Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award Explained

Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP)
Sport:	Baseball
League:	Major League Baseball
Givenfor:	Regular season most valuable player of American League and National League
Presenter:	Baseball Writers' Association of America
Country:	United States, Canada
First:	1931
Mostrecent:	Ronald Acuña Jr. (NL) Shohei Ohtani (AL)

The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. The award has been presented by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) since 1931.

History

Since 1931, a Most Valuable Player Award has been bestowed by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) to a player in the National League and a player in the American League. Before 1931, two similar awards were issued—the League Award was issued during 1922–1928 in the American League and during 1924–1929 in the National League,^[1] and during 1911–1914, the Chalmers Award was issued to a player in each league.^[2] Criteria and a list of winners for these two earlier awards are detailed in below sections.

MVP voting takes place before the postseason, but the results are not announced until after the World Series. The BBWAA began by polling three writers in each league city in 1938, reducing that number to two per league city in 1961.^[3] The BBWAA does not offer a clear-cut definition of what "most valuable" means, instead leaving the judgment to the individual voters.^{[4] [5]}

In 1944, the award was named after Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the first Commissioner of Baseball, who served from 1920 until his death on November 25, 1944.^{[6] [7]} Formally named the Kenesaw Mountain Landis Memorial Baseball Award, that naming appeared on a plaque given to winning players.^[8] Starting in 2020, Landis' name no longer appears on the MVP plaque^[9] after the BBWAA received complaints from several former MVP winners about Landis' role against the integration of MLB.^{[10] [11]}

First basemen, with 35 winners, have won the most MVPs among infielders, followed by second basemen (16), third basemen (15), and shortstops (15). Of the 25 pitchers who have won the award, 15 are right-handed while 10 are left-handed. Walter Johnson, Carl Hubbell, and Hal Newhouser are the only pitchers who have won multiple times, with Newhouser winning consecutively in 1944 and 1945.^{[12] [13]}

Hank Greenberg, Stan Musial, Alex Rodriguez, and Robin Yount have won at different positions,^[12] while Rodriguez is the only player who has won the award with two different teams at two different positions.^[14] Rodriguez and Andre Dawson are the only players to win the award while on a last-place team, the 2003 Texas Rangers and 1987 Chicago Cubs, respectively. Barry Bonds has won the most often (seven times) and the most consecutively (four from 2001 to 2004).^[15] Jimmie Foxx was the first player to win multiple times^[16] – 10 players have won three times, and 19 have won twice.^[17] Frank Robinson is the only player to win the award in both the American and National Leagues.

The award's only tie occurred in the National League in 1979, when Keith Hernandez and Willie Stargell received an equal number of points.^{[12] [18]} There have been 19 unanimous winners, who received all the first-place votes.^[3] The New York Yankees have the most winning players with 23, followed by the St. Louis Cardinals with 21 winners. The award has never been presented to a member of the following three teams: Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, and Tampa Bay Rays.

In recent decades, pitchers have rarely won the award. When Shohei Ohtani won the AL award in 2021, he became the first pitcher in either league to be named the MVP since Clayton Kershaw in 2014, and the first in the American League since Justin Verlander in 2011. Ohtani also became the first two-way player to win the award ^[19] and in 2023, he became the first player in MLB history to win MVP by unanimous vote twice.^[20] Since the creation of the Cy Young Award in 1956, he is the only pitcher to win an MVP award without winning a Cy Young in the same year (Don Newcombe, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Denny McLain, Vida Blue, Rollie Fingers, Willie Hernández, Roger Clemens, Dennis Eckersley, Justin Verlander, and Clayton Kershaw all won a Cy Young award in their MVP seasons).

Ironically, there was no award given by either league in 1930, which meant that one of the single greatest performances ever went unheralded when Hack Wilson of the Chicago Cubs set the (still standing) MLB record for RBI with 191. He also batted .356 and set the NL record with 56 HRs, a record which stood for 68 years until Sammy Sosa (66) and Mark McGuire (70) both eclipsed him.

