Worst MVP Snubs In MLB History
A Blog By Dean
EDITORS NOTE: I just finished writing this novel, and all I have to say is… this is a BLOG. If you want charts on pitcher arm movement, check out Sam’s blog. If you want to know what the inside of a college baseball team’s bathroom looks like, go to the Overdue Sports blog. If you want to read a Top 10 that steals every cliche term a Sports Center anchor would say in 2005, go to Brett’s blog.
If you want to get hit in the face with a bunch of baseball history and micro Red Sox propaganda, then stay here.
Over the past few months, I have been diving into MLB history for my blogs. I want to shake things up during the off-season instead of just giving my reaction to free agent signings or ranking Top 10 players over a three-month span. Everyone does that, so I wanted to take this time and look at some other stuff.
I am going strictly off statistics, and yes, I will reference bWAR for every player. These snubs are based solely on statistics. Voting used to be very different as people would actually vote for the “Most Valuable Player” of a team. So, many guys on this list who won were considered “the heart and soul” of a good team. However, with that, you just have some egregious choices that were motivated by writers being bitter people (i.e., them hating Ted Williams.)
Before people dive into the comments, know that I took players off this list to shorten the blog. I also stopped in the year 2000. I plan on talking about post-2000 at a different point.
The Early Years: MVP Snubs from 1912–1939
1912: Tris Speaker vs. Walter Johnson
🏆 Winner: Tris Speaker
-Tris Speaker: .383/.464/.567, 1.031 OPS, 190 OPS+, 222 H, 10 HR, 90 RBI, 52 SB, 10.2 bWAR
-Walter Johnson: 33-12, 1.39 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 369 IP, 303 K, 2.03 FIP, 243 ERA+, 15.4 bWAR
Thoughts:
Johnson led the league in bWAR, ERA, SO, ERA+, FIP, WHIP, H/9, SO/9, and SO/BB. Speaker led in HR, 2B, and OBP.
This is our first and only example of the Chalmers Award. This was the first version of the MVP, given to the “most important and useful player to the club and the league.” In short, Hugh Chalmers intended this award to be a marketing tool for his car business. Tris Speaker was the best player on the best baseball team that year. In the inaugural season of Fenway Park, the Red Sox won 105 games and the World Series.
Walter Johnson never stood a chance.
1925: Harry Heilmann vs. Roger Peckinpaugh
🏆 Winner: Roger Peckinpaugh (Washington Senators, SS)
-Harry Heilmann: .393/.457/.606, 1.063 OPS, 152 OPS+, 225 H, 13 HR, 134 RBI, 7.0 bWAR
-Roger Peckinpaugh: .294/.367/.379, .746 OPS, 91 OPS+, 158 H, 4 HR, 64 RBI, 2.7 bWAR
Thoughts:
Here we have an example of the “League Awards” that lasted from 1922 to 1929. These were meant to honor “the baseball player who is of the greatest all-around service to his club.” With that, it is no surprise that Peckinpaugh won, as the Senators were the best team in baseball that year. So sure, if we go off stats, then I guess Harry Heilmann, with 134 RBIs (double Roger’s), would take the award.
But Dean, if it was “the baseball player who is of the greatest all-around service to his club,” why didn’t Walter Johnson win that year? He almost doubled Peckinpaugh’s WAR. Well, that is because of probably the worst baseball rule in history. Writers COULD NOT vote for a player that previoulsy won the award. Walter Johnson happened to win the year prior.
To no one’s surprise, these awards were discontinued in 1929.
1934: Lou Gehrig vs. Mickey Cochrane
🏆 Winner: Mickey Cochrane (Detroit Tigers, C)
-Lou Gehrig: .363/.465/.706, 1.172 OPS, 206 OPS+, 210 H, 49 HR, 166 RBI, 10.0 bWAR
-Mickey Cochrane: .320/.428/.412, .841 OPS, 118 OPS+, 137 H, 2 HR, 76 RBI, 4.5 bWAR
Why the Snub?
Cochrane was a player-manager who led the Tigers to an AL pennant, which heavily influenced voters. Gehrig, however, had a legendary season, leading the AL in OBP, SLG, HR, RBI, OPS, and OPS+ while posting over double Cochrane’s WAR.
This one just comes down to Cochrane leading his team to the pennant as a player/manager.
1935: Arky Vaughan vs. Gabby Hartnett
🏆 Winner: Gabby Hartnett (Chicago Cubs, C)
-Arky Vaughan: .385/.491/.607, 1.098 OPS, 190 OPS+, 192 H, 19 HR, 99 RBI, 9.9 bWAR
-Gabby Hartnett: .344/.404/.545, .949 OPS, 144 OPS+, 157 H, 13 HR, 91 RBI, 4.9 bWAR
My thoughts:
1935 is interesting in that you could argue that both NL and AL had snubs. I encourage everyone to go check out Wes Ferrell’s 1935 season.
