farm director of the Cleveland Indians. He moved into the Indians front office as general manager and part-owner with Bill Veeck two years later. He became a part-owner of the Chicago White Sox with Veeck in 1959. Their timing couldn’t have been better. The Sox won the pennant for the first time in 40 years. Greenberg and Veeck sold their interests in the White Sox in 1961, and Greenberg went on to a successful career in private business.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956. Hank Greenberg died September 4, 1986 in Beverly Hills, California.

Contributing sources:
More on Hank Greenberg
Jewish Virtual Library

 

Nov 16: Most MVP’s were outfielders

NOVEMBER 16, 2017 | NEW YORK, NEW YORK • The baseball world is waiting to hear who the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award winners are for 2017. A review of past MVP’s demonstrates that more often than not, they were outfielders.

[I combined the three outfield positions as one position] You may ask, “Why not combine all infield positions?” My response is, first base is a distinctly different position than shortstop.

MVP recipients by position (as of 11/16/2017)
American League
OF       29
1B       14
P          12
3B          9
SS           8
C            8
2B         4
DH        1

National League
OF       31
1B       15
P          10
3B          9
C            8
SS          7
2B         6

There were several MVP-type awards early in the 20th Century, but the criteria were often suspect. Raising doubts about their legitimacy was the fact that players like Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb never won such an award.

The Baseball Writers Association of America took over voting for the Most Valuable Player award in 1931 and continues the task to this day. This brings credibility to the conclusion that most MVP’s were outfielders.

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
List of MVP winners
MVP recipients by position

NOV 13… in Baseball History: The Most MVP’s

NOVEMBER 13, 2017 | NEW YORK, NEW YORK – The most valuable player awards for 2017 are due out in a few days. It’s not unusual for each league’s most valuable player (MVP) to be a repeater. The leader of the pack by far is Barry Bonds. Evidence that he took PEDs (performance enhancement drugs) notwithstanding, Bonds won 7 MVP awards, more than twice as many as anyone else.

Multiple MVP winners as of November 12, 2016:
Barry Bonds (7)  

Albert Pujols (3)
Alex Rodriguez (3)
Mike Schmidt (3)
Yogi Berra (3)
Roy Campanella (3)
Joe DiMaggio (3)
Mickey Mantle (3)
Jimmie Foxx (3)
Stan Musial (3)

Ernie Banks (2)
Johnny Bench (2)
Miguel Cabrera (2)
Mickey Cochrane (2)
Lou Gehrig (2)
Hank Greenberg (2)
Juan Gonzalez (2)
Rogers Hornsby (2)
Carl Hubbell (2)
Walter Johnson (2)
Roger Maris (2)
Willie Mays (2)
Joe Morgan (2)
Dale Murphy (2)
Hal Newhouser (2)
Cal Ripken (2)
Frank Robinson (2)
Frank Thomas (2)
Ted Williams (2)
Robin Yount (2)

There were several post-season “best player” awards prior to 1931, but their criteria was not always well thought out, as evidenced by the absence of Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and others.

The current MVP awards have been presented in each league since 1931. They are presented annually by the Baseball Writer’s Association of America (BBWAA). Today – NOVEMBER 13th – in baseball history: The most valuable player awards

CONTRIBUTING SOURCES:
Baseball-Reference.com MVP awards
Multiple MVP winners