Midwest League Most Valuable Player Award Explained

Midwest League Most Valuable Player Award
Sport:	Baseball
League:	Midwest League
Givenfor:	Regular-season most valuable player of the Midwest League
Country:	United States
Presenter:	Midwest League
First:	Deacon Jones (1956)
Mostrecent:	Kala'i Rosario (2023)

The Midwest League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual award given to the best player in Minor League Baseball's Midwest League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers.^[1] League broadcasters, Minor League Baseball executives, and members of the media have previously voted as well.^[2] Though the league was established in 1947,^[3] the award was not created until 1956.^[4] After the cancellation of the 2020 season,^[5] the league was known as the in 2021 before reverting to the Midwest League name in 2022.^{[6] [7]}

Twenty-four outfielders have won the MVP Award, the most of any position. First basemen, with 11 winners, have won the most among infielders, followed by third basemen (7), shortstops (4), and second basemen (2). Five catchers and three pitchers have also won the award.

Twenty-four players who have won the MVP Award also won the Midwest League Top MLB Prospect Award (formerly the Prospect of the Year Award) in the same season: Willie Wilson (1975), Paul Molitor (1977), Bill Foley (1978), Dave Stockstill (1979), Von Hayes (1980), Luis Medina (1986), Tom Redington (1989), Reggie Sanders (1990), Salomón Torres (1991), Steve Gibralter (1992), Pablo Ozuna (1998), Albert Pujols (2000), Adrián González (2001), Prince Fielder (2003), Brian Dopirak (2004), Carlos González (2005), Ben Revere (2008), Dee Strange-Gordon (2009), Mike Trout (2010), Rymer Liriano (2011), Byron Buxton (2013), Eloy Jiménez (2016), Bo Bichette (2017), and Andy Pages (2021).^{[2] [4]} From 1956 to 2020, pitchers were eligible to win the MVP Award as no award was designated for pitchers. In 2021, the Midwest League established a Pitcher of the Year Award.^[2]

Nine players from the Cedar Rapids Kernels have been selected for the MVP Award, more than any other team in the league, followed by the Beloit Sky Carp, Burlington Bees, Kane County Cougars, Lansing Lugnuts, and Waterloo Indians (4); the Dubuque Packers, Great Lakes Loons, Peoria Chiefs, Springfield Cardinals, and West Michigan Whitecaps (3); the South Bend Cubs (2); and the Clinton Giants, Decatur Commodores, Fort Wayne TinCaps, Kenosha Twins, Kokomo Dodgers, Madison Muskies, Michigan Battle Cats, Midwest Dodgers, Rockford Royals, and Wausau Timbers (1).

Six players from the St. Louis Cardinals Major League Baseball (MLB) organization have won the award, more than any other, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Minnesota Twins organizations (5); the Cleveland Guardians, and Detroit Tigers organizations (4); the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, and Toronto Blue Jays organizations (2); the Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, and Oakland Athletics organizations (2); and the Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, and San Diego Padres organizations (1).

Winners

Position

Indicates the player's primary position
^	Indicates multiple award winners in the same year

Year!scope="col"

