Major League Baseball All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award

Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award
A man wearing a baseball hat, which has a "B" sewn onto it, smiles.
Ted Williams, whom the award has been formally named for since 2002
SportBaseball
LeagueMajor League Baseball
Awarded forMost outstanding player in the All-Star Game
Presented byMajor League Baseball
History
First award1962
Most recentJarren Duran (2024)

The Major League Baseball All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award that is presented to the most outstanding player in each year's MLB All-Star Game. Awarded each season since 1962 (two games were held and an award was presented to each game winner in 1962), it was originally called the Arch Ward Memorial Award in honor of Arch Ward, the man who conceived of the All-Star Game in 1933. The award's name was changed to the Commissioner's Trophy in 1970, but this name change was reversed in 1985 when the World Series Trophy was renamed the Commissioner's Trophy. Finally, the trophy was renamed the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award in 2002, in honor of former Boston Red Sox player Ted Williams, who had died earlier that year.[1] No award was presented for the 2002 All-Star Game, which ended in a tie.[2] Thus, the Anaheim Angels' Garret Anderson was the first recipient of the newly named Ted Williams Award in 2003. The All-Star Game Most Valuable Player also receives a Chevrolet vehicle.[3]

As of 2023, NL players have won the award 28 times (including one award shared by two players), and American League (AL) players have won 33 times. Baltimore Orioles players have won the most awards for a single franchise (with six); players from the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants are tied for the most in the NL with five each. Five players have won the award twice: Willie Mays (1963, 1968), Steve Garvey (1974, 1978), Gary Carter (1981, 1984), Cal Ripken Jr. (1991, 2001), and Mike Trout (2014, 2015, becoming the only player to win the award in back-to-back years). The award has been shared by multiple players once; Bill Madlock and Jon Matlack shared the award in 1975.[4] Two players have won the award for a game in which their league lost: Brooks Robinson in 1966 and Carl Yastrzemski in 1970.[5][6] One pair of awardees were father and son (Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr.),[7] and another were brothers (Roberto Alomar and Sandy Alomar Jr.).[8] Three players have won the MVP award at a game played in their home ballpark (Sandy Alomar Jr. in 1997, Pedro Martínez in 1999, and Shane Bieber in 2019). Derek Jeter is the only player to win the All-Star Game MVP and World Series MVP in the same season, doing so in 2000.

Among prior MVP winners who are no longer active players, only five won the award in what turned out to be their only All-Star Game appearance; LaMarr Hoyt, Bo Jackson, J. D. Drew, Melky Cabrera, and Eric Hosmer. Only the Chicago White Sox, the Detroit Tigers, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Nationals (aside from their predecessor the Montreal Expos) have never had a player win the All-Star Game MVP award.

