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 players / pitchers chosen by The Sporting News as recipients of their Most Valuable Player Award. The award, which originally started in 1929, was discontinued in 1946 and never resumed.
"There never was a better left fielder in hustling to the foul line to turn a double into a single." - Joe Cronin on Al Simmons
Most Valuable Player Awardby The Sporting News |
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Year | Name | LG | Team | POS |
1929 | Al Simmons | AL | Philadelphia | OF |
No Selection | NL | n/a | n/a | |
1930 | Joe Cronin | AL | Washington | SS |
Bill Terry | NL | New York | 1B | |
1931 | Lou Gehrig | AL | New York | 1B |
Chuck Klein | NL | Philadelphia | OF | |
1932 | Jimmie Foxx | AL | Philadelphia | 1B |
Chuck Klein | NL | Philadelphia | OF | |
1933 | Jimmie Foxx | AL | Philadelphia | 1B |
Carl Hubbell | NL | New York | P | |
1934 | Lou Gehrig | AL | New York | 1B |
Dizzy Dean | NL | St. Louis | P | |
1935 | Hank Greenberg | AL | Detroit | 1B |
Arky Vaughan | NL | Pittsburgh | SS | |
1936 | Lou Gehrig | AL | New York | 1B |
Carl Hubbell | NL | New York | P | |
1937 | Charlie Gehringer | AL | Detroit | 2B |
Joe Medwick | NL | St. Louis | OF | |
1938 | Jimmie Foxx | AL | Boston | 1B |
Ernie Lombardi | NL | Cincinnati | C | |
1939 | Joe DiMaggio | AL | New York | OF |
Bucky Walters | NL | Cincinnati | P | |
1940 | Hank Greenberg | AL | Detroit | OF |
Frank McCormick | NL | Cincinnati | 1B | |
1941 | Joe DiMaggio | AL | New York | OF |
Dolph Camilli | NL | Brooklyn | 1B | |
1942 | Joe Gordon | AL | New Yorn | 2B |
Mort Cooper | NL | St. Louis | P | |
1943 | Spud Chandler | AL | New York | P |
Stan Musial | NL | St. Louis | OF | |
1944 | Bobby Doerr | AL | Boston | 2B |
Marty Marion | NL | St. Louis | SS | |
1945 | Eddie Mayo | AL | Detroit | 2B |
Tommy Holmes | NL | Boston | OF | |
1946 | Award Discontinued | AL | -- | -- |
Award Discontinued | NL | -- | -- | |
Year | Name | LG | Team | POS |
Most Valuable Player Award | Baseball Awards Menu |
Al Simmons, who won the first Sporting News Most Valuable Player Award in 1929, had a very unusual batting stance and when he was traded to the A's he worried that Connie Mack would force him to change it; however, Mack simply told him, "You can hold the bat in your teeth, provided you hit safely and often." — Simmons hit .387 that particular season.
Multiple American League winners include Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx with three while Joe DiMaggio and Hank Greenberg won two each. In the National League no player ever won three times while Carl Hubbell and Chuck Klein were the only ones to win twice.
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