MVPs of the Post-War Era:  1946-1960

 

            In the post-war era of MVP voting, there are three identifiable biases:  players on the pennant winner, RBI leaders, and middle infielders.  These are common biases shown by MVP voters, but they are especially noticeable during this era.  There is also a steak for surprise players on surprise teams, as we shall see.

 

1946 American League:  Ted Williams won the award in a somewhat surprisingly close vote over Hal Newhouser.  The Red Sox won the pennant, removing the best reason writers usually had to vote for someone other than Williams, but some found a reason anyway.  Williams still won, deservedly so.

 

1946 National League:  Stan Musial won, and the only surprise was that it wasn’t unanimous:  Country Slaughter got two first-place votes.  Both were big parts of the Cardinals pennant.  Musial deserved it.

 

1947 American League:  Joe DiMaggio won by one vote over Williams, even though Ted was clearly the better player.  But the Yankees won, the Bosox were also-rans, and DiMag won.  And you don’t win an MVP when your team falls from the pennant to out of the race.  Still, it was a bad choice.

 

1947 National League:  Bob Elliott snuck in a win, in a very unusual vote.  Elliott didn’t lead the league in any major category, and his Braves did not seriously threaten to win the pennant, finishing 8 games out.  But they were surprise contenders, and Elliott can lay claim to being the best player in the league, a close race with Johnny Mize and Ralph Kiner in this season as Musial slumped.  It’s a good pick, the kind the BBWAA doesn’t usually make.  We’ve got to give the writers credit here.

 

1948 American League:  Lou Boudreau won the MVP and deserved it, although you could make a case Williams was better.  But Boudreau was spectacular in leading the Indians to the flag.  It was truly a season for the ages.

 

1948 National League:  The Braves won the pennant, but Stan Musial won the Triple Crown and the MVP.  Elliott had gotten his the year before, and a good thing, too.  The Braves had no clear candidate and Musial was the easy favorite.

 

1949 American League:  Williams won after nearly winning the Triple Crown and the Red Sox lost the pennant in a playoff.  With his team that close to the flag Teddy Ballgame got the votes.

 

1949 National League:  Jackie Robinson won an award that could have gone to Musial again, but Jackie was just as good for the team that won.  Robinson and Musial were now the best players in the league.

 

1950 American League:  Phil Rizzuto won.  He was about even with Yogi Berra, and Al Rosen, and a reasonable and defensible choice.  I would have picked Rizzuto too.  Scooter had his best year offensively and was spectacular defensively. 

 

1950 National League:  Jim Konstanty won as one of the strangest selections of all time.  Konstanty was a minor league veteran who came to the Phillies and went 16-7 mostly out of the bullpen as the “Whiz Kids” won a surprise pennant.  He was the prime example of a surprise player on a surprise team.  Robinson, Musial, or Robin Roberts would have been better choices.  This was one of the strangest votes to come from the BBWAA, ever.

 

1951 American League:  Yogi Berra won, and is a defensible choice.  I would have chosen Williams, and Ned Garver was a reasonable pick as well.  Garver won 20 for a last place team, and placed second in the close voting.

 

1951 National League:  Roy Campanella won his first award, although teammate Robinson was just as good a choice.  Musial would have worked too.  Campy was a reasonable choice.

 

1952 American League:  Bobby Shantz won in a spectacular year even though his team wasn’t so good, unless he was pitching.  He was the top force in the league and a good choice in his 24-victory year.

 

1952 National League:  Hank Sauer won an odd vote.  The normal choice would have been Robin Roberts, 28-game winner, and the best choice would have been Jackie.  This was a bad selection.

 

1953 American League:  Al Rosen was clearly the choice.

 

1953 National League:  Campanella won again, and deserved it, although competition was stiff.

 

1954 American League:  Yogi Berra won his second award even though the Yankees didn’t win the pennant.  It was a good choice.

 

1954 National League:  Willie Mays was the clear winner.

 

1955 American League:  Berra won for a third time, but Mickey Mantle deserved it.

 

1955 National League:  Campy won by 5 votes over Duke Snider.  Snider should have gotten this one.  Mays was the best player overall.

 

1956 American League:  Mantle won easily as the best player in the league.

 

1956 National League:  Don Newcombe won the award with 27 victories on the mound.  Duke Snider deserved the award, again.  The Duke got robbed twice in a row.  The win total was apparently too much for the writers to ignore, even though Roberts’ 28 in 1952 was passed over.

 

1957 American League:  Mantle was a deserving repeater.

 

1957 National League:  Hank Aaron got a deserving win as his team won its first Milwaukee pennant.

 

1958 American League:  Mantle was the best player in the league, and at this point should have been winning his fourth straight award.  Jackie Jensen won this one instead, by leading the AL in RBI.  It was a bad selection, but the writers were coming up with a reason not to elect Mantle again here.

 

1958 National League:  Ernie Banks won the award although Mays was better.  The HR and RBI lead, plus playing shortstop, won it for Banks.

 

1959 American League:  Nellie Fox won, and was a good choice.  His team took the pennant and Fox led the way.

 

1959 National League:  Banks won again, and has a better argument this time.  I could have picked him here.

 

1960 American League:  It was another Mantle year, but Maris was selected as the new guy.  Maris was, in fairness, almost as good in 1960.

 

1960 National League:  Dick Groat won, even though he missed a month of the season.  He did win the batting title for the pennant winners.  There was no clear best player this season, allowing Groat to sneak through.  Mays was probably the best, as usual. 

 

The writers didn’t cough up too many hairballs during this period.  A few picks are not the best, but only DiMaggio in 1947, Konstanty in 1950, Sauer in 1952, and Jensen in 1958 were truly bad selections.  Four terrible selections out of 30 are better than usual for the BBWAA voters historically.  I have arguments with several others, but that is more a difference of opinion.