But Vaughan doubled Hartnett’s bWAR and led the league in BB, AVG, OBP, and SLG. OPS, and OPS+. Voters didn’t care about that; they cared about winners, and the Cubs won the pennant that year while the Pirates finished 4th.
So, Vaughan gets screwed, but what about Billy Herman? He was Hartnett’s teammate, led the league in hits, and was comparable in every other stat. He also produced 7.2 bWAR. Well, Hartnett was a catcher, and you are going to see a common theme coming up on how voters favored catchers above all else.
1938: Mel Ott vs. Ernie Lombardi
🏆 Winner: Ernie Lombardi (Cincinnati Reds, C)
-Mel Ott: .311/.442/.583, 1.025 OPS, 178 OPS+, 180 H, 36 HR, 116 RBI, 7.6 bWAR
-Ernie Lombardi: .342/.398/.524, .922 OPS, 153 OPS+, 167 H, 19 HR, 95 RBI, 4.8 bWAR
My Thoughts:
Lombardi was, you guessed it, a catcher. But Lombardi breaks the mold of being on “the best team.” The Reds were 82-68 and didn’t really do much that year. Ott’s Giants were just as mediocre, and he clearly had a better season, so what gives? I get that he won the batting title with his .342 AVG, but he “only” played in 129 games.
First, the Reds made a huge jump that year. In 1937, they had only won 56 games, so this turnaround was significant. They would go on to win the pennant in 1939 and the World Series in 1940.
Second, Lombardi did catch Johnny Vander Merr’s back-to-back no-hitters that season. That, combined with the batting title, which used to mean a lot more, gives him a leg up on Ott.
The Wartime and Post-War Era (1940–1959) MVP Snubs
1942: Ted Williams vs. Joe Gordon
🏆 Winner: Joe Gordon (New York Yankees, 2B)
-Ted Williams (BOS, LF): .356/.499/.648, 1.147 OPS, 216 OPS+, 36 HR, 137 RBI, 145 BB, 10.5 bWAR
-Joe Gordon (NYY, 2B): .322/.409/.491, .900 OPS, 155 OPS+, 18 HR, 103 RBI, 88 BB, 7.7 bWAR
My Thoughts:
1941 and 1942 are two of Ted William’s greatest seasons. In 41’ he had his famous .406 season. Frankly, he was better than DiMaggio in every category other than RBI. We all know that DiMaggio had his 56-game hit streak that year, so I am not going to sit here and argue about that.
Two factors decided the 1942 vote: 1. Joe Gordon was the best player on the best team, and 2. The voters hated Ted Williams.
Gordon had a great season, and he is a Hall of Famer. This is not a critique or bashing of him, but it is really tough to look back 80 years later and see a Triple Crown not win MVP. It is appalling.
This isn’t the only time it will happen to Williams…..
1944: Stan Musial vs. Marty Marion
🏆 Winner: Marty Marion (St. Louis Cardinals, SS)
-Stan Musial (STL, OF): .347/.440/.549, .990 OPS, 174 OPS+, 12 HR, 94 RBI, 197 H, 8.9 bWAR
-Marty Marion (STL, SS): .267/.324/.362, .686 OPS, 91 OPS+, 6 HR, 63 RBI, 4.5 bWAR
My Thoughts:
In 1944, the Cardinals were the best baseball team, and they went on to win the World Series.
This is a little more complex than just looking at stats. By 1944, the MLB talent had been depleted by the war. Some of the best players in baseball were off in the military. As a result, voters didn’t necessarily jump immediately toward someone like Musial. In fact, a lot of MLB stars who did not go off to the army were scrutinized. Musial would go in 1945 but never saw combat.
Even so, the Marion vote is ridiculous. He was the fourth or fifth-best player on the team that year. The voters undervalued outfield production (Musial and Hopp) while overvaluing defense and SS (Marion).
1947: Ted Williams vs. Joe DiMaggio
🏆 Winner: Joe DiMaggio (New York Yankees, CF)
-Ted Williams (BOS, LF): .343/.499/.634, 1.133 OPS, 205 OPS+, 32 HR, 114 RBI, 9.5 bWAR
-Joe DiMaggio (NYY, CF): .315/.391/.522, .913 OPS, 154 OPS+, 20 HR, 97 RBI, 4.7 bWAR
My Thoughts:
This is a joke, and with all seriousness, I think the MLB should go back and fix this embarrassment. Want to know why Ted Williams, who just won his second Triple Crown, lost MVP this year? Because a writer who hated him left him off the ballot entirely.