Winner	Team	Organization	Position
1956		Dubuque Packers	Chicago White Sox	Second baseman	^[8]
1957
1958		Kokomo Dodgers	Los Angeles Dodgers	Outfielder	^[9]
1959		Decatur Commodores	Detroit Tigers	Pitcher	^[10]
1960		Dubuque Packers	Pittsburgh Pirates	Pitcher	^[11]
1961		Dubuque Packers	Cleveland Indians	Outfielder	^[12]
1962		Midwest Dodgers	Los Angeles Dodgers	First baseman	^[13]
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975		Waterloo Royals	Kansas City Royals	Outfielder	^[14]
1976		Cedar Rapids Giants	San Francisco Giants	Catcher	^[15]
1977		Burlington Bees	Milwaukee Brewers	Shortstop	^[16]
1978				Catcher	^[17]
1979		Wausau Timbers	Chicago Cubs	Outfielder	^[18]
1980		Waterloo Indians	Cleveland Indians	Third baseman	^[19]
1981				Outfielder	^[20]
1982		Madison Muskies	Oakland Athletics	Outfielder	^[21]
1983		Springfield Cardinals	St. Louis Cardinals	Outfielder	^[22]
1984		Beloit Brewers	Milwaukee Brewers	First baseman	^[23]
1985		Cedar Rapids Reds	Cincinnati Reds	Third baseman	^[24]
1986		Waterloo Indians	Cleveland Indians	Outfielder	^[25]
1987^		Beloit Brewers	Milwaukee Brewers	Outfielder	^[26]
		Springfield Cardinals	St. Louis Cardinals	Catcher	^[27]
1988		Kenosha Twins	Minnesota Twins	Catcher	^[28]
1989		Burlington Braves	Atlanta Braves	Third baseman	^[29]
1990		Cedar Rapids Reds	Cincinnati Reds	Outfielder	^[30]
1991		Clinton Giants	San Francisco Giants	Pitcher	^[31]
1992		Cedar Rapids Reds	Cincinnati Reds	Outfielder	^[32]
1993		Springfield Cardinals	St. Louis Cardinals	Second baseman	^[33]
1994		Rockford Royals	Kansas City Royals	Catcher	^[34]
1995		Burlington Bees	San Francisco Giants	First baseman	^[35]
1996		Cedar Rapids Kernels	California Angels	First baseman	^[36]
1997		West Michigan Whitecaps	Detroit Tigers	First baseman	^[37]
1998		Peoria Chiefs	St. Louis Cardinals	Shortstop	^[38]
1999		Michigan Battle Cats	Houston Astros	First baseman	^[39]
2000		Peoria Chiefs	St. Louis Cardinals	Third baseman	^[40]
2001		Kane County Cougars	Florida Marlins	First baseman	^[41]
2002				First baseman	^[42]
2003		Beloit Snappers	Milwaukee Brewers	First baseman	^[43]
2004		Lansing Lugnuts	Chicago Cubs	First baseman	^[44]
2005		South Bend Silver Hawks	Arizona Diamondbacks	Outfielder	^[45]
2006		Kane County Cougars	Oakland Athletics	Third baseman	^[46]
2007		West Michigan Whitecaps	Detroit Tigers	Outfielder	^[47]
2008		Beloit Snappers	Minnesota Twins	Outfielder	^[48]
2009^		Great Lakes Loons	Los Angeles Dodgers	Shortstop	^[49]
				Outfielder	^[50]
2010		Cedar Rapids Kernels	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim	Outfielder	^[51]
2011		Fort Wayne TinCaps	San Diego Padres	Outfielder	^[52]
2012		Lansing Lugnuts	Toronto Blue Jays	Outfielder	^[53]
2013		Cedar Rapids Kernels	Minnesota Twins	Outfielder	^[54]
2014		West Michigan Whitecaps	Detroit Tigers	Outfielder	^[55]
2015		Lansing Lugnuts	Toronto Blue Jays	First baseman	^[56]
2016		South Bend Cubs	Chicago Cubs	Outfielder	^[57]
2017		Lansing Lugnuts	Toronto Blue Jays	Shortstop	^[58]
2018		Peoria Chiefs	St. Louis Cardinals	Third baseman	^[59]
2019		Kane County Cougars	Arizona Diamondbacks	Outfielder	^[60]
2020
2021		Great Lakes Loons	Los Angeles Dodgers	Outfielder	^[61] ^[62]
2022		Cedar Rapids Kernels	Minnesota Twins	Third baseman	^[63] ^[64]
2023				Outfielder	^[65] ^[66]

Wins by team

Active Midwest League teams appear in bold.

Team	Award(s)	Year(s)
Cedar Rapids Kernels (Cedar Rapids Giants/Reds)	9	1976, 1985, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2010, 2013, 2022, 2023
Beloit Sky Carp (Beloit Brewers/Snappers)	4	1984, 1987, 2003, 2008
Burlington Bees (Burlington Braves)		1977, 1978, 1989, 1995
Kane County Cougars		2001, 2002, 2006, 2019
Lansing Lugnuts		2004, 2012, 2015, 2017
Waterloo Indians (Waterloo Royals)		1975, 1980, 1981, 1986
Dubuque Packers	3	1956, 1960, 1961
Great Lakes Loons		2009, 2021
Peoria Chiefs		1998, 2000, 2018
Springfield Cardinals		1983, 1987, 1993
West Michigan Whitecaps		1997, 2007, 2014
South Bend Cubs (South Bend Silver Hawks)	2	2005, 2016
Clinton Giants	1	1991
Decatur Commodores		1959
Fort Wayne TinCaps		2011
Kenosha Twins		1988
Kokomo Dodgers		1958
Madison Muskies		1982
Michigan Battle Cats		1999
Midwest Dodgers		1962
Rockford Royals		1994
Wausau Timbers		1979

Wins by organization

Active Midwest League–Major League Baseball affiliations appear in bold.

Organization	Award(s)	Year(s)
St. Louis Cardinals	6	1983, 1987, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2018
Los Angeles Dodgers	5	1958, 1962, 2009, 2021
Milwaukee Brewers		1977, 1978, 1984, 1987, 2003
Minnesota Twins		1988, 2008, 2013, 2022, 2023
Cleveland Guardians (Cleveland Indians)	4	1961, 1980, 1981, 1986
Detroit Tigers		1959, 1997, 2007, 2014
Chicago Cubs	3	1979, 2004, 2016
Cincinnati Reds		1985, 1990, 1992
San Francisco Giants		1976, 1991, 1995
Toronto Blue Jays		2012, 2015, 2017
Arizona Diamondbacks	2	2005, 2019
Kansas City Royals		1975, 1994
Los Angeles Angels (California Angels)		1996, 2010
Miami Marlins (Florida Marlins)		2001, 2002
Oakland Athletics		1982, 2006
Atlanta Braves	1	1989
Chicago White Sox		1956
Houston Astros		1999
Pittsburgh Pirates		1960
San Diego Padres		2011

