To be named the Most Valuable Player in any professional sport is probably the most prestigious individual honor an athlete can receive to validate their greatness. Major League Baseball first named an MVP in both the American and National League in 1911. Besides a small gap around the time of World War I, this exalted award has been given to one player in each league since 1924 (or two players in one rare case).
If you scan the list of all-time MVP winners, you will see tons of Hall of Famers and household names. However, you’ll also notice some unfamiliar players. For every Babe Ruth, there is a Bob O’Farrell. If you throw out Mickey Mantle, there is always Zoilo Varselles. Hank Aaron won it once, but George Bell also has one.
Since the legends get most of the fanfare, let’s give a little love to some of the guys who don’t have a residence in Cooperstown. We’ll chronologically do this series in two sections. Here are some of MLB’s most obscure MVPs … part one.
George Burns (1926 American League MVP)
No, we are not talking about the famous actor. In 1926, George Burns of the Cleveland Indians won the AL MVP with a stat line of 4 home runs, 115 RBIs, a .358 batting average, and a league-best 216 hits. His team didn’t even win the AL pennant, but Burns did take home some personal hardware.
Frank McCormick (1940 National League MVP)
Frank McCormick did have a very solid career, but since it was so long ago, his name probably isn’t ringing a bell. He won the 1940 NL MVP with the Cincinnati Reds, and then his team won the World Series. This was one of three seasons McCormick led the league in hits, to go along with eight All-Star nods.
Jim Konstanty (1950 National League MVP)
In an era predating specialty relief pitching, this relief pitcher miraculously won the 1950 NL MVP for the Whiz Kids. Jim Konstanty finished 62 games with 22 saves for the pennant-winning Philadelphia Phillies. To give you an idea of his impact and reliability, this righty delivered 152 innings without starting a single game.
Dick Groat (1960 National League MVP)
How can a position player win the MVP by having only two home runs? Go ask Dick Groat because he did it in 1960 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Power be gone, this light-hitting shortstop did lead the NL with a .325 batting average and 6.1 WAR for the World Champions.
Jeff Burroughs (1974 American League MVP)
Now, Jeff Burroughs definitely benefited from four Oakland Athletics teammates stealing votes from each other. Yet this guy did pull home the 1974 AL MVP trophy. That year, this outfielder hit 25 homers, drove in 118 runs, hit .301, and had a .901 OPS for the Texas Rangers. Ironically, Burroughs only had the fourth-best WAR on his team.
Main Photo Credit: Cincinnati