Babe Ruth Award on Baseball Almanac

The Babe Ruth Award

The World Series Most Valuable Player Award was originally given by the editors of Sport Magazine and started in 1955. The award is now voted on during the final game of the World Series by a committee of reporters and officials in attendance. It is announced at the game and soon thereafter Chevy presents the winner with a new Corvette.

The World Series Most Valuable Player Award / Babe Ruth Award (variation) was developed by the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America in honor of Babe Ruth and first awarded one year after the Bambino's death. The chapter meets following the World Series and announces their award via the media.

This version of the World Series Most Valuable Player Award was modified after the 2002 World Series due to the same award being given at the same time by Sport Magazine. In 2003 the Babe Ruth Award was "adjusted" so it wouldn't compete directly with the World Series MVP Award and instead honors the player with the best performance in the postseason.

Notes: Listed below in chronological order are all the recipients of the Babe Ruth Award. Names may be clicked to view comprehensive player stats and columns include Year won, Quantity or times won, the position played when won, the League & Team played in by the winning recipient.

"Postseason MVP. Wow, What's next, the good guy award? I've been to these dinners a couple of times to receive MVP awards and those, I'm very proud of those accomplishments, but none of those accomplishments will ever compare to the feeling you get from being part of a team that won a world championship. Like Albert (Pujols) said there's nothing like winning a World championship." - Alex Rodriguez (AP Wire, 'Rodriguez chokes up during speech', Source)

World Series Most Valuable Player Award Sport Magazine Award / Babe Ruth Award
World Series	Name(s)^(Quantity)	Position	League	Team
1949	Joe Page⁽¹⁾	P	AL	New York
1950	Jerry Coleman⁽¹⁾	2B	AL	New York
1951	Phil Rizzuto⁽¹⁾	SS	AL	New York
1952	Johnny Mize⁽¹⁾	1B	AL	New York
1953	Billy Martin⁽¹⁾	2B	AL	New York
1954	Dusty Rhodes⁽¹⁾	OF	NL	New York
1955	Johnny Podres⁽¹⁾	P	NL	Brooklyn
1956	Don Larsen⁽¹⁾	P	AL	New York
1957	Lew Burdette⁽¹⁾	P	NL	Milwaukee
1958	Elston Howard⁽¹⁾	C	AL	New York
1959	Larry Sherry⁽¹⁾	P	NL	Los Angeles
1960	Bill Mazeroski⁽¹⁾	2B	NL	Pittsburgh
1961	Whitey Ford⁽¹⁾	P	AL	New York
1962	Ralph Terry⁽¹⁾	P	AL	New York
1963	Sandy Koufax⁽¹⁾	P	NL	Los Angeles
1964	Bob Gibson⁽¹⁾	P	NL	St. Louis
1965	Sandy Koufax⁽²⁾	P	NL	Los Angeles
1966	Frank Robinson⁽¹⁾	OF	AL	Baltimore
1967	Lou Brock⁽¹⁾	OF	NL	St. Louis
1968	Mickey Lolich⁽¹⁾	P	AL	Detroit
1969	Al Weis⁽¹⁾	SS	NL	New York
1970	Brooks Robinson⁽¹⁾	3B	AL	Baltimore
1971	Roberto Clemente⁽¹⁾	OF	NL	Pittsburgh
1972	Gene Tenace⁽¹⁾	C	AL	Oakland
1973	Bert Campaneris⁽¹⁾	SS	AL	Oakland
1974	Dick Green⁽¹⁾	2B	AL	Oakland
1975	Luis Tiant⁽¹⁾	P	AL	Boston
1976	Johnny Bench⁽¹⁾	C	NL	Cincinnati
1977	Reggie Jackson⁽¹⁾	OF	AL	New York
1978	Bucky Dent⁽¹⁾	SS	AL	New York
1979	Willie Stargell⁽¹⁾	1B	NL	Pittsburgh
1980	Tug McGraw⁽¹⁾	P	NL	Philadelphia
1981	Ron Cey⁽¹⁾	3B	NL	Los Angeles
1982	Bruce Sutter⁽¹⁾	P	NL	St. Louis
1983	Rick Dempsey⁽¹⁾	C	AL	Baltimore
1984	Jack Morris⁽¹⁾	P	AL	Detroit
1985	Bret Saberhagen⁽¹⁾	P	AL	Kansas City
1986	Ray Knight⁽¹⁾	3B	NL	New York
1987	Frank Viola⁽¹⁾	P	AL	Minnesota
1988	Orel Hershiser⁽¹⁾	P	NL	Los Angeles
1989	Dave Stewart⁽¹⁾	P	AL	Oakland
1990	Billy Hatcher⁽¹⁾	OF	NL	Cincinnati
1991	Jack Morris⁽²⁾	P	AL	Minnesota
1992	Dave Winfield⁽¹⁾	OF	AL	Toronto
1993	Paul Molitor⁽¹⁾	3B / DH	AL	Toronto
1994	Strike Season	n/a	n/a	n/a
1995	Tom Glavine⁽¹⁾	P	NL	Atlanta
1996	Cecil Fielder⁽¹⁾	1B / DH	AL	New York
1997	Moises Alou⁽¹⁾	OF	NL	Florida
1998	Scott Brosius⁽¹⁾	3B	AL	New York
1999	Mariano Rivera⁽¹⁾	P	AL	New York
2000	Derek Jeter⁽¹⁾	SS	AL	New York
2001	Randy Johnson⁽¹⁾	P	NL	Arizona
2001	Curt Schilling⁽¹⁾	P	NL	Arizona
2002	Troy Glaus⁽¹⁾	3B	AL	Anaheim
World Series	Name(s)^(Quantity)	Position	League	Team
The Babe Ruth Award Best Postseason Performance
World Series	Name(s)^(Quantity)	Position	League	Team
2003	Josh Beckett⁽¹⁾	P	NL	Florida
2004	Keith Foulke⁽¹⁾	P	AL	Boston
2005	Jermaine Dye⁽¹⁾	OF	AL	Chicago
2006	David Eckstein⁽¹⁾	SS	AL	St. Louis
2007	Jonathan Papelbon⁽¹⁾	P	AL	Boston
2008	Cole Hamels⁽¹⁾	P	AL	Philadelphia
2009	Alex Rodriguez⁽¹⁾	3B	AL	New York
2010	Tim Lincecum⁽¹⁾	P	AL	San Francisco
2011	David Freese⁽¹⁾	3B	AL	St. Louis
2012	Not Yet Determined	--	--	--
World Series	Name(s)^(Quantity)	Position	League	Team
World Series Most Valuable Player Award

Luis Tiant (1975 World Series) is the only receipient who has won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award while playing on the losing team. If you include the Sport Magazine variation of the World Series Most Valuable Player Award then Bobby Richardson (1960 World Series) would also be part of the unique "club".

Did you know that 1958 was the first season where each version of the World Series Most Valuable Player Award went to a different player (Bob Turley there & Elston Howard here) and 1955 was the first season where one player, Johnny Podres of the Brooklyn Dodgers, won both versions of the World Series Most Valuable Player Award?

Sandy Koufax and Jack Morris are the only players to win the Babe Ruth Award twice while Bob Gibson, Reggie Jackson and Sandy Koufax (again) are the only players to win the Sport Magazine Award twice.

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