References

Specific

General

• Web site: Midwest League Award Winners. Midwest League. Minor League Baseball. December 16, 2022. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20220126112524/https://www.milb.com/midwest/history/award-winners. January 26, 2022.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Resnick. Jacob. High-A Award Winners and All-Stars. Minor League Baseball. November 9, 2022. December 16, 2022.
2. Web site: Avallone. Michael. MiLB's High-A Award Winners and All-Stars. Major League Baseball. October 7, 2021. December 16, 2022.
3. Web site: Sheehan. Stephanie. Then and Now: Midwest League. Minor League Baseball. March 30, 2022. December 16, 2022.
4. Web site: Midwest League Award Winners. Midwest League. Minor League Baseball. December 16, 2022. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20220126112524/https://www.milb.com/midwest/history/award-winners. January 26, 2022.
5. Web site: 2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved. Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. July 1, 2020.
6. Web site: Reichard . Kevin . Minor League Baseball Overhaul Unveiled. Ballpark Digest. February 12, 2021. February 13, 2021.
7. Web site: Historical League Names to Return in 2022. Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. March 16, 2022.
8. Web site: Deacon Jones Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
9. Web site: Gus Sancimino Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
10. Web site: Joel McDaniel Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
11. Web site: Thomas Haake Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
12. Web site: Hector Cardenas Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
13. Web site: Tony Torchia Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
14. Web site: Willie Wilson Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
15. Web site: Wayne Cato Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
16. Web site: Paul Molitor Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
17. Web site: Bill Foley Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
18. Web site: Dave Stockstill Minor & Mexican Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
19. Web site: Von Hayes Minor, Independent & Mexican Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
20. Web site: Ed Saavedra Minor & Mexican Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
21. Web site: Tom Romano Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
22. Web site: Curt Ford Minor, Mexican & Independent Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
23. Web site: Joey Meyer Minor & Japanese Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
24. Web site: Eddie Williams Minor, Japanese, Mexican, Korean & Independent Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
25. Web site: Luis Medina Minor & Japanese Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
26. Web site: Greg Vaughn Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
27. Web site: Todd Zeile Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
28. Web site: Lenny Webster Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
29. Web site: Tom Redington Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
30. Web site: Reggie Sanders Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
31. Web site: Salomon Torres Minor & Korean Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
32. Web site: Steve Gibralter Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
33. Web site: Joe Biasucci Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
34. Web site: Sal Fasano Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
35. Web site: Jesse Ibarra Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
36. Web site: Larry Barnes Minor, Japanese & Independent Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
37. Web site: Robert Fick Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
38. Web site: Pablo Ozuna Minor, Winter & Independent Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
39. Web site: Aaron McNeal Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
40. Web site: Albert Pujols Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
41. Web site: Adrián González Minor, Fall, Winter & Mexican Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
42. Web site: Jason Stokes Minor, Fall & Independent Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
43. Web site: Prince Fielder Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
44. Web site: Brian Dopirak Minor, Fall & Winter Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
45. Web site: Carlos González Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
46. Web site: Jeff Baisley Minor, Fall, Winter, Mexican & Independent Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
47. Web site: Gorkys Hernández Winter, Minor & Mexican Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
48. Web site: Ben Revere Minor, Fall & Independent Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
49. Web site: Dee Strange-Gordon Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
50. Web site: Kyle Russell Minor, Fall & Independent Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
51. Web site: Mike Trout Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
52. Web site: Rymer Liriano Minor, Winter, Fall & Independent Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
53. Web site: Kevin Pillar Minor, Fall & Winter Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
54. Web site: Byron Buxton Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
55. Web site: Wynton Bernard College, Minor, Winter & Independent Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
56. Web site: Ryan McBroom College, Amateur, Minor, Fall, Winter & Japanese Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
57. Web site: Eloy Jiménez Minor, Fall & Winter Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
58. Web site: Bo Bichette Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
59. Web site: Elehuris Montero Minor, Fall & Winter Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
60. Web site: Alek Thomas Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
61. Web site: Postseason All-Stars. Minor League Baseball. December 16, 2022. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211008130129/https://www.milb.com/fans/postseason-all-stars. October 8, 2021.
62. Web site: Andy Pages Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
63. Web site: Postseason All-Stars. Minor League Baseball. December 16, 2022. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20221215143640/https://www.milb.com/fans/league-all-stars. December 15, 2022.
64. Web site: Christian Encarnacion-Strand College & Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. December 16, 2022.
65. Web site: Samson. Brendan. The 2023 High-A All-Stars and Award Winners. Minor League Baseball. September 20, 2023. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20230920190009/https://www.milb.com/news/high-a-all-stars-and-award-winners. September 20, 2023.
66. Web site: Kala'i Rosario Minor Leagues Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. September 20, 2023.