The Yankees were stacked that year, and DiMaggio wasn’t even the clear best player on the team. This was not anything like 1941, where DiMaggio had the 56-game hit streak to hold over Williams. He had nothing.
I have issues with the BBWAA's control of the awards and Hall of Fame, which is part of the reason I am running a campaign to join the BBWAA and eventually get voting rights. This is a prime example of what can go wrong.
1951: Ted Williams vs. Yogi Berra
🏆 Winner: Yogi Berra (New York Yankees, C)
-Ted Williams (BOS, LF): .318/.464/.556, 1.019 OPS, 195 OPS+, 30 HR, 126 RBI, 7.1 bWAR
-Yogi Berra (NYY, C): .294/.364/.500, .864 OPS, 140 OPS+, 27 HR, 88 RBI, 5.3 bWAR
My Thoughts:
You are probably starting to think that because I am a Red Sox fan, I just wanted to make a Ted Williams propaganda piece. While it is becoming a Ted Williams propaganda piece, that was not the goal.
Williams was 13th in MVP voting this year. I won't bother showing you all the rankings; look at the stats above. Williams had a far superior OPS, OPS+, and WAR. But the Yankees won the pennant, and Berra, a catcher, was seen as their leader. Again, voter bias against Williams played a role.
1951: Jackie Robinson vs. Roy Campanella
🏆 Winner: Roy Campanella (Brooklyn Dodgers, C)
-Jackie Robinson (BKN, 2B): .338/.425/.507, .932 OPS, 157 OPS+, 19 HR, 88 RBI, 9.7 bWAR
-Roy Campanella (BKN, C): .325/.393/.590, .983 OPS, 154 OPS+, 33 HR, 108 RBI, 5.7 bWAR
My Thoughts:
1951 has TWO snubs, and we are entering another streak of catchers unfairly receiving that award because writers overvalued them. This time, it is Roy Campanella over his teammate Jackie Robinson.
Ironically, the Dodgers were NOT the best team in the National League in 1951. That honor would go to their rivals, the New York Giants. The season ended with a three-game playoff to decide the pennant winner. This series culminated with Bobby Thompson’s “Shot Heard Round the World.”
I did a solid fifteen minutes of research and asked four different AI bots to help me figure out when the MVP voting happened. Although we are not sure, the belief is that the voting happened after the three-game playoff. Back then, it was considered an extension of the regular season rather than a playoff. That said, the voters probably should have selected Thompson. He had offensive numbers comparable to Campanella's and, to top it off, one of the most significant moments in baseball history.
Regardless, if they were going to pick a Dodger today, it would have been Robinson. Jackie led the league in WAR by a mile and had an elite OBP. Campanella was fantastic but had a 4 WAR deficit. The voters preferred Campanella’s power stats/position, but Jackie’s all-around dominance should have won.
ALSO, if you ever go and watch old clips of big moments in baseball history. Just know that whenever they cut to the crowd for reactions, those are all B-Roll that the teams recorded during the off-season. None of it is from the actual games.
Good luck sleeping tonight, knowing that.
1955: Mickey Mantle vs. Yogi Berra
🏆 Winner: Yogi Berra (New York Yankees, C)
-Mickey Mantle (NYY, CF): .306/.431/.611, 1.042 OPS, 180 OPS+, 37 HR, 99 RBI, 9.5 bWAR
-Yogi Berra (NYY, C): .272/.349/.470, .819 OPS, 132 OPS+, 27 HR, 108 RBI, 4.5 bWAR
My Thoughts:
Pretty simple analysis here.
Yankees were the best team.
Berra was the leader.
Berra wins.
1955: Willie Mays vs. Roy Campanella
🏆 Winner: Roy Campanella (Brooklyn Dodgers, C)
-Willie Mays (NYG, CF): .319/.400/.659, 1.059 OPS, 174 OPS+, 51 HR, 127 RBI, 9.1 bWAR
-Roy Campanella (BKN, C): .318/.395/.583, .978 OPS, 155 OPS+, 32 HR, 107 RBI, 5.2 bWAR
My Thoughts:
This is the second time Berra and Campanella have won in the same year when they had no business winning. Campanella was marginally better than Berra, if that means anything. But Mays got robbed here, regardless of whether you look at advanced stats or not.
Mays destroyed Campanella in WAR, HRs, and OPS, but Campanella was seen as the heart of the Dodgers. This was the Dodgers team that went on to win the World Series.