Key

Year	Links to the article about the corresponding Major League Baseball season
	Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a player^[21] ^[22]
^	Player is still active
§	Unanimous selection
Player	Denotes winning player and number of times they had won the award at that point
	Team won the league pennant
P	Pitcher (RHP indicates right-handed; LHP indicates left-handed)
C	Catcher
1B	First baseman
2B	Second baseman
3B	Third baseman
SS	Shortstop
OF	Outfielder
DH	Designated hitter

Chalmers Award (1911–1914)

Before the 1910 season, Hugh Chalmers of Chalmers Automobile announced he would present a Chalmers Model 30 automobile to the player with the highest batting average in Major League Baseball at the end of the season. The 1910 race for best average in the American League was between the Detroit Tigers' widely disliked^{[3] [23] [24]} Ty Cobb and Nap Lajoie of the Cleveland Indians. On the last day of the season, Lajoie overtook Cobb's batting average with seven bunt hits against the St. Louis Browns.^[25] American League President Ban Johnson said a recalculation showed that Cobb had won the race anyway, and Chalmers ended up awarding cars to both players.^[3]

In the following season, Chalmers created the Chalmers Award. A committee of baseball writers was to convene after the season to determine the "most important and useful player to the club and the league". Since the award was not as effective at advertising as Chalmers had hoped, it was discontinued after 1914.^[3]

Year	American League winner	Team	Position	National League winner	Team	Position	Ref
			OF			OF	^[26]
			OF			2B	^[27]
			RHP			1B	^[28]
			2B			2B	^[29]

League Awards (1922–1929)

In 1922 the American League created a new award to honor "the baseball player who is of the greatest all-around service to his club".^[30] Winners, voted on by a committee of eight baseball writers chaired by James Crusinberry,^[31] received a bronze medal and a cash prize.^[32] Voters were required to select one player from each team, and player-coaches and prior award winners were ineligible. Famously, these criteria resulted in Babe Ruth winning only a single MVP award before it was dropped after 1928. The National League award, without these restrictions, lasted from 1924 to 1929.^[3]

Year	American League winner	Team	Position	National League winner	Team	Position	Ref
			1B	—			^[33]
			OF	—			^[34]
			RHP			RHP	^[35]
			SS			2B	^[36]
			1B			C	^[37]
			1B			OF	^[38]
			C			1B	^[39]
	—					2B	^[40]

Baseball Writers' Association of America's Most Valuable Player (1931–present)

The BBWAA was first awarded the modern MVP after the 1931 season, adopting the format the National League used to distribute its league award. One writer in each city with a team filled out a ten-place ballot, with ten points for the recipient of a first-place vote, nine for a second-place vote, and so on. In 1938, the BBWAA raised the number of voters to three per city and gave 14 points for a first-place vote. The only significant change since then occurred in 1961 when the number of voters was reduced to two per league city.^[3]

