BABE RUTH AWARD

The Best Postseason Performance in Major League Baseball | Baseball Almanac

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. Research by Baseball Almanac.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"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." - Rodriguez, Alex. AP Wire. Rodriguez chokes up during speech. 24 January 2010.

World Series Most Valuable Player Award

Babe Ruth Award / World Series MVP 1949-2002

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
Curt Schilling (1) P NL Arizona
2002 Troy Glaus (1) 3B AL Anaheim

The Babe Ruth Award

Best Postseason Performance

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 NL St. Louis
2007 Jonathan Papelbon (1) P AL Boston
2008 Cole Hamels (1) P NL Philadelphia
2009 Alex Rodriguez (1) 3B AL New York
2010 Tim Lincecum (1) P NL San Francisco
2011 David Freese (1) 3B NL St. Louis
2012 Pablo Sandoval (1) 3B NL San Francisco
2013 David Ortiz (1) DH AL Boston
2014 Madison Bumgarner (1) P NL San Francisco
2015 Wade Davis (1) P AL Kansas City
2016 Jon Lester (1) P NL Chicago
2017 Jose Altuve (1) 2B AL Houston
Justin Verlander (1) P AL Houston
2018 David Price (1) P AL Boston
2019 Juan Soto (1) OF NL Washington
Stephen Strasburg (1) P NL Washington
2020 Randy Arozarena (1) OF AL Tampa Bay
2021 Freddie Freeman (1) 1B NL Atlanta
2022 Jeremy Peña (1) SS AL Houston
2023 Adolis García (1) RF AL Texas
2024 Not Yet Awarded (11-2024) -- -- --
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baseball almanac fast facts

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 MVP 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.