ASSOCIATED PRESS PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

The AP Player of the Year

In 1988, the Associated Press began naming an overall player of the year. A nationwide panel of writers and broadcasters was polled and the results were tallied by the Associated Press to determine an overall player of the year in the major leagues.

Listed below in chronological order are the past recipients of the prestigious Associated Press Player of the Year Award, which was discontinued in 2001, as researched by Baseball Almanac.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"Trust me, I'd much rather be in the Yankees' shoes." - Todd Helton (CBS News, Rockies' Helton Voted Top Player, 11/02/2000)

AP Player of the Year

AP Player of the Year

by the Associated Press ©

1988 Jose Canseco OF AL Oakland
1989 Kevin Mitchell OF NL San Francisco
1990 Cecil Fielder 1B AL Detroit
1991 Cal Ripken, Jr. SS AL Baltimore
1992 Barry Bonds OF NL Pittsburgh
1993 Barry Bonds OF NL San Francisco
1994 Jeff Bagwell 1B NL Houston
1995 Greg Maddux P NL Atlanta
1996 Alex Rodriguez SS AL Seattle
1997 No Award Given -- -- --
1998 Mark McGwire 1B NL St. Louis
1999 Pedro Martinez P AL Boston
2000 Todd Helton 1B NL Colorado
2001 Award Discontinued -- -- --
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baseball almanac fast facts

The quotation (top) by Todd Helton was made after The Toddfather won the Associated Press Player of the Year Award in 2000, and was made in reference to the New York Yankees winning the 2000 World Series.

Barry Bonds, who won with two different ballclubs (Pirates in 1992 / Giants in 1993), was the only recipient of the Associated Press Player of the Year Award to win it twice!

Imagine for a moment having to select a single player as the "Player of the Year." Who would you have chosen? Do you agree or disagree with the players chosen by the Associated Press? Share your opinion on Baseball Fever.