Year	American League winner	Team	Position	National League winner	Team	Position	Ref
	^†		LHP	^†	St. Louis Cardinals	2B	^[41]
	^†		1B	^†		OF	^[42]
	^† (2)		1B	^†		LHP	^[43]
	^† (2)	Detroit Tigers	C	^†	St. Louis Cardinals	RHP	^[44]
	^†§	Detroit Tigers	1B	^†	Chicago Cubs	C	^[45]
	^† (2)	New York Yankees	1B	^†§ (2)		LHP	^[46]
	^†		2B	^†		OF	^[47]
	^† (3)		1B	^†		C	^[48]
	^†	New York Yankees	OF		Cincinnati Reds	RHP	^[49]
	^† (2)	Detroit Tigers	OF		Cincinnati Reds	1B	^[50]
	^† (2)	New York Yankees	OF			1B	^[51]
	^†	New York Yankees	2B		St. Louis Cardinals	RHP	^[52]
		New York Yankees	RHP	^†	St. Louis Cardinals	OF	^[53]
	^†		LHP		St. Louis Cardinals	SS	^[54]
	^† (2)	Detroit Tigers	LHP		Chicago Cubs	1B	^[55]
	^†	Boston Red Sox	OF	^† (2)	St. Louis Cardinals	1B	^[56]
	^† (3)	New York Yankees	OF			3B	^[57]
	^†	Cleveland Indians	SS	^† (3)		OF	^[58]
	^† (2)		OF	^†		2B	^[59]
	^†	New York Yankees	SS		Philadelphia Phillies	RHP	^[60]
	^†	New York Yankees	C	^†		C	^[61]
			LHP			OF	^[62]
	^§		3B	^† (2)		C	^[63]
	^† (2)		C	^†		OF	^[64]
	^† (3)	New York Yankees	C	^† (3)		C	^[65]
	^†§	New York Yankees	OF			RHP	^[66]
	^† (2)	New York Yankees	OF	^†		OF	^[67]
			OF	^†		SS	^[68]
	^†	Chicago White Sox	2B	^† (2)		SS	^[69]
		New York Yankees	OF		Pittsburgh Pirates	SS	^[70]
	(2)	New York Yankees	OF	^†	Cincinnati Reds	OF	^[71]
	^† (3)	New York Yankees	OF			SS	^[72]
		New York Yankees	C	^†	Los Angeles Dodgers	LHP	^[73]
	^†		3B		St. Louis Cardinals	3B	^[74]
		Minnesota Twins	SS	^† (2)		OF	^[75]
	^†§ (2)	Baltimore Orioles	OF	^†		OF	^[76]
	^†	Boston Red Sox	OF	^†§	St. Louis Cardinals	1B	^[77]
	^§	Detroit Tigers	RHP	^†	St. Louis Cardinals	RHP	^[78]
	^†		3B	^†		1B	^[79]
		Baltimore Orioles	1B	^†	Cincinnati Reds	C	^[80]
				LHP	^†		3B	^[81]
				1B	^† (2)	Cincinnati Reds	C	^[82]
	^†§	Oakland Athletics	OF			OF	^[83]
				OF		Los Angeles Dodgers	1B	^[84]
		Boston Red Sox	OF	^†	Cincinnati Reds	2B	^[85]
		New York Yankees	C	^† (2)	Cincinnati Reds	2B	^[86]
	^†		1B			OF	^[87]
	^†		OF			OF	^[88]
			LF/DH^[89]			1B
				^†	Pittsburgh Pirates	1B
	^†	Kansas City Royals	3B	^†§	Philadelphia Phillies	3B	^[90]
	^†		RHP	^† (2)		3B	^[91]
	^†	Milwaukee Brewers	SS			OF	^[92]
	^†	Baltimore Orioles	SS	(2)		OF	^[93]
		Detroit Tigers	LHP	^†		2B	^[94]
			1B		St. Louis Cardinals	OF	^[95]
		Boston Red Sox	RHP	^† (3)		3B	^[96]
			OF	^†		OF	^[97]
	^§	Oakland Athletics	OF		Los Angeles Dodgers	OF	^[98]
	^† (2)		OF		San Francisco Giants	OF	^[99]
	^†	Oakland Athletics	OF			OF	^[100]
	^† (2)		SS		Atlanta Braves	3B	^[101]
	^†		RHP	(2)		OF	^[102]
	^†§		1B	(3)		OF	^[103]
	^† (2)		1B	^†§		1B	^[104]
			1B	^†		SS	^[105]
			OF	^§		3B	^[106]
	^†§		OF	^†		OF	^[107]
	(2)		OF			OF	^[108]
	^†		C	^†	Atlanta Braves	3B	^[109]
			1B			2B	^[110]
				OF	(4)		OF	^[111] ^[112]
				SS	^§ (5)	San Francisco Giants	OF	^[113]
				SS	(6)		OF	^[114]
	^†		OF	(7)		OF	^[115]
		(2)		3B			1B	^[116]
			1B				1B	^[117]
		(3)		3B			SS	^[118]
				2B	(2)		1B	^[119]
	^†		C	(3)		1B	^[120]
		Texas Rangers	OF	^^		1B	^[121] ^[122]
	^^		RHP			OF	^[123] ^[124]
		Detroit Tigers	3B		San Francisco Giants	C	^[125] ^[126]
	(2)		3B	^^		OF	^[127] ^[128]
	^^§		OF	^^		LHP	^[129] ^[130]
			3B	^^§		OF	^[131] ^[132]
	^^ (2)		OF	^^	Chicago Cubs	3B/OF	^[133]
	^^	Houston Astros	2B	^^		OF	^[134]
	^^	Boston Red Sox	OF	^^		OF	^[135]
	^^ (3)		OF	^^		OF	^[136]
	^^		1B	^^		1B	^[137]
	^^§		RHP/DH	^^ (2)		OF	^[138]
	^^		OF	^^		1B	^[139]
	^^§(2)		RHP/DH	^^§	Atlanta Braves	OF	^[140]

