MLB Most Valuable Player Award
The MLB Most Valuable Player Award (usually called the MVP Award) is an annual Major League Baseball award . One player each from the American League and one from the National League will be honored . Since 1931, the award has been given by the Baseball Writers Association of America , an association of professional baseball journalists from various daily newspapers. Its predecessors were the automobile manufacturer Hugh Chalmers, who awarded a prize for the best batter from 1911 to 1914. From 1922 to 1928 each journalist presented a League Award in the American League. The National League followed suit from 1924 to 1929.
Chalmers Award (1911-1914)
Before the 1910 season, Hugh Chalmers , owner of Chalmers Automobile Works , promised to give the batting champion of each league a car as a prize. In the American League, the two players Ty Cobb and Nap Lajoie were almost equal before the last game day. When the double header between the St. Louis Browns and the Lajoie team from Cleveland on the last day of the game, there was a scandal. The infield of St. Louis retreated so far in the at-bats of Lajoie that he was able to reach first base six times with a total of six bunts and thus won the title. Due to the frequency of the Bunts, there was an intention of the Browns to "give" Lajoie the hits, as the defense would normally move very close to the infield if the batter kept laying Bunts. As part of the ensuing debate about this apparently unsporting behavior, St. Louis manager Jack O'Connor was fired for his role in the affair. Hugh Chalmers ultimately gave each of the two contenders a car.
For the 1911 season, Chalmers decided that the batting average was too limited to be the basis for awarding an award. He decided that the award should go to the player who can prove himself to be the most important and useful player in his team and in the league. This was the first attempt to measure a player by their overall contribution to the success of the team. On this basis, Chalmers awarded his prize up to and including 1914. At this point, however, interest in his award had waned so much that he withdrew the prize.
Chalmers Award winner
year | National League | American League |
---|---|---|
1911 | Wildfire Schulte , Chicago Cubs , OF | Ty Cobb , Detroit Tigers , OF |
1912 | Larry Doyle , New York Giants , 2B | Tris Speaker , Boston Red Sox , OF |
1913 | Jake Daubert , Brooklyn Dodgers , 1B | Walter Johnson , Washington Senators , P. |
1914 | Johnny Evers , Boston Braves , 2B | Eddie Collins , Philadelphia Athletics , 2B |
League Awards (1922-1928)
In 1922 the " American League Trophy Committee " was founded to honor the baseball player who made the greatest all-round contribution to his team and to the reputation of baseball in the respective season. For this purpose, a journalist was selected from every city that had a franchise in the American League, who was to choose an outstanding player for each team and to rank them. Player-coaches and players who had already been awarded in one of the previous years could not be elected. In contrast to the vote today, two differences can be identified. On the one hand, a vote can now be divided between two players and, on the other hand, already excellent players can receive the award again. For example, Babe Ruth could not be honored for his more than outstanding performance in the offensive field in 1927, since he received the award in 1923.
Knowing these facts, the National League established its own US $ 1,000 award in 1924, which allowed journalists to choose 10 players with no limit on the number of players per team. In addition, player-coaches were also allowed in the election. Furthermore, excellent players could already be selected in the previous year, which also happened through the two-time award from Rogers Hornsby in 1925 and 1929.
But both awards were very short-lived, mainly because the limited number of voters limited the credibility of the award and thus the interest of the fans.
On May 6, 1929, the American League teams decided to abolish the award. The National League followed shortly thereafter, but in contrast to the American League in 1929, it still awarded an award.
League Award winner
year | National League | American League |
---|---|---|
1922 | no winner | George Sisler , St. Louis Browns , 1B |
1923 | no winner | Babe Ruth , New York Yankees , OF |
1924 | Dazzy Vance , Brooklyn Robins , P. | Walter Johnson , Washington Senators , P. |
1925 | Rogers Hornsby , St. Louis Cardinals , 2B | Roger Peckinpaugh , Washington Senators , SS |
1926 | Bob O'Farrell , St. Louis Cardinals , C | George Burns , Cleveland Indians , 1B |
1927 | Paul Waner , Pittsburgh Pirates , OF | Lou Gehrig , New York Yankees , 1B |
1928 | Jim Bottomley , St. Louis Cardinals , 1B | Mickey Cochrane , Philadelphia Athletics , C. |
1929 | Rogers Hornsby , Chicago Cubs , 2B | no winner |
Baseball Writers Association of America's Most Valuable Player
Motivated by the loophole created by the abolition of the League Awards, the Baseball Writers Association of America initiated a vote in October 1929 to elect the unofficial MVP of the American League. The winner of the vote was Lew Fonseca . The Sporting News went one step further and in January 1930 held a vote among the journalists who had previously determined the official award winner. Their choice fell on Al Simmons . In 1930, each league again determined an official MVP. The Sporting News repeated their unofficial election this time for both leagues. The Baseball Writers Association of America also named a National League player, while the Associated Press news agency named an American League player.
