Baseball Roundtable Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday … Noodling into MVPs

It’s time again for Baseball Roundtable’s Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday. I hope you are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye.  (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances and statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. I’m also drawn to baseball “unicorns,” one-of-a-kind MLB accomplishments or statistics.

This week, for some reason, I found myself noodling around in Most Valuable Player trivia … everything from the positions most and least represented among MVP winners to players to win MVP Awards at different primary positions to MVP winners who did not make that season’s All Star Game (and the players who started the ASG at their positions).

So, let’s get started.

Most MVP Awards by Primary Position

First basemen have garnered the most MVP Awards at 37.  At the other end of the spectrum relief pitchers and designated hitters have taken home the fewest MVP Awards (four each).

Relievers and Designated Hitters

Going a little deeper into DH and reliever MVP’s, Shohei Ohtani is the only DH to win an MVP Award – and he won all four MVP recognitions awarded (to date) to designated hitters.  It is the only position at which one player is the only player to been recognized as a league MVP while playing primarily at that position.  (In baseball, we do love “qualifiers.”)

Shohei Ohtani also qualifies as a “unicorn.” He is the only player to be unanimously selected as a league MVP more than once – and he has earned that status three times (2023, 2024, 2025.) Ohtani has a total of four MVP Awards on his current MLB resume. Ohtani, of course, is a special case. While, in each of his MVP seasons, he played the bulk of his games at DH, he also was recognized for notable contributions as a pitcher in two of them.

As noted earlier, a relief pitcher has been declared MVP just four times.  The first relief pitcher to win an MVP Award was Jim Konstanty of the 1950 Phillies. (In fact, it would be 31 years before a second reliever would win an MVP Award and Konstanty is still the only National League pitcher (unicorn alert) to win MVP recognition.

By today standards, Konstanty’s was an unusual season for a reliever.  In his age-33 campaign, he went 16-7, 2.66, with an NL-best 22 saves (recognized retroactively, saves were not an official stat at the time) in a league-leading 74 appearances (no starts).  Over the course of the season, he made 17 appearances of three innings or more, including one of ten innings (innings nine through 18 of a 19-inning 8-7 win over the Reds on September 15) and one of nine frames (the final nine innings of a 15-inning 9-7 win over the Pirates on August 25).  Notably, at least for the Roundtable, Konstanty was not an “overpowering” pitcher, but relied on his study of hitters’ strengths and weaknesses, solid control and effective off-speed pitches (particularly his palm ball). That season, in 152 innings pitched, he struck out only 56 batters (while walking 50).  Konstanty pitched in 11 MLB seasons (1944, 1946, 1948-56), going 66-48, 3.46 with 76 saves in 433 appearances (36 starts). His MVP season was his only All Star year.

Other relief pitchers to earn MVP Awards (all American League) are: Rollie Fingers, 1981 Brewers (6-3, 1.04, with a league-leading 28 saves); Willie Hernandez, 1984 Tigers (9-3, 1.92, with 32 saves); and Dennis Eckersley, 1992 Athletics (7-1. 1.01 with a league-topping 51 saves).

Sure, I’ll Make a Move

Five players have won league MVP Awards at multiple positions:

• Aaron Judge as a center fielder in 2022 and 2024 and as a right fielder in 2025;
• Alex Rodriguez as a SS in 2003 and as a third baseman in 2005 and 2007;
• Robin Yount as a shortstop in 1982 and as a center fielder in 1989;
• Stan Musial as a right fielder in 1943 and 1948 and as a first baseman in 1946;
• Hank Greenberg as a first baseman in 1935 and as a left fielder in 1940.

Let’s Get This Party Started!

Fred Lynn and Ichiro Suzuki are the only players to win the MVP Award in their Rookie season (and by default also the only players to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season.

Lucky Seven

The Giant’ Barry Bonds has the most league MVP Awards at seven (1990, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004). He also holds the record for the most consecutive MVP Awards (four). Bonds also won consecutive NL MVP awards in 1992 and 1993.

Others with consecutive MVP Awards include: Shohei Ohtani (2023-24-25); Aaron Judge (2024-25); Miguel Cabrera (2012-13); Albert Pujols (2008-09); Frank Thomas (1993-94); Dale Murphy (1982-83); Mike Schmidt (1980-81); Joe Morgan (1976-76); Roger Maris (1960-61); Ernie Banks (1958-59); Mickey Mantle (1956-57); Yogi Berra (1954-55); Hal Newhouser (1944-45); and Jimmie Foxx (1932-33).

The Young and The Old of It

Barry Bonds is the oldest player to win a league MVP Award (40-years-old). In fact, if you look at a list of eleven MVP Awards presented to players after their 35^th birthday, Bonds name comes up four times (no other name is on the list more than once.)

The youngest player to win an MVP is the Athletics’ Vida Blue, who was named AL MVP at the age of 21 – after a 20-89, 1.82 season, with 24 complete games and eight shutouts in 39 starts.

I’d Rather Have the MVP Award

Just 11 players have won a League MVP Award in a season in which they did not make the All Star Team (does not include seasons in which there was no All Star Game). Here they are, along with the player who started the All Star Game at their position.

• Hank Greenberg, 1B, Tigers, 1935 (Starter: Lou Gehrig, Yankees)
• Don Newcombe, SP, Dodgers, 1956 (Starter: Bob Friend, Pirates)
• Dave Parker, RF, Pirates, 1978 (Starter: Rick Monday, Dodgers)
• Willie Stargell, 1B, Pirates, 1979 (Starter: Steve Garvey, Dodgers)
• Kirk Gibson, LF. Dodgers, 1988 (Starter: Vince Coleman, Cardinals)
• Robin Yount, CF, Brewers, 1989 (Starter: Kirby Puckett, Twins)
• Terry Pendleton, 3B, Braves, 1991 (Starter: Chris Sabo, Reds)
• Juan Gonzalez, RF, Rangers, 1996 (Starter: Brady Anderson, Orioles)
• Chipper Jones, 3B, Braves, 1999 (Starter: Matt Williams, Diamondbacks)
• Justin Morneau, 1B, Twins, 2006 (Starter: David Ortiz, Red Sox)
• Jimmy Rollins, SS, Phillies, 2007 (Starter: Jose Reyes, Mets)
• Bryce Harper, RF, Phillies, 2021 (Starter: Nick Castellanos, Reds)

 

Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; Goldy Joins List of Oldest MVP Winners, by Sarah Langs, MLB.com; All For One; Unanimous MVP Award Winners, by Dylan Svoboda, MLB.com; Which Position Has Produced the Most MVPs?, by Thomas Harrigan, MLB.com

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