MLB EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR AWARD

The Sporting News MLB Executive of the Year | Baseball Almanac

The Sporting News is nothing short of the most respected and legendary magazine / newspaper in sports history. Their coverage of baseball has no rival and they are simply the most respected source of historical baseball statistics anywhere. Listed below in chronological order are the executives chosen by The Sporting News as recipients of the Executive of the Year Award. Research by Baseball Almanac.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"It's an organizational award and some of the things we experienced this year certainly add to this award for me individually. Unfortunately, the people who contributed to all the things that went right don't get much acknowledgement. I accepted this on behalf of the organization because that's exactly what it is. Everybody affiliated with the Minnesota Twins had a part in this and I'm proud to accept it on behalf of the organization." - Minnesota Twins Vice President & General Manager Terry Ryan

MLB Executive of the Year Award

by The Sporting News ©

1936 Branch Rickey (1) NL St. Louis Cardinals (1)
1937 Ed Barrow (1) AL New York Yankees (1)
1938 Warren Giles (1) NL Cincinnati Reds (1)
1939 Larry MacPhail (1) NL Brooklyn Dodgers (1)
1940 Walter Briggs, Sr. (1) AL Detroit Tigers (1)
1941 Ed Barrow (2) AL New York Yankees (2)
1942 Branch Rickey (2) NL St. Louis Cardinals (2)
1943 Clark Griffith (1) AL Washington Senators (1)
1944 Billy DeWitt (1) AL St. Louis Browns (1)
1945 Phil Wrigley (1) NL Chicago Cubs (1)
1946 Tom Yawkey (1) AL Boston Red Sox (1)
1947 Branch Rickey (3) NL Brooklyn Dodgers (2)
1948 Bill Veeck, Jr. (1) AL Cleveland Indians (1)
1949 Bob Carpenter (1) NL Philadelphia Phillies (1)
1950 George Weiss (1) AL New York Yankees (3)
1951 George Weiss (2) AL New York Yankees (4)
1952 George Weiss (3) AL New York Yankees (5)
1953 Lou Perini (1) NL Milwaukee Braves (1)
1954 Horace Stoneham (1) NL New York Giants (1)
1955 Walter O'Malley (1) NL Brooklyn Dodgers (3)
1956 Gabe Paul (1) NL Cincinnati Redlegs (2)
1957 Frank Lane (1) NL St. Louis Cardinals (3)
1958 Joe Brown (1) NL Pittsburgh Pirates (1)
1959 Buzzie Bavasi (1) NL Los Angeles Dodgers (4)
1960 George Weiss (4) AL New York Yankees (6)
1961 Dan Topping (1) AL New York Yankees (7)
1962 Fred Haney (1) AL Los Angeles Angels(1)
1963 Bing Devine (1) NL St. Louis Cardinals (4)
1964 Bing Devine (2) NL St. Louis Cardinals (5)
1965 Cal Griffith (1) AL Minnesota Twins (2)
1966 Lee MacPhail (1) MLB Commissioner of Baseball (1)
1967 Dick O'Connell (1) AL Boston Red Sox (2)
1968 Jim Campbell (1) AL Detroit Tigers (2)
1969 John Murphy (1) NL New York Mets (1)
1970 Harry Dalton (1) AL Baltimore Orioles (2)
1971 Cedric Tallis (1) AL Kansas City Royals (1)
1972 Roland Hemond (1) AL Chicago White Sox (1)
1973 Bob Howsam (1) NL Cincinnati Reds (3)
1974 Gabe Paul (2) AL New York Yankees (8)
1975 Dick O'Connell (2) AL Boston Red Sox (3)
1976 Joe Burke (1) AL Kansas City Royals (2)
1977 Bill Veeck, Jr. (2) AL Chicago White Sox (2)
