Worst MVP Winners of All-Time (NL)

This post is a little overdue. I meant to have this out immediately following my “worst Cy Young winners” posts but this took much longer than I anticipated. Apologies.

The criteria for winning the Cy Young Award is pretty straight forward. Voters simply vote for the best pitchers. The criteria for the MVP Award is much more confusing and frustrating. Some choose to vote for “the best players on the best teams.” Others like to say it should go to “the player who meant the most to his team.” I will admit that ambiguity is inherent to an award titled “Most Valuable Player” rather than “Best Player.” However, I believe that the spirit of the award was for it to be given to the best player. I can see where the word “Valuable” could cause confusion but I think that was used instead of “Best” or another synonym because it sounds fancier. Remember, the award was created near the beginning of the 20th century. People cared about fanciness back then. Plus, why would the criteria for the Cy Young (an award for pitchers) be different than the MVP (an award primarily for hitters)?


Even though I understand why there might be some confusion as to what “Valuable” is supposed to mean, I do not support multiple interpretations of the criteria for winning the award. The people who think it should go to “the best player on the best team” are way off base unless, of course, that player is the best player in MLB as well. Simply being the best player on the best team is not even remotely close to an acceptable reason to award the MVP. The best player on the best team by definition isn’t as important because the team is already good. Likewise, the people who think the award should go to “the player who meant the most to his team” are way off base. People of this ilk generally dismiss players from poor teams. Ironically, those players are just the players who mean the most to their teams. Imagine how much worse a bad team would be without its best player. Great players on bad teams are usually the most “valuable” players in the league. They are surely more valuable than great players on great teams. I'm OK with using "value to team" as a tiebreaker but it's weak as the primary criteria for awarding the MVP.

So, for the purposes of this post, please understand that I believe that the MVP should be given to the best player. Voters should vote for the best players. It is the years in which they failed to vote for the “best” players that you’ll find in my list of the worst MVP winners of all-time.


Worst National League MVP Winners of All-Time (winners listed first)

2007

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Jimmy Rollins	139	30	94	41	49	.875	118	380
Matt Holliday	120	36	137	11	63	1.012	150	386
David Wright	113	30	107	34	94	.962	150	330
Prince Fielder	109	50	119	2	90	1.013	156	354

Rollins had a pretty good season but I’m not sure he had a better season than David Wright or Prince Fielder let alone Matt Holliday. Holliday was robbed. The stat-lines speak for themselves.

2000

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Jeff Kent	114	33	125	12	90	1.020	162	350
Barry Bonds	129	49	106	11	117	1.128	188	330

This was pre-70 home runs but, by many accounts, Bonds had already begun taking steroids. His numbers show it. He had his best season in nearly a decade. Nonetheless, Bonds should have easily won his fourth MVP award (which would’ve given him eight overall) in 2000. His numbers dwarfed Kent’s and they played for the same team.

1999

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Chipper Jones	116	45	110	25	126	1.074	168	359
Mark McGwire	118	65	147	0	133	1.121	177	363

I kind of feel bad for McGwire but it’s hard to feel too bad for a guy who juiced his way to the front page of every newspaper in the country. McGwire should have won at least two MVPs but ended up with zero. Chipper Jones had a very good season in ’99 but it wasn’t nearly as good as McGwire’s. McGwire led the league in home runs and RBIs. He had more HRs, RBIs, Runs, and walks than Jones and had a much better OPS.

1998

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Sammy Sosa	134	66	158	18	73	1.024	160	416
Mark McGwire	130	70	147	1	162	1.222	216	383

I never understood the results of the ’98 MVP race. It was almost as if the voters decided to give the MVP as a consolation prize to the loser of the great McGwire/Sosa home run race. McGwire had an OPS+ of 216! Sosa was 160. No player since Ted Williams was routinely hosed out of winning the MVP in the 40s and 50s had failed to win the MVP with an OPS+ of at least 216. Sosa had more runs and RBIs than McGwire but it’s important to remember that McGwire was walked 89 more times than Sosa. How many more RBIs would McGwire have had if he got as many looks as Sosa? McGwire destroyed Sosa in ’98. Few players in MLB history have had a big margin in OPS than McGwire had over Sosa and not won the MVP.

1996

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Ken Caminiti	109	40	130	11	78	1.029	173	339
Barry Bonds	122	42	129	40	151	1.076	188	318

Bonds’s reputation cost him the MVP in ’96 as it did in 2000. Caminiti didn’t deserve the award any more than Kent did in 2000. Heck, Bonds was 40-40. At the time, only Jose Canseco had accomplished 40-40. That should’ve been an automatic MVP-win. Bonds also had Caminiti beat in virtually every other statistic. This should’ve given Bonds nine MVPs. Bonds finished fifth (!!!) in the voting.

