The Most Valuable Player Award has been given each year since 1931 to the best player from each league, as voted by selected members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). Predecessors using similar voting structures existed intermittently before 1931.
In 1910 the Chalmers auto company had promised one of their cars to the major leaguer with the highest batting average that season. After a scandal in which Napoleon Lajoie was allowed to go 8-for-8 on the last day of the season to overtake the unpopular Ty Cobb in the batting race, the Chalmers people awarded both players cars. To avoid such problems in the future, they decided not to base subsequent awards on raw statistics (which at the time, were of dubious accuracy anyway). Instead, they set up a panel of respected sportswriters, one from each major league city. Using a weighted ballot on which first place was worth seven points, and so on through eight places, one writer per team in each league voted on that league’s best player. Upon winning the car, a player was no longer eligible in later years.
The Chalmers Award lasted only four years (1911-14) but when the American League revived the idea in 1922, they used the same voting system and many of the same writers. This was the first award to use the title “Most Valuable Player“; rather than awarding a car, they planned to build a monument on which winners’ names would be carved. The National League joined in two years later, awarding a trophy and a $1,000 bond, with these changes: There would be ten places on the ballot, and there could be repeat winners. Rogers Hornsby would be the first to repeat, winning in 1925 and 1929. The AL discontinued its award after 1928, and the NL dropped the idea after 1929.
In 1931 the BBWAA took over, using the voting structure the NL had used. In 1938 they switched to three voters per team and a more heavily weighted ballot on which first place counted for 14 points. This basic structure has lasted to the present day.
- Hank Aaron – 1957
- Dick Allen – 1972
- Jeff Bagwell – 1994
- Ernie Banks – 1958-1959
- Don Baylor – 1979
- George Bell – 1987
- Johnny Bench – 1970, 1972
- Yogi Berra – 1951, 1954-1955
- Vida Blue – 1971
- Barry Bonds – 1990, 1992-1993
- Jim Bottomley – 1928
- Lou Boudreau – 1948
- Ken Boyer – 1964
- George Brett – 1980
- Jeff Burroughs – 1974
- Ken Caminiti – 1996
- Roy Campanella – 1951, 1953, 1955
- Jose Canseco – 1988
- Rod Carew – 1977
- Phil Cavarretta – 1945
- Orlando Cepeda – 1967
- Spud Chandler – 1943
- Roger Clemens – 1986
- Roberto Clemente – 1966
- Ty Cobb – 1911
- Mickey Cochrane – 1928, 1934
- Mort Cooper – 1942
- Andre Dawson – 1987
- Dizzy Dean – 1934
- Joe DiMaggio – 1939, 1941, 1947
- Larry Doyle – 1912
- Dennis Eckersley – 1992
- Johnny Evers – 1914
- Rollie Fingers – 1981
- George Foster – 1977
- Jimmie Foxx – 1932-1933, 1938
- Nellie Fox – 1959
- Frankie Frisch – 1931
- Steve Garvey – 1974
- Lou Gehrig – 1927, 1936
- Charlie Gehringer – 1937
- Kirk Gibson – 1988
- Juan Gonzalez – 1996, 1998
- Joe Gordon – 1942
- Ken Griffey, Jr. – 1997
- Dick Groat – 1960
- Lefty Grove – 1931
- Rickey Henderson – 1990
- Keith Hernandez – 1979
- Willie Hernandez – 1984
- Rogers Hornsby – 1925, 1929
- Carl Hubbell – 1933, 1936
- Reggie Jackson – 1973
- Jackie Jensen – 1958
- Walter Johnson – 1913, 1924
- Chipper Jones – 1999
- Harmon Killebrew – 1969
- Chuck Klein – 1932
- Jim Konstanty – 1950
- Barry Larkin – 1995
- Ernie Lombardi – 1938
- Fred Lynn – 1975
- Mickey Mantle – 1956-1957, 1962
- Marty Marion – 1944
- Roger Maris – 1960-1961
- Don Mattingly – 1985
- Willie Mays – 1954, 1965
- Frank McCormick – 1940
- Willie McCovey – 1969
- Willie McGee – 1985
- Joe Medwick – 1937
- Kevin Mitchell – 1989
- Joe Morgan – 1975-1976
- Thurman Munson – 1976
- Dale Murphy – 1982-1983
- Stan Musial – 1943, 1946, 1948
- Don Newcombe – 1956
- Hal Newhouser – 1944-1945
- Dave Parker – 1978
- Roger Peckinpaugh – 1925
- Terry Pendleton – 1991
- Boog Powell – 1970
- Jim Rice – 1978
- Cal Ripken, Jr. – 1991
- Phil Rizzuto – 1950
- Brooks Robinson – 1964
- Frank Robinson – 1961, 1966
- Jackie Robinson – 1949
- Ivan Rodriguez – 1999
- Al Rosen – 1953
- Ryne Sandberg – 1984
- Hank Sauer – 1952
- Mike Schmidt – 1980-1981, 1986
- Bobby Shantz – 1952
- George Sisler – 1922
- Sammy Sosa – 1998
- Tris Speaker – 1912
- Willie Stargell – 1979
- Frank Thomas – 1993-1994
- Joe Torre – 1971
- Dazzy Vance – 1924
- Mo Vaughn – 1995
- Zoilo Versalles – 1965
- Larry Walker – 1997
- Bucky Walters – 1939
- Paul Waner – 1927
- Ted Williams – 1946, 1949
- Maury Wills – 1962
- Carl Yastrzemski – 1967
- Robin Yount – 1982, 1989
