The gibberish continues this morning about how the batting triple crown (leading the league/conference in home runs (HR), runs batted in (RBI) and batting average (BA) in the same season) pretty much entitles a batter to the most valuable player (MVP) award, which was first given in 1931. This may be especially true if the batter's team finishes first in an arbitrarily defined division and plays most of its games outside that division and even though the team has fewer wins than two teams that do not qualify for the Major Baseball League (MBL) tournament.
Click
link to read my August 14, 2011 Triple Crown research.
Miguel Cabrera dominated the vote of the writers and was awarded the American Conference (AC) MVP award.
Mike Trout, whose Angels team won one more game than Cabrera's Tigers but did not make the tournament, finished a solid but distant second, 362 points to 281; 22 first place votes to 6.
I'm guessing that many of those who voted for and/or supported Cabrera are also
Ted Williams sycophants and Yankee haters who constantly whine that Williams finished second in MVP voting to Yankees in both his triple crown seasons, 1942 and 1947. They never mention that Williams Red Sox teams did not finish first.
In 1942 Boston finished second, nine games behind the Yankees. Yankee second baseman
Joe Gordon beat Williams in MVP points 270 to 249, 12 first place votes to 9. In 1947 Boston finished third, twelve games behind the Yankees. Yankee center fielder
Joe DiMaggio beat Williams in MVP points 202 to 201, 8 first place votes to 3.
They also never mention that two other Hall of Fame triple crown batters did not win the MVP award.
In 1933
Chuck Klein of the Philadelphia Phillies and
Jimmie Foxx of the Philadelphia As led their respective leagues in the triple crown categories. Neither Philadelphia team finished first. The Phillies were seventh, 31 games behind the New York Giants and the As were third, 19.5 games behind Washington's last pennant winner, which lost the World Series to the Giants. NL MVP points: Giants pitcher
Carl Hubbell 77, Klein 48. AL MVP points: Foxx 74, Joe Cronin Washington SS 62.
In 1934 Detroit won the AL pennant, seven games ahead of the second place Yankees who had two triple crown players:
Lou Gehrig and southpaw pitcher
Lefty Gomez who led the AL in wins, strike outs and ERA. Gomez did it again in 1937. Gehrig finished FIFTH behind three Tigers and even his own teammate Gomez. You should live long enough to hear a Red Sox fan mention that.
|
Rank |
|
Tm |
Vote Pts |
1st Place |
Share |
WAR |
G |
AB |
R |
H |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
BB |
BA |
OBP |
SLG |
OPS |
W |
L |
ERA |
WHIP |
G |
GS |
SV |
IP |
H |
HR |
BB |
SO |
1 |
Mickey Cochrane |
DET |
67.0 |
|
84% |
3.7 |
129 |
437 |
74 |
140 |
2 |
76 |
8 |
78 |
.320 |
.428 |
.412 |
.840 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
Charlie Gehringer |
DET |
65.0 |
|
81% |
8.1 |
154 |
601 |
134 |
214 |
11 |
127 |
11 |
99 |
.356 |
.450 |
.517 |
.967 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 |
Lefty Gomez |
NYY |
60.0 |
|
75% |
7.4 |
38 |
99 |
8 |
13 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
6 |
.131 |
.189 |
.141 |
.330 |
26 |
5 |
2.33 |
1.133 |
38 |
33 |
1 |
281.2 |
223 |
12 |
96 |
158 |
4 |
Schoolboy Rowe |
DET |
59.0 |
|
74% |
6.6 |
51 |
109 |
15 |
33 |
2 |
22 |
0 |
6 |
.303 |
.339 |
.450 |
.789 |
24 |
8 |
3.45 |
1.278 |
