MLB MVP Award: BBWAA voting converges with WAR

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SEATTLE – APRIL 12: Former Mariners star Randy Johnson waves to the crowd prior to throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the Mariners’ home opener against the Oakland Athletics at Safeco Field on April 12, 2010 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

Players “Robbed” of Multiple MVPs

As mentioned above, Grady Sizemore and Alex Rodriguez were both “robbed” of MVP trophies two times, but they are hardly alone. There’s an impressive list of players who have led the league in fWAR but failed to win the MVP on multiple occasions. Including Sizemore and Rodriguez, there are 17 such players, many of them Hall of Famers. Carl Yastrzemski, Ken Griffey, Jr., Lou Gehrig, and Jackie Robinson are on this list.

Four players have had this happen three times. Trout was mentioned above. He’s joined by Mickey Mantle, who won back-to-back MVP trophies in 1956 and 1957 and led the AL in fWAR both years. He also led the AL in 1955 and 1958, but lost the MVP race to Yogi Berra and Jackie Jensen. He could have won four straight. In 1961, for the third time in his career, Mantle led the league in fWAR but didn’t win the MVP. His teammate, Roger Maris, won the award with his record-breaking 61-homer season.

Randy Johnson led his league in fWAR three times and didn’t win the MVP in any of those three seasons. In 1995, Mo Vaughn took the honors. Chipper Jones stole it from him in 1999 and Jeff Kent won it over the Big Unit in 2000. A decade earlier, Rickey Henderson was the top player in 1981, 1985, and 1989, but Rollie Fingers, Don Mattingly, and Robin Yount won the MVPs in those seasons.

Two players, Roger Clemens and Mel Ott, have been “robbed” of the MVP four times. Clemens spread his non-wins out in the 11 years from 1988 to 1998. Jose Canseco and his 40-40 season topped Clemens in 1988. Dennis Eckersley’s 51-save season in 1992 gave him the MVP, despite ranking 60^th in fWAR. Ken Griffey, Jr and his 56-homer, 147-RBI season won over the voters in 1997. Juan Gonzalez and his 45-homer, 157-RBI season beat out Clemens in 1998. Clemens is the rare pitcher to win an MVP Award, but he could have won five.

Mel Ott never won an MVP Award but finished in the top ten in the voting six times. In four seasons in the 1930s, he led the NL in fWAR but didn’t get the trophy. Chuck Klein in 1932, Dizzy Dean in 1934, Carl Hubbell in 1936, and Ernie Lombardi in 1938 all won MVPs despite finished behind Ott in fWAR during their MVP-winning seasons.

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