MVPs of 1929 and 1930
- 1929
- National League
- no award
- American League
- Lew Fonesca recognized by the Baseball Writers Association of America
- Al Simmons honored by sports magazine "The Sporting News"
- National League
- 1930
- National League
- Bill Terry recognized by sports magazine "The Sporting News"
- Hack Nilson recognized by the Baseball Writers Association of America
- American League
- Joe Cronin recognized by The Sporting News and the Associated Press
- National League
For the 1931 season, the BBWAA decided to select the most valuable players in both leagues in the future. This decision is given almost everywhere as the birth of the “modern” MVP award, although the leagues had not yet recognized the award at that time. The Sporting News magazine continued to present its own award until 1938. At that time, the magazine agreed with the BBWAA on a joint award of the award. However, The Sporting News later launched its own MVP award, which the magazine still awards today.
In 1956 the Cy Young Award was given for the first time to the best pitcher in Major League Baseball (since 1967 the award has been given to one pitcher per league). As a result, the prevailing opinion arose that pitchers should not be elected as MVPs, firstly because they have their own award and secondly because they cannot be as valuable to a team as they do not take part in every game. Despite all this, pitchers still win the award. Since the Cy Young Award was presented in both leagues in 1967, a pitcher has been elected MVP seven times. The last was Dennis Eckersley in 1992.
Winner of the MVP Award of Modern Times
* unanimous decision
Abbreviations of the positions : P = Pitcher , C = Catcher , 1B, 2B, 3B = First , Second , Third Base , SS = Shortstop , OF = Outfielder
Multiple award-winning players
player | number | Years |
---|---|---|
Barry Bonds | 7th | 1990, 1992-1993, 2001-2004 |
Yogi Berra | 3 | 1951, 1954-1955 |
Roy Campanella | 3 | 1951, 1953, 1955 |
Joe DiMaggio | 3 | 1939, 1941, 1947 |
Jimmie Foxx | 3 | 1932-1933, 1938 |
Mickey Mantle | 3 | 1956-1957, 1962 |
Stan Musial | 3 | 1943, 1946, 1948 |
Albert Pujols | 3 | 2005, 2008, 2009 |
Alex Rodríguez | 3 | 2003, 2005, 2007 |
Mike Schmidt | 3 | 1980-1981, 1986 |
Mike Trout | 3 | 2014, 2016, 2019 |
Ernie Banks | 2 | 1958-1959 |
Johnny Bench | 2 | 1970, 1972 |
Lou Gehrig | 2 | 1927, 1936 |
Juan Gonzalez | 2 | 1996, 1998 |
Hank Greenberg | 2 | 1935, 1940 |
Carl Hubbell | 2 | 1933, 1936 |
Roger Maris | 2 | 1960-1961 |
Willie Mays | 2 | 1954, 1965 |
Joe Morgan | 2 | 1975-1976 |
Dale Murphy | 2 | 1982-1983 |
Hal Newhouser | 2 | 1944-1945 |
Cal Ripken, Jr. | 2 | 1983, 1991 |
Frank Robinson | 2 | 1961, 1966 |
Frank Thomas | 2 | 1993-1994 |
Ted Williams | 2 | 1946, 1949 |
Robin Yount | 2 | 1982, 1989 |
Miguel Cabrera | 2 | 2012, 2013 |
Number of awards per team
MLB teams without award winners
team |
---|
Arizona Diamondbacks |
New York Mets |
Tampa Bay Rays |
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Jorge L. Ortiz: Angels' Mike Trout wins second AL MVP. usatoday.com, November 17, 2016, accessed November 17, 2017 .
- ↑ Marcus Blumberg: Altuve and Stanton win MVP awards. spox.com, November 17, 2017, accessed November 17, 2017 .