1995

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Barry Larkin	98	15	66	51	61	.886	133	244
Barry Bonds	109	33	104	31	120	1.008	168	292

Larkin is one of the least deserving MVP winners of all-time. If the player with Bonds’ numbers had been anyone else, Larkin wouldn’t have won. But, once again, Bonds was denied an MVP because of his popularity—or lack thereof. The numbers aren’t even close. Hilariously, Bonds finished 12th in the voting. Vendetta, anyone? This would’ve given Bonds 10 MVPs.

Pitcher	ERA	ERA+	W%	Innings	Wins	WHIP	K’s
Greg Maddux	1.63	262	90%	209.7	19	.81	181

If Bonds wasn’t going to win the MVP in ’95, the only other logical choice (unless you want to make a somewhat understandable case for Mike Piazza) was Greg Maddux. Maddux had one of the greatest seasons in baseball history. To suggest that Larkin was better in ’95 than Maddux is to insult the intelligence of every baseball fan in the world. Maddux went 19-2 with the fifth best ERA+ in MLB history.

1991

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Terry Pendleton	94	22	86	10	43	.880	139	303
Barry Bonds	95	25	116	43	107	.924	160	262

This was the first year Bonds was screwed out of the MVP. Pendleton’s numbers don’t even come close. This should’ve been his second overall and should’ve been his 11th total.

1988

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Kirk Gibson	106	25	76	31	73	.860	148	262
Darryl Strawberry	101	39	101	29	85	.911	165	296

As much as I love Gibby, Darryl Strawberry was the man in 1988. If not Strawberry, then it should’ve been Will Clark.

1987

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Andre Dawson	90	49	137	11	32	.896	130	353
Jack Clark	93	35	106	1	136	1.056	176	250

As I mentioned in the intro, some of these are much worse than others. This one isn’t as bad as most but Jack Clark was clearly the more feared and productive hitter. He had 104 more walks than “The Hawk”. His OPS and OPS+ were much better. Clark also played on a team where the second highest OPS+ was 105. Dawson played on a team with nine players who had an OPS+ better than 105. Clark had the better season and he was more important to his team. I’m sure a decent argument could be made that Dawson deserved the MVP but I think a better argument could be made for Clark.

1974

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Steve Garvey	95	21	111	5	31	.811	130	301
Mike Schmidt	108	36	116	23	106	.941	158	310

Garvey’s win in ’74 is one of the worst in MLB history. Schmidt has him beat in every category and most of them aren’t close. It’s unfortunate for Schmidt that he was robbed of this MVP because it would’ve given him four for his career which would have been a significant accomplishment. When Schmidt retired, nobody in MLB history had won four MVP awards. Even now, Schmidt would have been one of two players with four or more MVPs.

1973

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Pete Rose	115	5	64	10	65	.838	138	297
Willie Stargell	106	44	119	0	80	1.038	186	337

Rose won the MVP in ’73 because he led the league in hits and batting average and played for the first-place Reds. Unfortunately for “Pops”, that is a recipe that’s hard to beat even if your season is twice as impressive. Rose had 49 extra-base hits. “Pops” had 44 home runs alone. He had 90 extra-base hits. He had 55 more RBIs. This is definitely won of the worst MVP results in MLB history. This kept Stargell from becoming a two-time winner which would’ve certainly increased his already-impressive resume.

1967

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Orlando Cepeda	91	25	111	11	62	.923	164	295
Roberto Clemente	103	23	110	9	41	.954	171	324

This one is another like the ’87 NL MVP voting. It’s not horrible but I think it went to the wrong person. Clemente has Cepeda beat in OPS, OPS+, Total Bases, and RBIs+Runs. Cepeda’s advantages are razor-thin. I could’ve easily not included this one but it seems pretty obvious to me that Clemente had the better season.

1966

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Roberto Clemente	105	29	119	7	46	.896	146	342
Dick Allen	112	40	110	10	68	1.028	181	331

The ’66 NL MVP voting saw Clemente on the other side. Unlike ’67 when he lost but should’ve won, he won but should’ve lost in ’66. The only difference is that the ’66 race was much more decisive. Dick Allen destroys Clemente in a season vs. season comparison. Allen was similar to Albert Belle in the sense that he was a feared slugger who dominated baseball for ten years but was denied an MVP and ultimately election to the Hall of Fame because the writers didn’t like him.