That World Series win and Campanella’s tragic career-ending injury two years later are the main reasons this snub is not discussed very often.
1958: Mickey Mantle vs. Jackie Jensen
🏆 Winner: Jackie Jensen (Boston Red Sox, RF)
-Mickey Mantle (NYY, CF): .304/.443/.592, 1.035 OPS, 188 OPS+, 42 HR, 97 RBI, 9.5 bWAR
-Jackie Jensen (BOS, RF): .286/.396/.535, .931 OPS, 145 OPS+, 35 HR, 122 RBI, 4.9 bWAR
My Thoughts:
The Red Sox weren’t great in 1958, and Jensen only led the league in RBIs that season. Mantle topped him in every other offensive category while nearly doubling his bWAR.
This one is pretty simple in retrospect. Yogi Berra had won MVP in 1954 and 1955. Mantle followed with wins in 1956 and 1957. While his 58 season was still arguably the best in the league, it was a “down” year for Mantle. Voters felt it was time for a non-Yankee to get the award.
While there were other players more deserving that year, Jensen had the East Coast bias on his side.
Mantle had nearly double Jensen’s WAR and led in every major advanced stat. Jensen’s RBI total likely swayed voters.
The Expansion Era (1960–1979) MVP Snubs
1960: Willie Mays vs. Dick Groat
🏆 Winner: Dick Groat (Pittsburgh Pirates, SS)
-Willie Mays (SFG, CF): .319/.398/.596, .994 OPS, 165 OPS+, 190 H, 29 HR, 103 RBI, 25 SB, 9.5 bWAR
-Dick Groat (PIT, SS): .325/.371/.394, .766 OPS, 115 OPS+, 186 H, 2 HR, 50 RBI, 6.1 bWAR
My Thoughts:
As you can see, a lot of this list is Williams and Mays.
Frankly, both Hank Aaron and Mays got robbed this year, but Mays was by far the best all-around player in the league.
Mays didn’t stand a chance, though, in this era of voting. Groat checked many of the boxes voters wanted.
Great flashy defender
Leader on a winning team (Pirates won the pennant and World Series in 1960)
Batting title.
1962: Willie Mays vs. Maury Wills
🏆 Winner: Maury Wills (Los Angeles Dodgers, SS)
-Willie Mays (SFG, CF): .304/.384/.615, .999 OPS, 165 OPS+, 189 H, 49 HR, 141 RBI, 18 SB, 10.5 bWAR
-Maury Wills (LAD, SS): .299/.347/.373, .720 OPS, 99 OPS+, 208 H, 6 HR, 48 RBI, 104 SB, 6.0 bWAR
My Thoughts:
The 62’ MVP is very similar to the 51’ NL MVP. Here we have the Giants and Dodgers once again in a tie-breaker series. The Giants will once again beat the Dodgers and advance to the World Series, where they would lose to the Yankees in seven games. This series, like 51’, was a nailbiter and came down to the final inning. Wanna guess who was a hero in the ninth inning to help the Giants win? Willie Mays.
Similar to 51’, I dug to see when the voting took place. I found nothing, so I assume it took place after the series. These games actually count toward regular-season stats. We know this because Maury Willis is listed as playing 165 regular-season games, which is an MLB record. But that was only one record he broke that season. The other? The single-season stolen base record, he finished with 104 (four of which came in the tie-breaker series.) Records are cool, but I don’t know if that really makes him MVP-worthy, especially with his team losing out on the pennant. Fortunately for him, the record he broke was Ty Cobb’s. Contrary to popular belief, Ty Cobb was idolized by baseball fans, writers, and players. Cobb passed away the year prior, and when digging into the archives, it is clear that breaking the record was a BIG deal back in 62’.
Mays never stood a chance.
1964: Willie Mays vs. Ken Boyer
🏆 Winner: Ken Boyer (St. Louis Cardinals, 3B)
-Willie Mays (SFG, CF): .296/.383/.607, .990 OPS, 172 OPS+, 47 HR, 111 RBI, 11.0 bWAR
-Ken Boyer (STL, 3B): .295/.365/.489, .854 OPS, 130 OPS+, 24 HR, 119 RBI, 6.1 bWAR
My Thoughts:
No deep analysis here. Mays got shafted because the Cardinals won the pennant and World Series.
By the way, Ken Boyer should probably be in the Hall of Fame.