45 |
30 |
1 |
266.0 |
259 |
12 |
81 |
149 |
5 |
Lou Gehrig |
NYY |
54.0 |
|
68% |
10.1 |
154 |
579 |
128 |
210 |
49 |
165 |
9 |
109 |
.363 |
.465 |
.706 |
1.172 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6 |
Hank Greenberg |
DET |
29.0 |
|
36% |
5.8 |
153 |
593 |
118 |
201 |
26 |
139 |
9 |
63 |
.339 |
.404 |
.600 |
1.005 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7 |
Hal Trosky |
CLE |
18.0 |
|
22% |
5.2 |
154 |
625 |
117 |
206 |
35 |
142 |
2 |
58 |
.330 |
.388 |
.598 |
.987 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8 |
Wes Ferrell |
BOS |
16.0 |
|
20% |
4.7 |
34 |
78 |
12 |
22 |
4 |
17 |
1 |
7 |
.282 |
.341 |
.487 |
.828 |
14 |
5 |
3.63 |
1.403 |
26 |
23 |
1 |
181.0 |
205 |
4 |
49 |
67 |
9 |
Marv Owen |
DET |
13.0 |
|
16% |
3.0 |
154 |
565 |
79 |
179 |
8 |
96 |
3 |
59 |
.317 |
.385 |
.451 |
.837 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
Jimmie Foxx |
PHA |
11.0 |
|
14% |
8.6 |
150 |
539 |
120 |
180 |
44 |
130 |
11 |
111 |
.334 |
.449 |
.653 |
1.102 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11 |
Al Simmons |
CHW |
9.0 |
0.0 |
11% |
4.2 |
138 |
558 |
102 |
192 |
18 |
104 |
3 |
53 |
.344 |
.403 |
.530 |
.933 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12 |
Roy Johnson |
BOS |
8.0 |
0.0 |
10% |
1.9 |
143 |
569 |
85 |
182 |
7 |
119 |
11 |
54 |
.320 |
.379 |
.467 |
.846 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12 |
Billy Werber |
BOS |
8.0 |
0.0 |
10% |
5.2 |
152 |
623 |
129 |
200 |
11 |
67 |
40 |
77 |
.321 |
.397 |
.472 |
.868 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14 |
Goose Goslin |
DET |
6.0 |
0.0 |
8% |
2.4 |
151 |
614 |
106 |
187 |
13 |
100 |
5 |
65 |
.305 |
.373 |
.453 |
.826 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15 |
Sam West |
SLB |
5.0 |
0.0 |
6% |
2.6 |
122 |
482 |
90 |
157 |
9 |
55 |
3 |
62 |
.326 |
.403 |
.469 |
.871 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16 |
Mel Harder |
CLE |
4.0 |
0.0 |
5% |
6.7 |
44 |
87 |
9 |
14 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
3 |
.161 |
.189 |
.230 |
.419 |
20 |
12 |
2.61 |
1.281 |
44 |
29 |
4 |
255.1 |
246 |
6 |
81 |
91 |
17 |
Earl Averill |
CLE |
3.0 |
0.0 |
4% |
6.5 |
154 |
598 |
128 |
187 |
31 |
113 |
5 |
99 |
.313 |
.414 |
.569 |
.982 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17 |
Pinky Higgins |
PHA |
3.0 |
0.0 |
4% |
4.0 |
144 |
543 |
89 |
179 |
16 |
90 |
9 |
56 |
.330 |
.392 |
.508 |
.901 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
19 |
Bill Knickerbocker |
CLE |
2.0 |
0.0 |
2% |
2.4 |
146 |
593 |
82 |
188 |
4 |
67 |
6 |
25 |
.317 |
.347 |
.408 |
.755 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All other triple crown batters through 1967 were on pennant winners and voted MVP:
1937
Joe Medwick Cardinals; MVP points: Medwick 70,
Gabby Hartnett Cubs
68. Cubs were second by three games. First place votes: Medwick 2, Hartnett 3,
Harry Danning Giants catcher 1 and 10 points finishing 14th. Danning batted .288 in 93 games.
1956
Mickey Mantle Yankees; MVP points: Mantle 336 (all first place votes),
Yogi Berra 186.
1966
Frank Robinson Orioles; MVP points: Robinson 280 (all first place votes),
Brooks Robinson 153.
1967
Carl Yastrzemski Red Sox; MVP points: Yastrzemski 275 (all but one first place votes),
Harmon Killebrew Twins (second by one game) 171;
Cesar Tovar, Killebrew's Twins teammate, got the other first place vote and 70 points tied for seventh.