Phils MVP Parade

Six different Phillies have won the award with five finishing in second place. Baseball’s final major awards for 2022 will be announced tonight.

The BBWAA first awarded the MVP after the 1931 season. One writer in each city with a team filled out a 10-place ballot, with 10 points for the recipient of a first-place vote, nine for a second-place vote, and so on. In 1938, the BBWAA raised the number of voters to three per city and gave 14 points for a first-place vote. The only significant change since then occurred in 1961, when the number of voters was reduced to two per league city.

Chuck Klein, 1932

27-year-old right fielder Chuck Klein is the first Phillies player to be named the National League’s MVP by the BBWAA, 1932. The left-handed slugger led the N. L. in games (154), runs (152), hits (226), home runs (38), stolen bases (20), slugging percentage (.646), OPS (1.050), extra base hits (103) and total bases (420). His WAR, 7.5. His .348 average was third best and remains the highest for a Phillies MVP winner.

BBWAA voting: 1st place — 78 points out of 80 (98%) … A unanimous decision with all 6 first-place votes … Cubs’ Lon Warneke finished second, 68.

Jim Konstanty, 1950

Reliever Jim Konstanty, pitching out of the 1950 National League champion Whiz Kids bullpen, was the second Phillies player to win the MVP Award.

The 33-year-old right-hander set modern pitching records with 74 appearances (all in relief) and 62 games finished on his way to a 16–7 record and 2.66 ERA. His 74 G, 62 GF and 22 saves led the NL. As the closer he often worked multiple innings as witnessed by his innings pitched, 152.0. His busiest month was September, 36.2 innings, including a 10-inning outing. Not a hard thrower, he walked 50 and struck out 56, both career highs. His WAR (baseball-reference), 4.7.

BBWAA voting: 1st place — 286 points out of 336 (85%) … 18 first-place votes, 3 second and not listed on three ballots … Cardinals’ Stan Musial finished second, 158. Musial won the batting title .346.

Mike Schmidt

Mike Schmidt joined Hall of Famers Stan Musial and Ron Campanella with three National League MVP Awards, 1980, 1981 and 1986. Musial did it first, 1943, 1945, 1948. Campanella followed in 1951, 1953, 1955. Since then, Barry Bonds won NL awards, most among all players and Albert Pujols joined Schmidt, Musial and Campanella. Five in the American League also won three.

(1980) At age 31, Schmidt won his first Award, the big bat in the World Championship lineup. He led the league with a franchise-record 48 home runs. He also tops in RBI (121), slugging (.634), OPS (1.004) and a career-high in total bases (342). BBWAA voting: 1st place — 336 points … a unanimous decision with all 24 first-place votes … Expos’ Gary Carter finished a distant second, 193. It was the first NL unanimous decision since the Cardinals’ Orlando Cepeda (1967)

(1981) His second MVP came in the 1981 strike-shortened season. Playing in 102 games, Schmidt led the NL in runs (78). Home runs (31), RBI (91), total bases (282), walks (73), OBP (.435), slugging (.644), OPS (1.080) and intentional walks (18). BBWAA voting: 1st place — 321 points out of 336 (96%) … 21 first-place votes, 3 second … Montreal’s Andre Dawson finished second, 215.

(1986) His third MVP came in 1986 at age 36. He ranked first in home runs (37), RBI (119), slugging (.547), OPS (.937) and intentional walks (25).

BBWAA voting: 1st place — 287 points out of 336 (85%) … 15 first-place votes, 5 second, 4 third … Astros’ Glenn Davis finished a relatively close second, 231.

Schmidt’s WAR, 8.9, 7.7 and 6.2, respectively.

Ryan Howard, 2006

Fresh from being the 2005 National League Rookie of the year, Ryan Howard powered his way to the league’s MVP the following season. He became just the second Major League to earn ROY and MVP in back-to-back seasons, Cal Ripken, Jr. (AL ROY in 1982 and AL MVP in 1983).

Howard, 26, led the majors in home runs (58), RBI (149) and total bases (383). The 26-year-old finished second in the NL in slugging percentage (.659), extra-base hits (84) and intentional walks (37). He hit a career-high .313 while scoring 104 runs and drawing 108, the most for him.

BBWAA voting: 1st place — 388 points out of 448 (87%) … 20 first-place votes, 12 second … Cardinals Albert Pujols finished second, 344.

Jimmy Rollins, 2007

The 28-year-old became the first N. L. shortstop since 1995 (Barry Larkin, CIN) and, overall, just the sixth in the 77-year MVP history. Others: Mary Marion (1944), Ernie Banks (1958–59), Dick Groat (1960) and Maury Wills (1962).

Rollins became the first player in Major League history to have 200 hits, 15 triples, 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases in the same season. Rollins set records in runs (139) and extra-base hits (88) for a shortstop and led the league in runs, triples (20), at-bats (716) and multi-hit games (63). He set personal highs with 30 home runs, a .296 average, .531 slugging and .875 OPS. His 41 stolen bases were second best up to this point of his career.

Other nuggets include becoming just the 4th player in MLB history to have 20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season, joining Willie Mays, Frank Schulte and Curtis Granderson. He is the only one of the four to also have 200 hits in the same season.

BBWAA voting: 1st place — 353 points out of 448 (79%)… 16 first-place votes, 7 second … Rockies Matt Holliday finished second, 336.

Bryce Harper, 2021

15th player in history to win multiple awards before his age-29 season. His first, 2015 while with Nationals).

Among all players ranked 1st in OPS (1.044), slugging (.615), tied-1st in doubles (42), 2nd in OBP (.429), tied-3rd in extra base hits (78). Among all NL players, ranked 1st in doubles, OPS, slugging, XBH; 2nd in OBP and walks (100), 3rd in average (.309). Also, 2nd in NL in WAR (FanGraphs), 6.6. Became 4th outfielder in history with at least 100 runs, 100 walks, 40 doubles and 35 home runs in a season, joining Babe Ruth (1921, 1923), Stan Musial (1949) and Barry Bonds (1998).

BBWAA voting: 1st place, 348 points (83%) … 17 first-place votes … Nationals Juan Soto finished second, 274.

Runners Up

Chuck Klein in 1931 (Frankie Frisch)

Chuck Klein in 1933 (Carl Hubbell)

Robin Roberts in 1952 (Hank Sauer)

Johnny Callison in 1964 (Ken Boyer)

Greg Luzinski in 1975 (Joe Morgan)

Greg Luzinski in 1977 (George Foster)

Lenny Dykstra in 1993 (Barry Bonds)