1970: Carl Yastrzemski vs. Boog Powell
🏆 Winner: Boog Powell (Baltimore Orioles, 1B)
- Carl Yastrzemski (BOS, LF): .329/.452/.592, 1.044 OPS, 177 OPS+, 40 HR, 102 RBI, 9.5 bWAR
-Boog Powell (BAL, 1B): .297/.412/.549, .921 OPS, 161 OPS+, 35 HR, 114 RBI, 5.1 bWAR
My Thoughts:
Boog led the league in *checks notes* nothing.
Yastrzemski led the league in bWAR, runs, OBP, SLG, OPS, and OPS+.
Orioles won the World Series.
Red Sox were slightly above .500.
The “Most Valuable Player” on the best team conundrum strikes again.
1974: Mike Schmidt vs. Steve Garvey
🏆 Winner: Steve Garvey (Los Angeles Dodgers, 1B)
-Mike Schmidt (PHI, 3B): .282/.395/.546, .941 OPS, 158 OPS+, 36 HR, 116 RBI, 9.5 bWAR
-Steve Garvey (LAD, 1B): .312/.342/.469, .811 OPS, 130 OPS+, 21 HR, 111 RBI, 5.1 bWAR
My Thoughts:
Two bad MVP selections in 1974 occurred. In the American League, Jeff Burroughs won by leading the league in RBIs. The league was weak that year, so I will turn a blind eye to that.
The National League was stacked with great players, and Steve Garvey was one of them. But he was far from the best. He led the league in zero offensive categories, but the Dodgers were great that year, and he was the face of them.
If you are going off the best player on the best team, it probably should have been Jim Wynn of the Dodgers. He was the better all-around player, but batted .271 that year, so voters would have never picked him.
Going off today’s standards, Schmidt would have run away with the award. Schmidt was worth nearly double the WAR of Garvey, hit 15 more home runs, and had a much better OBP.
The Modern Era (1980–2009) MVP Snubs
1984: Cal Ripken Jr. vs. Willie Hernandez
🏆 Winner: Willie Hernandez (Detroit Tigers, RP)
-Cal Ripken Jr. (BAL, SS): .304/.374/.510, .884 OPS, 146 OPS+, 27 HR, 86 RBI, 10.0 bWAR
-Willie Hernandez (DET, RP): 9-3, 1.92 ERA, 32 SV, 140.1 IP, 0.94 WHIP, 204 ERA+, 4.8 bWAR
My Thoughts:
Tigers were the best team in baseball that year, so Ripken never stood a chance. He would have lost to Kirk Gibson or Alan Trammel if Hernandez wasn’t selected.
What is unique about this vote is that Ripken only received ONE vote. He was ranked last among all vote-getters that year. While he was the best all-around player that year, he did not lead in any category. Well, he led in bWAR, but that didn’t exist yet.
So, looking back at it now, this is bad. Is it as bad as Marty Marion winning in 44’? Probably… Marion was the best defender in the league. Hernandez wasn’t even the best closer that year; Dan Quisenberry led the league in saves.
1985: Dwight Gooden vs. Willie McGee
🏆 Winner: Willie McGee (St. Louis Cardinals, CF)
-Dwight Gooden (NYM, SP): 24-4, 1.53 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 276.2 IP, 268 K, 229 ERA+, 13.3 bWAR
-Willie McGee (STL, CF): .353/.384/.503, .887 OPS, 147 OPS+, 10 HR, 82 RBI, 56 SB, 8.2 bWAR
My Thoughts:
My Dad said McGee was deserving because the Cardinals came in first. He also led the league in hits, average, and triples.
But he is a BOOMER, and the point of this list is to determine whether this would be considered a snub today.
Gooden’s season is ranked 20th all-time in bWAR. Do you want to know how many of the players ahead of him were post-1923? ZERO. By the way, that 1923 season was Babe Ruth.
So yeah, by today’s standards, this is a snub.
2000: Pedro Martinez vs. Jason Giambi
🏆 Winner: Jason Giambi (Oakland Athletics, 1B)
-Pedro Martinez (BOS, SP): 18-6, 1.74 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 217 IP, 284 K, 291 ERA+, 11.7 bWAR
-Jason Giambi (OAK, 1B): .333/.476/.647, 1.123 OPS, 187 OPS+, 43 HR, 137 RBI, 7.8 bWAR
My Thoughts:
Let me make this very clear so that there is no confusion.
Jason Giambi cheated.
Pedro Martinez didn’t.
Also, this blog as a whole is slightly Red Sox propaganda.
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You went through all that and didn't mention the two Juan Gone MVP Awards? I also think you spend way too much time going between two deserving MVPs and just the egregious ones.
I mean, this is mostly Red Sox propaganda. I'd further add your last one on Jason Giambi is...lazy to say the least. It's INCREDIBLY hard to compare the value of an everyday player to a starter.