Pitcher	ERA	ERA+	W%	Innings	Wins	WHIP	K’s
Sandy Koufax	1.73	190	75%	323	27	.99	317

Koufax had a legit claim to the MVP in ’66 as well. His numbers weren’t as good as Maddux’s in ’95 but they were pretty stellar. If Allen wasn’t going to win the MVP, it should’ve been Koufax.

1964

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Ken Boyer	100	24	119	3	70	.854	130	307
Willie Mays	121	47	111	19	82	.990	172	351

This is easily one of the worst. A comparison of Mays and Boyer’s statistics in ’64 goes something like a comparison of Mays and Boyer’s careers. Mays dominated Boyer. I really don’t have much more to add. The result is inexcusable. Get used to seeing Mays. He appears four times on this list as a player who should have won. He should have won five MVPs at a minimum.

1962

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Maury Wills	130	6	48	104	51	.720	100	259
Frank Robinson	134	39	136	18	76	1.045	173	380
Willie Mays	130	49	141	18	78	.999	165	382
Hank Aaron	127	45	128	15	66	1.008	170	366

The ’62 NL MVP results are one of the two worst of all-time in my opinion. There are other instances when players who didn’t win had equally greater stats than the eventual winners as the ’62 group. However, there has never been an instance where three of the greatest players of all-time had unbelievable seasons and all lost to a weak player. It’s astonishing. Just look at the numbers Aaron, Mays, and Robinson put up. Then look at Wills. I’m getting fired-up just talking about this. Wills had an OPS+ of 100. By definition, that means he was simply average in ’62. How did he end up beating three phenomenal seasons?

1960

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Dick Groat	85	2	50	0	39	.765	110	226
Willie Mays	29	103	25	61	.936	159	330

The fact that Willie Mays didn’t win the NL MVP in ’60 is ridiculous. The fact that Dick Groat did is just silly. It’s really not worth discussing since the chart pretty much paints the picture. Mays even played 15 more games than Groat.

1959

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Ernie Banks	97	45	143	2	64	.970	155	351
Hank Aaron	116	39	123	8	51	1.037	181	400

Banks had a very good season in ’59 but Aaron was considerably better. He had huge advantages in Total Bases, OPS, and OPS+.

1956

Pitcher	ERA	ERA+	W%	Innings	Wins	WHIP	K’s
Don Newcombe	3.06	132	79%	268	27	.99	139

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Hank Aaron	106	26	92	2	37	.923	151	340

There have been a litany of pitchers in baseball who have put up the numbers Newcombe put up in ’56 and never came close to the MVP. Pitchers should win the MVP under two conditions; 1). There season was historically good and 2). There aren’t any obvious hitting candidates. Neither applied to the ’62 NL MVP race. The voters didn’t see it that way, though. Seven different players received first place votes and none of them went to Hank Aaron.

1955

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Roy Campanella	81	32	107	2	56	.978	153	260
Willie Mays	123	51	127	24	79	1.059	174	382

Campanella won three MVPs but probably should have won only one. Mays clearly outperformed Campy in ’55. I realize that, for a catcher, Campanella had a magnificent season. However, there is no way that his defense from the catching position or the offense that he provided above and beyond the average catcher was enough to offset the remarkable season that Mays had.

1951

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Roy Campanella	90	33	108	1	53	.983	159	298
Stan Musial	124	32	108	4	98	1.063	182	355

Ditto. Musial should’ve won three more MVPs than he did which would’ve given him six.

1950

Pitcher	ERA	ERA+	W%	Innings	Wins	WHIP	K’s
Jim Konstanty	2.66	152	70%	152	16	1.04	56

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Stan Musial	105	28	109	5	87	1.033	163	331

Konstanty’s season should not have been good enough to win the award over Musial. In fact, Konstanty wasn’t even the best pitcher in the NL in 1950. He only pitched 150 innings. Robin Roberts pitched twice as many innings with a pretty damn good ERA+. Sal Maglie pitched 50 more innings with a nearly identical ERA+, more wins, and a better winning percentage.

1949

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Jackie Robinson	122	16	124	37	86	.960	152	313
Ralph Kiner	116	54	127	6	117	1.090	186	361

Robinson was good in ’49 but Kiner was flat-out robbed. He led the league in home runs, OPS, RBIs, walks, and slugging percentage. Baseball writers must have had a grudge against Kiner because he didn’t receive a single first place vote while six other players did.

1947

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Bob Elliot	93	22	113	3	87	.927	147	287
Ralph Kiner	118	51	127	1	98	1.056	173	361

Kiner was robbed even worse in ’47 because at least Jackie Robinson led the league in something in ’49. Bob Elliot won the MVP without leading the league in anything. Kiner led the league in home runs, OPS, slugging %, total bases, and runs created. Again, Kiner didn’t receive a single first place vote while 10 others did.