Wins by team

Teams	Awards	Years
New York Yankees	23	1923, 1927, 1936, 1939, 1941–1943, 1947, 1950, 1951, 1954–1957, 1960–1963, 1976, 1985, 2005, 2007, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals	21	1925, 1926, 1928, 1931, 1934, 1937, 1942–1944, 1946, 1948, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1971, 1979, 1985, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2022
New York/San Francisco Giants	14	1912, 1933, 1936, 1954, 1965, 1969, 1989, 1993, 2000–2004, 2012
Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers		1913, 1924, 1941, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1962, 1963, 1974, 1988, 2014, 2019
Philadelphia/Oakland Athletics	13	1914, 1928, 1931–1933, 1952, 1971, 1973, 1988, 1990, 1992, 2000, 2002
Cincinnati Reds	12	1938–1940, 1961, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975–1977, 1995, 2010
Detroit Tigers		1911, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1940, 1944, 1945, 1968, 1984, 2011–2013
Boston Red Sox		1912, 1938, 1946, 1949, 1958, 1967, 1975, 1978, 1986, 1995, 2008, 2018
Chicago Cubs	11	1911, 1929, 1935, 1945, 1952, 1958, 1959, 1984, 1987, 1998, 2016
Boston/Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves	9	1914, 1947, 1957, 1982, 1983, 1991, 1999, 2020, 2023
Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins	8	1913, 1924, 1925, 1965, 1969, 1977, 2006, 2009
Pittsburgh Pirates		1927, 1960, 1966, 1978, 1979, 1990, 1992, 2013
Philadelphia Phillies		1932, 1950, 1980, 1981, 1986, 2006, 2007, 2021
California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels	7	1979, 2004, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2023
Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns	6	1922, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1983, 1991
Texas Rangers		1974, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2010
Milwaukee Brewers	5	1981, 1982, 1989, 2011, 2018
Chicago White Sox		1959, 1972, 1993, 1994, 2020
Cleveland Indians / Guardians	3	1926, 1948, 1953
Seattle Mariners	2	1997, 2001
Toronto Blue Jays		1987, 2015
Houston Astros		1994, 2017
Kansas City Royals	1	1980
San Diego Padres		1996
Colorado Rockies		1997
Washington Nationals		2015
Miami Marlins		2017
Arizona Diamondbacks	0	none
New York Mets		none
Tampa Bay Rays		none

See also

• "Esurance MLB Awards" Best Major Leaguer (in MLB; all positions) (there are also Best Hitter and Best Pitcher awards (in MLB))
• "Players Choice Awards" Player of the Year (in MLB; all positions) (there are also Outstanding Player and Outstanding Pitcher awards (in each league))
• Baseball America Major League Player of the Year (in MLB; all positions)
• Baseball Digest Player of the Year (in MLB; position players only; from 1969 to 1993, included all positions; in 1994, a separate Pitcher of the Year award was added)
• Best Major League Baseball Player ESPY Award (in MLB; all positions)
• The Sporting News Most Valuable Player Award (in each league) (discontinued in 1946)
• Sporting News Player of the Year (in MLB; position players only)
• List of Major League Baseball awards
• Baseball awards

Notes

• A player is considered inactive if he has announced his retirement or has not played for a full season.
• A unanimous victory indicates that the player received all possible first-place votes.
• Torre is a member of the Hall of Fame, but not as a player. He was inducted in as a manager.^[141]
• Hernandez and Stargell both received 216 points in the 1979 voting.^[18]

External links

• Most Valuable Player MVP Awards & Cy Young Awards Winners (1911 - present) (and "Multiple Winners of the MVP and Cy Young Awards"). Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2016-11-07.

