TIP O'NEILL AWARD

The Canadian Baseball Player Who Best Exemplifies the Highest Ideals | Baseball Almanac

The Tip O'Neill Award is presented annually by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame to the Canadian-born ballplayer judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to baseball's highest ideals.

The Tip O'Neill Award was created by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and first presented in 1984. It is named after James Tip O'Neill, one of the first Canadian super stars in Major League Baseball. Winners of the Tip O'Neill Award appear below in chronological order. Research by Baseball Almanac.

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"Our philosophy is simply that we do what we do for the team — the 'me' part doesn't enter the equation. That being said, I'm more than happy to receive this honor and anytime you put my name next to Larry Walker's you go right ahead." - Morneau, Justin. Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Press Release. 15 December 2006.

Tip O'Neill Award

By The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame

1984 Terry Puhl (1 | CBHOF) Right Fielder
1985 Dave Shipanoff (1) Pitcher
1986 Rob Ducey (1 | CBHOF) Center Fielder
1987 Larry Walker (1 | CBHOF) Left Fielder
1988 Kevin Reimer (1) Designated Hitter
1989 Steve Wilson (1) Pitcher
1990 Larry Walker (2 | CBHOF) Right Fielder
1991 Daniel Brabant (1) --
1992 Larry Walker (3 | CBHOF) Right Fielder
1993 Rob Butler (1) Left Fielder
1994 Larry Walker (4 | CBHOF) Right Fielder
1995 Larry Walker (5 | CBHOF) Right Fielder
1996 Jason Dickson (1) Pitcher
1997 Larry Walker (6 | CBHOF) Right Fielder
1998 Larry Walker (7 | CBHOF) Right Fielder
1999 Jeff Zimmerman (1) Pitcher
2000 Ryan Dempster (1 | CBHOF) Pitcher
2001 Corey Koskie (1) Third Baseman
Larry Walker (8 | CBHOF) Right Fielder
2002 Eric Gagne (1) Pitcher
Larry Walker (9 | CBHOF) Right Fielder
2003 Eric Gagne (2) Pitcher
2004 Jason Bay (1 | CBHOF) Left Fielder
2005 Jason Bay (2 | CBHOF) Left Fielder
2006 Justin Morneau (1 | CBHOF) First Baseman
2007 Russell Martin (1) Catcher
2008 Justin Morneau (2 | CBHOF) First Baseman
2009 Jason Bay (3 | CBHOF) Left Fielder
2010 Joey Votto (1) First Baseman
2011 John Axford (1) Pitcher
Joey Votto (2) First Baseman
2012 Joey Votto (3) First Baseman
2013 Joey Votto (4) First Baseman
2014 Justin Morneau (3 | CBHOF) First Baseman
2015 Joey Votto (5) First Baseman
2016 Joey Votto (6) First Baseman
2017 Joey Votto (7) First Baseman
2018 James Paxton (1) Pitcher
2019 Mike Soroka (1) Pitcher
2020 Jamie Romak (1) First Baseman
2021 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1) First Baseman
2022 Jordan Romano (1) Pitcher
2023 Josh Naylor (1) First Baseman
2024 Not Yet Awarded (x) --
Tip O'Neill Award | Baseball Awards
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Justin Mourneau, the 2006 recipient, said, "I used to pretend I was Larry Walker batting whiffle balls around my backyard, versus getting into mischief or wasting my time doing other dumb things. If I can influence some Canadian kids to do something wholesome like that by being a role model, that would be the best thing about winning this award."

A Tip O'Neill Award breakdown of recipients by positions played: eleven pitchers, eleven right fielders, fourteen first basemen, six left fielders, one center fielder, one designated hitter, one third baseman, and one catcher.

Did you know that the award itself is named after outfielder Tip O'Neill — a 19th century star who finished his Major League career with a .335 batting average and hit .485 in 1887?