1978 Spec Richardson (1) NL San Francisco Giants (2)
1979 Hank Peters (1) AL Baltimore Orioles (3)
1980 Tal Smith (1) NL Houston Astros (1)
1981 John McHale (1) NL Montreal Expos (1)
1982 Harry Dalton (2) AL Milwaukee Brewers (1)
1983 Hank Peters (2) AL Baltimore Orioles (4)
1984 Dallas Green (1) NL Chicago Cubs (2)
1985 John Schuerholz (1) AL Kansas City Royals (3)
1986 Frank Cashen (1) NL New York Mets (2)
1987 Al Rosen (1) NL San Francisco Giants (3)
1988 Fred Claire (1) NL Los Angeles Dodgers (5)
1989 Roland Hemond (2) AL Baltimore Orioles (5)
1990 Bob Quinn (1) NL Cincinnati Reds (4)
1991 Andy MacPhail (1) AL Minnesota Twins (3)
1992 Dan Duquette (1) NL Montreal Expos (2)
1993 Lee Thomas (1) NL Philadelphia Phillies (2)
1994 John Hart (1) AL Cleveland Indians (2)
1995 John Hart (2) AL Cleveland Indians (3)
1996 Doug Melvin (1) AL Texas Rangers (1)
1997 Cam Bonifay (1) NL Pittsburgh Pirates (2)
1998 Gerry Hunsicker (1) NL Houston Astros (1)
1999 Billy Beane (1) AL Oakland Athletics (1)
2000 Walt Jocketty (1) NL St. Louis Cardinals (6)
2001 Pat Gillick (1) AL Seattle Mariners (1)
2002 Terry Ryan (1) AL Minnesota Twins (4)
2003 Brian Sabean (1) NL San Francisco Giants (4)
2004 Walt Jocketty (2) NL St. Louis Cardinals (7)
2005 Mark Shapiro (1) AL Cleveland Indians (4)
2006 Terry Ryan (2) AL Minnesota Twins (5)
2007 Mark Shapiro (2) AL Cleveland Indians (5)
2008 Andrew Friedman (1) AL Tampa Bay Rays (1)
2009 Dan O'Dowd (1) NL Colorado Rockies (1)
2010 Walt Jocketty (3) NL Cincinnati Reds (5)
2011 Dave Dombrowski (1) AL Detroit Tigers (3)
Doug Melvin (2) NL Milwaukee Brewers (2)
2012 Billy Beane (2) AL Oakland Athletics (2)
2013 Ben Cherington (1) AL Boston Red Sox (4)
2014 Dan Duquette (2) AL Baltimore Orioles (6)
2015 Alex Anthopoulos (1) AL Toronto Blue Jays (1)
2016 Theo Epstein (1) NL Chicago Cubs (3)
2017 Chris Antonetti (1) AL Cleveland Indians (6)
2018 Billy Beane (3) AL Oakland Athletics (3)
2019 Erik Neander (1) AL Tampa Bay Rays (1)
2020 Rick Hahn (1) AL Chicago White Sox (3)
2021 Farhan Zaidi (1) NL San Francisco Giants (5)
2022 Chris Antonetti (1) AL Cleveland Guardians (6)
2023 Mike Elias (1) AL Baltimore Orioles (7)
2024 Not Yet Awarded (x) -- --
Executive of the Year Award | Baseball Awards
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baseball almanac fast facts

Branch Rickey, who won the first ever Sporting News Executive of the Year Award in 1936, not only signed Jackie Robinson, but also "invented" the modern farm system.

Multiple winners include George Weiss with four; Billy Beane, Branch Rickey and Walt Jocketty with three; Ed Barrow, Bing Devine, Dan Duquette, Gabe Paul, Dick O'Connell, Bill Veeck Jr., Harry Dalton, Hank Peters, Roland Hemond, John Hart, and Mark Shapiro, with two each.

Each of the executives won the Sporting News Executive of the Year Award due to actions they took to improve the game itself or their specific team. If you know specific reasons why each has won, share them with fans on our Baseball Almanac Facebook Group, on Baseball Almanac Twitter, via Baseball Almanac Messenger, or our baseball forum — Baseball Fever.