1945

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Phil Cavaretta	94	6	97	5	81	.949	166	249
Tommy Holmes	125	28	117	15	70	.997	175	367

I hadn’t heard of either of these dudes before looking this stuff up but there were some shenanigans going on in the ’45 voting. Holmes drove in and scored 51 more runs than Cavaretta. He had 118 more total bases. This was one of the worst votes of all-time…

1944

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Marty Marion	52	6	63	1	43	.686	91	183
Stan Musial	112	12	94	7	90	.989	175	312

…but not the worst. That has to go to the ’44 NL MVP vote. If it was a joke, it wasn’t funny. Marion didn’t even have a 100 OPS+ which I believe makes him the only non-pitcher in MLB history to win the award with less than a 100 OPS+. Musial destroyed him in every category. Marion wasn’t a decisive winner garnering only 7 of 24 first place votes but voters probably had their own agendas and that cost Musial—clearly the best player in the league—another MVP.

1940

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Frank McCormick	93	19	127	2	52	.849	132	298
Johnny Mize	111	43	137	7	82	1.040	176	368

Mize doesn’t get near the fanfare as he should and some of that has to do with the fact that he was robbed out of two MVP awards. In 1940, he led the league in OPS, slugging percentage, total bases, home runs, RBIs, and runs created. McCormick led the league in hits and doubles. Go figure.

1939

Pitcher	ERA	ERA+	W%	Innings	Wins	WHIP	K’s
Bucky Walters	2.29	168	71%	319	27	1.13	137

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Johnny Mize	104	28	108	0	92	1.070	178	353

Mize was just as good in ’39. He led the league in batting average, home runs, OPS, slugging %, runs created, and total bases. The ’39 result wasn’t nearly as bad as in ’40 because Bucky Walters led the league in virtually all pitching statistics. He had a very good season.

1938

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Ernie Lombardi	60	19	95	0	40	.915	153	256
Mel Ott	116	36	116	2	118	1.025	178	307

Mel Ott and Johnny Mize were easily the two best hitters in the NL in 1938. Naturally, they received a combined zero first place votes. They combined to lead the league in virtually all major statistics. Ernie Lombardi led the league in batting average. Whoop dee doo.

1935

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Gabby Hartnett	67	13	91	1	41	.949	151	225
Arky Vaughan	108	19	99	4	97	1.098	190	303

This probably had something to do with the precedent that catchers can win the award with inferior statistics simply because they are catchers. Vaughan clearly has the advantage in every statistic.

1931

Player	Runs	HR	RBIs	SB	BB	OPS	OPS+	TB
Frankie Frisch	96	4	82	28	45	.764	102	205
Chuck Klein	121	31	121	7	59	.982	152	347

1931 is generally considered the year in which the MVP began as we know it now. Before ’31, the MVP voting process was a joke. Unfortunately, the ’31 voting process was a joke as well. Frisch over Klein was not a good way to begin the “new and improved” voting process.


The 2008 NL MVP Race

Just like the 2006 NL Race, the ’08 race comes down to Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard. In ’06, Howard had a phenomenal two months (23 home runs and 62 RBIs) to overtake Pujols. Phat Albert’s numbers were better than Howard’s but Howard’s surge to end the season led the Phillies into the playoffs. The exact same scenario is unfolding in the NL this year. Howard has been scorching over the last two months leading the Phillies back into another likely playoff appearance. There are two differences from ’06, though: 1) Pujols and the Cardinals will not be in the playoffs and; 2) Howard’s OPS+ is only 120 compared to 167 in ’06. Maybe those factors will cancel each other out and we’ll see Howard over Pujols again. While I was fine with Howard over Pujols in ’06 (in fact, I wrote a post supporting that outcome), I wouldn’t be supportive of if it happened again this year. Pujols has a 184-120 advantage in OPS+. He has a .633-.533 advantage in slugging percentage. He has a .453-.336 advantage in OBP. Pujols has nearly a 2 to 1 BB:K ratio. Howard is much worse than 1 to 2. The numbers are there for Pujols. His team won’t make the playoffs but he deserves the MVP. Here is a guess at how the voting might turn out…

Best guess for 2008 NL MVP Results

1). Pujols
2). Howard
3). Manny Ramirez
4). Berkman
5). Chase Utley
6). D. Wright
7). H. Ramirez
8). Aramis Ramirez
9). Chipper Jones
10). Carlos Beltran
11). Adrian Gonzalez
12). Delgado
13). Jose Reyes
14). Prince Fielder
15). Ryan Braun


Worst MVP Winners of All-Time (AL)