Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player Award


The Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player Award is an annual award given to the best player in Minor League Baseball's Pacific Coast League based on their regular season performance. Though the league was established in 1903, the award was not created until 1927. Managers from the 16 Pacific Coast League teams vote for the winner of the award, which is then combined with 16 votes from various general managers, broadcasters, and media representatives around the league to determine a winner. The award was formerly voted upon by writers from The Sporting News.
In 1927, Lefty O'Doul won the first Pacific Coast League MVP Award. No player was selected from 1928 to 1931. In 1932, the award returned, going to Jigger Statz. For six seasons in the 1970s the award was suspended. In 1948, Charlie Graham donated a plaque, which was named in his honor, to be awarded annually to the league's MVP.
Twenty-eight outfielders have won the MVP Award, the most of any position. First basemen, with 22 winners, have won the most among infielders, followed by third basemen, second basemen, and shortstops. Eight players who won the award were catchers. A total of 11 pitchers have won the MVP Award, all of them being right-handed. The last pitcher to win was Steve Mintz in 1996. The Pacific Coast League sporadically issued a Pitcher of the Year Award from 1957 to 1974 and continuously since 2001. Steve Bilko has the record for most MVP Award wins with three. Sandy Alomar Jr. and Les Scarsella have both won the MVP Award twice. Scarsella first won the award in 1944 as a first baseman and then won his second in 1946 as an outfielder. Two PCL MVP Award winners, Joe DiMaggio and Tony Pérez, have gone on to be inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Seven players each from the Las Vegas Stars/51s and Los Angeles Angels have been selected for the MVP Award, more than any other teams in the league, followed by the Albuquerque Dukes and San Diego Padres ; the Hollywood Stars ; the Oakland Oaks, Sacramento River Cats, San Francisco Seals, and Spokane Indians ; the Calgary Cannons, Reno Aces, Seattle Rainiers, and Tucson Toros/Sidewinders ; the Albuquerque Isotopes, Edmonton Trappers, El Paso Chihuahuas, Fresno Grizzlies, Iowa Cubs, Oklahoma City 89ers/Oklahoma RedHawks, Phoenix Firebirds, Sacramento Solons, and Salt Lake City Bees ; and the Eugene Emeralds, Indianapolis Indians, Omaha Royals, Salt Lake Stingers, Tacoma Giants, and Tulsa Oilers.
Thirteen players from the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball organization have won the MVP Award, more than any other, followed by the Chicago Cubs organization ; the San Diego Padres organization ; the Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, and San Francisco Giants organizations ; the Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, and St. Louis Cardinals organizations ; the Anaheim/California Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, and Toronto Blue Jays organizations ; and the Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, and New York Yankees organizations. Thirteen MVP Award winners were not members of any MLB organization.

Key

Winners

Wins by team

TeamAwardYear
Las Vegas Stars/51s71983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 2001, 2009, 2010
Los Angeles Angels71932, 1933, 1934, 1943, 1955, 1956, 1957
Albuquerque Dukes61972, 1980, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1997
San Diego Padres61941, 1948, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1967
Hollywood Stars51947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1954
Oakland Oaks41936, 1944, 1946, 1950
Sacramento River Cats42000, 2003, 2004, 2006
San Francisco Seals41927, 1935, 1939, 1945
Spokane Indians41960, 1970, 1971, 1974
Calgary Cannons31985, 1987, 1991
Reno Aces32012, 2013, 2017
Seattle Rainiers31938, 1940, 1951
Tucson Toros/Sidewinders31993, 1995, 2005
Albuquerque Isotopes22014, 2018
Edmonton Trappers21982, 1992
El Paso Chihuahuas22016, 2019
Fresno Grizzlies21999, 2015
Iowa Cubs22007, 2011
Oklahoma City 89ers/Oklahoma RedHawks21965, 2008
Phoenix Firebirds21984, 1996
Sacramento Solons21937, 1942
Salt Lake City Bees21959, 1963
Eugene Emeralds11969
Indianapolis Indians11966
Omaha Royals11998
Salt Lake Stingers12002
Tacoma Giants11961
Tulsa Oilers11968

Wins by organization

OrganizationAwardYear
Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers131949, 1957, 1960, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1980, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2014
Chicago Cubs91932, 1933, 1934, 1943, 1955, 1956, 1963, 2007, 2011
San Diego Padres61983, 1986, 1988, 1989, 2016, 2019
Arizona Diamondbacks42005, 2012, 2013, 2017
Houston Astros41965, 1993, 1995, 2015
Oakland Athletics42000, 2003, 2004, 2006
San Francisco Giants41961, 1984, 1996, 1999
Chicago White Sox31947, 1966, 1982
Pittsburgh Pirates31952, 1954, 1959
Seattle Mariners31985, 1987, 1991
St. Louis Cardinals31937, 1942, 1968
Anaheim/California Angels21992, 2002
Cincinnati Reds21962, 1964
Philadelphia Phillies21967, 1969
Texas Rangers21974, 2008
Toronto Blue Jays22009, 2010
Cleveland Indians11958
Colorado Rockies12018
Kansas City Royals11998
New York Yankees11936