List of winners

[edit]
Key
Year Links to the article about the corresponding Major League Baseball All-Star Game
Player (X) Denotes winning player and number of times they had won the award at that point
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
^ Denotes player who is still active
* Denotes year in which the award was shared
A man wearing a baseball cap
Maury Wills (NL) received the first All-Star Game MVP Award when two All-Star Games were played and two awards (Leon Wagner-AL) were presented as the "Arch Ward Memorial Award" in 1962.
Willie Mays was the first player to win more than one All-Star Game MVP Award (1963, 1968).
A man wearing a baseball cap
Brooks Robinson (AL) won the award in 1966, the first of only two times a player from the losing team has won the award.
Year Player Team League Position
1962[a] Maury Wills Los Angeles Dodgers National Shortstop
1962[a] Leon Wagner Los Angeles Angels American Left fielder
1963 Willie Mays San Francisco Giants National Center fielder
1964 Johnny Callison Philadelphia Phillies National Right fielder
1965 Juan Marichal San Francisco Giants National Pitcher
1966 Brooks Robinson Baltimore Orioles American Third baseman
1967 Tony Pérez Cincinnati Reds National Third baseman
1968 Willie Mays (2) San Francisco Giants National Center fielder
1969 Willie McCovey San Francisco Giants National First baseman
1970 Carl Yastrzemski Boston Red Sox American Center fielder/First baseman
1971 Frank Robinson Baltimore Orioles American Right fielder
1972 Joe Morgan Cincinnati Reds National Second baseman
1973 Bobby Bonds San Francisco Giants National Right fielder
1974 Steve Garvey Los Angeles Dodgers National First baseman
1975*[b] Bill Madlock Chicago Cubs National Third baseman
Jon Matlack New York Mets National Pitcher
1976 George Foster Cincinnati Reds National Left fielder
1977 Don Sutton Los Angeles Dodgers National Pitcher
1978 Steve Garvey (2) Los Angeles Dodgers National First baseman
1979 Dave Parker Pittsburgh Pirates National Right fielder
1980 Ken Griffey, Sr. Cincinnati Reds National Right fielder
1981 Gary Carter Montreal Expos National Catcher
1982 Dave Concepción Cincinnati Reds National Shortstop
1983 Fred Lynn California Angels American Center fielder
1984 Gary Carter (2) Montreal Expos National Catcher
1985 LaMarr Hoyt San Diego Padres National Pitcher
1986 Roger Clemens Boston Red Sox American Pitcher
1987 Tim Raines Montreal Expos National Left fielder
1988 Terry Steinbach Oakland Athletics American Catcher
1989 Bo Jackson Kansas City Royals American Left fielder
1990 Julio Franco Texas Rangers American Second baseman
1991 Cal Ripken Jr. Baltimore Orioles American Shortstop
1992 Ken Griffey Jr. Seattle Mariners American Center fielder
1993 Kirby Puckett Minnesota Twins American Center fielder
1994 Fred McGriff Atlanta Braves National First baseman
1995 Jeff Conine Florida Marlins National Left fielder
1996 Mike Piazza Los Angeles Dodgers National Catcher
1997 Sandy Alomar Jr. Cleveland Indians American Catcher
1998 Roberto Alomar Baltimore Orioles American Second baseman
1999 Pedro Martínez Boston Red Sox American Pitcher
2000 Derek Jeter New York Yankees American Shortstop
2001 Cal Ripken Jr. (2) Baltimore Orioles American Shortstop/Third baseman[c]
2002[d]
2003 Garret Anderson Anaheim Angels American Left fielder
2004 Alfonso Soriano Texas Rangers American Second baseman
2005 Miguel Tejada Baltimore Orioles American Shortstop
2006 Michael Young Texas Rangers American Shortstop
2007 Ichiro Suzuki Seattle Mariners American Center fielder
2008 J. D. Drew Boston Red Sox American Right fielder
2009 Carl Crawford Tampa Bay Rays American Left fielder
2010 Brian McCann Atlanta Braves National Catcher
2011 Prince Fielder Milwaukee Brewers National First baseman
2012 Melky Cabrera San Francisco Giants National Center fielder
2013 Mariano Rivera New York Yankees American Pitcher
2014 Mike Trout^ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim American Outfielder
2015 Mike Trout^ (2) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim American Outfielder
2016 Eric Hosmer Kansas City Royals American First baseman
2017 Robinson Canó Seattle Mariners American Second baseman
2018 Alex Bregman^ Houston Astros American Third baseman
2019 Shane Bieber^ Cleveland Indians American Pitcher
2020[e] Game cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.
2021 Vladimir Guerrero Jr.^ Toronto Blue Jays American First baseman
2022 Giancarlo Stanton^ New York Yankees American Outfielder
2023 Elías Díaz^ Colorado Rockies National Catcher
2024 Jarren Duran^ Boston Red Sox American Outfielder

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Two All-Star games were played in 1962.[1]
  2. ^ The 1975 award was shared by two players.[4]
  3. ^ Ripken was elected as an American League All-Star at third base in 2001 but had spent the vast majority of his career at shortstop. Ripken had announced earlier that year that he would retire and Alex Rodriguez, the American League's starting shortstop, switched fielding positions with Ripken in the first inning as homage.[9]
  4. ^ A winner was not chosen in 2002 when the game ended in a tie.[2] Fox broadcasters Joe Buck and Tim McCarver stated that if the National League won, Damian Miller would be named MVP, and if the American League won, Paul Konerko would be named.
  5. ^ The award was not given out as the game was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

[edit]
General
  • "All-Star MVPs". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on July 17, 2009. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
  • "Post-Season Awards & All-Star Game MVP Award Winners". Baseball-Reference. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
Specific
  1. ^ a b "All Star Game Most Valuable Player Award". Baseball-Almanac.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Adam McCalvy (July 9, 2002). "All-Star Game finishes in tie". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  3. ^ Mark Newman (June 16, 2014). "MVP Trout chooses from pair of Chevy vehicles". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  4. ^ a b "1975 All-Star Game Box Score". Baseball-Almanac.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  5. ^ "Jul 12, 1966, AL All-Stars at NL All-Stars Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference. Archived from the original on January 3, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  6. ^ "Jul 14, 1970, AL All-Stars at NL All-Stars Box Score and Play by Play". Baseball-Reference. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  7. ^ "Ken Griffey Sr. Archived July 18, 2018, at the Wayback Machine" and "Ken Griffey Jr". Baseball-Reference. Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  8. ^ "Roberto Alomar Archived May 3, 2021, at the Wayback Machine" and "Sandy Alomar Jr". Baseball-Reference. Archived from the original on January 4, 2010. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  9. ^ Anthony McCarron (July 14, 2008). "Alex Rodriguez fondly recalls 2001 All-Star tribute to Cal Ripken Jr". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on August 9, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2009.