Notes and References

1. Web site: League Award . . October 29, 2023.
2. Web site: Chalmers Award . . October 29, 2023.
3. Gillette & Palmer, pp. 1764–1765
4. News: Kepner . Tyler . Where Do You Find Value? Discussing the M.V.P. Criteria . September 4, 2011 . . SP3 . September 6, 2011 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20141027083831/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/sports/baseball/blue-jays-bautista-and-yankees-granderson-discuss-mvp-criteria.html?scp=1&sq=baseball%20mvp&st=cse . October 27, 2014 .
5. For the definition that appears on the BBWAA ballot (including pitchers and designated hitters), go to Voting FAQ and scroll down. Baseball Writers' Association of America. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
6. Web site: Landis, Kenesaw. National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. 2011-11-22. live. http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20111122191002/http://baseballhall.org/hof/landis-kenesaw. 2011-11-22.
7. Book: Gillette, Gary. Palmer, Pete. The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia. Sterling Publishing Co. New York. 2007. Fourth. 1763. 978-1-4027-4771-7.
8. Web site: MLB Award Trophies and Plaques . gettyimages.com . November 2006 . October 29, 2023.
9. News: 'MVP' chants ahead of MVP hitting groove for White Sox' Jose Abreu . Daryl . Van Schouwen . . April 13, 2021 . October 29, 2023.
10. News: Former MVPs want Landis removed from plaque . David . Adler . MLB.com . July 1, 2020 . October 29, 2023.
11. News: Landis' name to be removed from MVP trophies . Matt . Kelly . MLB.com . October 2, 2020 . October 29, 2023.
12. December 2000. Major League Baseball's Most Valuable Player Award Winners. Baseball Digest. Century Publishing Co.. Evanston, Illinois. 59. 12. 86–89. 0005-609X. December 29, 2009.
13. Web site: Walter Johnson Statistics and History . Baseball-Reference.com . 2016-01-23 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180508121736/https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/johnswa01.shtml . 2018-05-08 .
14. Web site: Alex Rodriguez Statistics. Baseball-Reference.com. December 3, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100712225632/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rodrial01.shtml. July 12, 2010.
15. Web site: Barry Bonds Statistics. Baseball-Reference.com. December 3, 2009. live. http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110703020046/https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bondsba01.shtml. July 3, 2011.
16. Web site: Jimmie Foxx Statistics. Baseball-Reference.com. December 3, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090412052533/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/foxxji01.shtml. April 12, 2009.
17. Web site: Most Valuable Player MVP Awards & Cy Young Awards Winners. Baseball-Reference.com. December 3, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100109123655/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/mvp_cya.shtml. January 9, 2010.
18. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1979. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090330113241/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1979.shtml. March 30, 2009.
19. News: Angels star Shohei Ohtani is unanimous American League MVP, becoming first two-way player to win. usatoday.com. Jesse. Yomtov. November 18, 2021.
20. Web site: Shohei Ohtani first player to win MVP by unanimous vote twice . Los Angeles Times . November 17, 2023 . November 17, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231117032419/https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/story/2023-11-16/shohei-ohtani-wins-2023-american-league-mvp-angels . live .
21. Gillette & Palmer, pp. 1755–1760
22. Web site: Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees. Baseball-Reference.com. December 3, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100104093600/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/hof.shtml. January 4, 2010.
23. News: Mirrors of Sport. Doyle. Havey. July 4, 1941. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 18. January 19, 2010.
24. Web site: He was a pain ... but a great pain. Schwartz. Larry. ESPN.com. January 19, 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20091003064854/http://espn.go.com/sportscentury/features/00014142.html. October 3, 2009.
25. Web site: Queen . Mike . Embarrassing Baseball Scandals Fans Want to Forget . Headlines and Heroes: Newspapers, Comics and More Fine Print [Blog] . Library of Congress . 17 August 2023 . 11 July 2023.
26. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1911. Baseball-Reference.com. December 3, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090210021246/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1911.shtml. February 10, 2009.
27. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1912. Baseball-Reference.com. December 3, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090130064151/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1912.shtml. January 30, 2009.
28. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1913. Baseball-Reference.com. December 3, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090129201224/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1913.shtml. January 29, 2009.
29. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1914. Baseball-Reference.com. December 3, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090130064549/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1914.shtml. January 30, 2009.
30. Web site: One of a kind: Another MVP for A-Rod. Newman. Mark. November 14, 2009. MLB.com. December 5, 2009. March 12, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080312161719/http://www.mlb.com/players/rodriguez_alex/article.jsp?story=111405b. dead.
31. News: Rogers Hornsby Voted Most Valuable Player in National League. Gould. Alan. December 8, 1929. Reading Eagle. January 6, 2010.
32. News: Player Award Goes to Hornsby again. December 8, 1929. The New York Times. S2.
33. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1922. Baseball-Reference.com. December 5, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090216191726/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1922.shtml. February 16, 2009.
34. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1923. Baseball-Reference.com. December 5, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090208112708/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1923.shtml. February 8, 2009.
35. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1924. Baseball-Reference.com. December 5, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090216190820/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1924.shtml. February 16, 2009.
36. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1925. Baseball-Reference.com. December 8, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090216191731/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1925.shtml. February 16, 2009.
37. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1926. Baseball-Reference.com. December 8, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090216190826/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1926.shtml. February 16, 2009.
38. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1927. Baseball-Reference.com. December 8, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090216191736/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1927.shtml. February 16, 2009.
39. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1928. Baseball-Reference.com. December 8, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100105031701/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1928.shtml. January 5, 2010.
40. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1929. Baseball-Reference.com. December 8, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090329225221/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1929.shtml. March 29, 2009.
41. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1931. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090304162927/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1931.shtml. March 4, 2009.
42. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1932. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100105031419/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1932.shtml. January 5, 2010.
43. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1933. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110918095246/https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1933.shtml. September 18, 2011.
44. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1934. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090522004048/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1934.shtml. May 22, 2009.
45. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1935. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100212232150/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1935.shtml. February 12, 2010.
46. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1936. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090916214435/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1936.shtml. September 16, 2009.
47. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1937. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090621075602/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1937.shtml. June 21, 2009.
48. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1938. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100209013025/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1938.shtml. February 9, 2010.
49. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1939. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090202094840/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1939.shtml. February 2, 2009.
50. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1940. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100212154418/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1940.shtml. February 12, 2010.
51. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1941. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090201144058/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1941.shtml. February 1, 2009.
52. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1942. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090201150147/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1942.shtml. February 1, 2009.
53. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1943. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090223193418/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1943.shtml. February 23, 2009.
54. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1944. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090210025944/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1944.shtml. February 10, 2009.
55. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1945. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090413153155/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1945.shtml. April 13, 2009.
56. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1946. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090223193424/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1946.shtml. February 23, 2009.
57. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1947. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100104224124/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1947.shtml. January 4, 2010.
58. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1948. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090223193429/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1948.shtml. February 23, 2009.
59. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1949. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090223193435/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1949.shtml. February 23, 2009.
60. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1950. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090223193441/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1950.shtml. February 23, 2009.
61. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1951. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090228204857/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1951.shtml. February 28, 2009.
62. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1952. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090329092634/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1952.shtml. March 29, 2009.
63. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1953. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090228210829/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1953.shtml. February 28, 2009.
64. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1954. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090807044128/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1954.shtml. August 7, 2009.
65. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1955. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090306075706/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1955.shtml. March 6, 2009.
66. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1956. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090210021251/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1956.shtml. February 10, 2009.
67. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1957. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090222233402/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1957.shtml. February 22, 2009.
68. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1958. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090807044133/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1958.shtml. August 7, 2009.
69. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1959. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090411154731/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1959.shtml. April 11, 2009.
70. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1960. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100104080744/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1960.shtml. January 4, 2010.
71. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1961. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090214172035/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1961.shtml. February 14, 2009.
72. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1962. Baseball-Reference.com. December 11, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090210033852/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1962.shtml. February 10, 2009.
73. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1963. Baseball-Reference.com. December 12, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090214215558/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1963.shtml. February 14, 2009.
74. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1964. Baseball-Reference.com. December 12, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090330112104/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1964.shtml. March 30, 2009.
75. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1965. Baseball-Reference.com. December 12, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090330111827/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1965.shtml. March 30, 2009.
76. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1966. Baseball-Reference.com. December 12, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090223193447/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1966.shtml. February 23, 2009.
77. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1967. Baseball-Reference.com. December 12, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100212112836/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1967.shtml. February 12, 2010.
78. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1968. Baseball-Reference.com. December 12, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090330112109/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1968.shtml. March 30, 2009.
79. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1969. Baseball-Reference.com. December 12, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090201085337/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1969.shtml. February 1, 2009.
80. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1970. Baseball-Reference.com. December 12, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090222234500/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1970.shtml. February 22, 2009.
81. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1971. Baseball-Reference.com. December 12, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090330112114/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1971.shtml. March 30, 2009.
82. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1972. Baseball-Reference.com. December 12, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090831104032/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1972.shtml. August 31, 2009.
83. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1973. Baseball-Reference.com. December 12, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090228202330/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1973.shtml. February 28, 2009.
84. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1974. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090306075709/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1974.shtml. March 6, 2009.
85. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1975. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090421162727/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1975.shtml. April 21, 2009.
86. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1976. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090329092639/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1976.shtml. March 29, 2009.
87. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1977. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100212112654/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1977.shtml. February 12, 2010.
88. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1978. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090228210336/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1978.shtml. February 28, 2009.
89. Web site: Don Baylor 1979 Batting Splits - Baseball-Reference.com. Baseball-Reference.com. 7 May 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20171018071623/https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.fcgi?id=baylodo01&t=b&year=1979. 18 October 2017.
90. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1980. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100104230244/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1980.shtml. January 4, 2010.
91. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1981. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090210020225/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1981.shtml. February 10, 2009.
92. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1982. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100104224740/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1982.shtml. January 4, 2010.
93. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1983. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090330113248/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1983.shtml. March 30, 2009.
94. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1984. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100104234351/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1984.shtml. January 4, 2010.
95. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1985. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100104233657/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1985.shtml. January 4, 2010.
96. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1986. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20080415192415/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1986.shtml. April 15, 2008.
97. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1987. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100104070918/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1987.shtml. January 4, 2010.
98. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1988. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090328095542/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1988.shtml. March 28, 2009.
99. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1989. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110223121535/https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1989.shtml. February 23, 2011.
100. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1990. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20080415185017/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1990.shtml. April 15, 2008.
101. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1991. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20080410103618/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1991.shtml. April 10, 2008.
102. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1992. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20080406011331/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1992.shtml. April 6, 2008.
103. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1993. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20080414172552/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1993.shtml. April 14, 2008.
104. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1994. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20080509144628/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1994.shtml. May 9, 2008.
105. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1995. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20080418061553/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1995.shtml. April 18, 2008.
106. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1996. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110223121535/https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1996.shtml. February 23, 2011.
107. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1997. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20080409140334/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1997.shtml. April 9, 2008.
108. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1998. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20080414172557/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1998.shtml. April 14, 2008.
109. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 1999. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110223121536/https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1999.shtml. February 23, 2011.
110. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 2000. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090831104042/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_2000.shtml. August 31, 2009.
111. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 2001. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090210032913/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_2001.shtml. February 10, 2009.
112. News: Albert Pujols of St. Louis Cardinals is unanimous National League MVP. November 25, 2009. The Associated Press. ESPN. July 14, 2010. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100209130050/http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4686092. February 9, 2010.
113. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 2002. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100104204117/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_2002.shtml. January 4, 2010.
114. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 2003. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110223121536/https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_2003.shtml. February 23, 2011.
115. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 2004. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100109123651/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_2004.shtml. January 9, 2010.
116. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 2005. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100104080234/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_2005.shtml. January 4, 2010.
117. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 2006. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090214071643/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_2006.shtml. February 14, 2009.
118. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 2007. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20090218041942/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_2007.shtml. February 18, 2009.
119. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 2008. Baseball-Reference.com. December 28, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20100105061329/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_2008.shtml. January 5, 2010.
120. Web site: Baseball Awards Voting for 2009. Baseball-Reference.com. December 3, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20091122192040/http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_2009.shtml. November 22, 2009.
121. Web site: Rangers Outfielder Josh Hamilton Honored. https://archive.today/20120707141117/http://bbwaa.com/2010/11/2010-al-mvp/. dead. July 7, 2012. Baseball Writers' Association of America. November 23, 2010.
122. Web site: Reds' Joey Votto Runs Away With Award. https://archive.today/20120701144840/http://bbwaa.com/2010/11/2010-nl-mvp/. dead. July 1, 2012. Baseball Writers' Association of America. November 22, 2010.
123. Web site: Justin Verlander Completes Rare Double, Adding MVP to Cy Young. https://archive.today/20120710150803/http://bbwaa.com/2011/11/2011-al-mvp/. dead. July 10, 2012. Baseball Writers' Association of America. November 21, 2011.
124. Web site: Ryan Braun Slugs His Way to Award. https://archive.today/20120701142107/http://bbwaa.com/2011/11/2011-nl-mvp/. dead. July 1, 2012. Baseball Writers' Association of America. November 22, 2011.
125. Web site: Mike Trout Highest WAR at Youngest Age. https://archive.today/20120710150803/http://bbwaa.com/2011/11/2011-al-mvp/. dead. July 10, 2012. Baseball Writers' Association of America. November 15, 2012.
126. Web site: YadierMolina . Baseball Writers' Association of America. March 13, 2013.
127. Web site: Miguel Cabrera Goes Back-to-Back. Baseball Writers' Association of America. November 14, 2013.
128. Web site: Andrew McCutchen Wins Pirates' 1st MVP since 1992. Baseball Writers' Association of America. November 14, 2013.
129. Web site: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers. January 19, 2015. Baseball Writers' Association of America.
130. Web site: Mike Trout, Angels. Baseball Writers' Association of America. January 19, 2015.
131. Web site: Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays . Baseball Writers' Association of America . November 7, 2016.
132. Web site: Bryce Harper, Nationals . Baseball Writers' Association of America . November 7, 2016.
133. Web site: Angels' Mike Trout wins second AL MVP, outpoints Red Sox's Mookie Betts. usatoday.com. 7 May 2018. live. http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20171117175249/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2016/11/17/al-mvp-mike-trout-mookie-betts-jose-altuve/94039898/. 17 November 2017.
134. Web site: Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton wins NL MVP Award. mlb.com. 2 Oct 2018.
135. Web site: Red Sox's Mookie Betts, Brewers' Christian Yelich win 2018 MLB MVP honors. cbssports.com. 15 Oct 2018.
136. Web site: Angel's Mike Trout, Dodgers' Cody Bellinger win 2019 MLB MVP honors. mlb.com. 14 Nov 2019.
137. Web site: Abreu, Freeman both 1st-time MVP winners. mlb.com. 12 Nov 2020.
138. Web site: A 2-time and a 2-way MVP in Bryce, Ohtani. mlb.com. 18 Nov 2021.
139. Web site: Paul Goldschmidt wins the 18th MVP in Cardinals' history, most in the National League . BBWAA.com.
140. Web site: Angels' Shohei Ohtani makes history with 2nd unanimous MVP selection .
141. Web site: Joe Torre . National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum . November 13, 2014 . live . http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20141115133605/http://baseballhall.org/hof/torre-joe . November 15, 2014 .