As expected, Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge were named the MVPs in MLB. Ohtani became the National League MVP after becoming the first player ever with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season, and his campaign ended with him hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy.
Judge, meanwhile, was named American League MVP because he had one of the best seasons ever for a right-handed hitter. Judge hit .322 en route to smashing 58 home runs, walking 133 times, and hitting 144 RBIs, the latter three statistics of which all led baseball.
These two stars were the clear-cut, most-deserving players to win MVP this year, as they both had two of the best MVP seasons ever. MLB dates back a long time, though, so check out the article below to see which individual MVP seasons throughout the history of baseball were the best.
After all, some MVP seasons were just the best performances in that particular season, while others have stood the test of time and will be compared to/remembered forever.
1. Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants – 2001
Of course, Barry Bonds’ 21st-century tenure with the San Francisco Giants is highly controversial. The player who would be the undisputed greatest player in MLB history has a clouded legacy because of steroid usage. He is one of the greatest athletes in sports history, and his pre-steroid era was still Hall of Fame worthy, but it is hard to rank Bonds in any list because his best years came when he was the leading figure of performance enhancing drugs.
Still, you can’t deny the numbers that he put up in his prime, and what Bonds did in 2001 seems unrealistic. Most notably, Bonds belted 73 home runs, which is by far the most in a single season ever. Only Mark McGwire (another leader of the steroid era) has ever also hit 70-plus homers.
Bonds was able to put the barrel to the ball this many times despite being walked 177 times, which is the third most in MLB history (and the third most of Bonds’ career, but more on that later). Bonds did it all in 2001, but his 73 home runs that season will forever be remembered as the most jaw-dropping stat in baseball history.
2. Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants – 2004
As you will notice while reading this article, Barry Bonds is responsible for multiple of the best MVP seasons ever. After all he is the all-time leader in the most prestigious individual award with seven total MVPs. That mark is over double the next closest, as no one else has more than three MVPs to their name.
The 2004 season was Bonds seventh and final MVP season, but it was still one of the best ever. At age 40, Bonds became the oldest MVP ever after. He set the single-season record for on-base percentage (.6094), and led the National League with a .362 batting average.
Bonds’ most impressive statistic this year was his 232 walks. Not only was this his fifth-straight year (and 10th time in 13 years) leading the league in bases on balls, but it is by far the most walks in a single season in MLB history. Opposing pitchers simply refused to throw to Bonds, because they knew that the alternative could be a lot worse than just giving up one base.
The only things holding Bonds’ 2004 season from ranking as the best MVP season ever was that his 45 home runs (although impressive) dwelled in comparison to his 73 of 2001, and he was a pretty underwhelming outfielder by this point. At the end of the day, though, a lot of Bonds numbers in 2004 were better than they were in 2001.
3. Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals – 1968
All of that success with the bat that we just went over makes it evident why elite pitching is so important. The best pitching season ever was Bob Gibson’s MVP year in 1968. Gibson had a 1.12 ERA and pitched 13 shutouts. That ERA is both the live-ball era record and the best ERA ever in a season with 300-plus innings pitched.
The 1968 seasons is considered “the year of the pitcher,” and Gibson was the best of the bunch. The bats were non-existent on the Cardinals’ roster this season, as only one player on their team batted .300 or better. Despite that, Gibson was able to carry the team on his back and lead them to a World Series appearance.
Gibson’s dominance was most evident in June and July. During those two months, Gibson had a 0.50 ERA and pitched 47 consecutive scoreless innings. He had 91 strikeouts during that stretch and only allowed six runs in the process. Overall, Gibson struck out 268 total batters in 1968, a season where he obviously won the Cy Young award in addition to the MVP.
4. Carl Yastrzemski, Boston Red Sox – 1967
Carl Yastrzemski’s 1967 season was the best ever in terms of WAR (12.4) for someone not named Babe Ruth. WAR stands for wins above replacement, and it is a great indicator of just how valuable a player is to his respective team. After all, that is what the “most valuable player” award is all about.
With a .326 batting average, 44 home runs, and 121 RBIs, Yastrzemski was the last player to win the triple crown until the next player on this list did it 45 years later.
Winning the triple-crown, which entails leading all of baseball in home runs, batting average, and RBIs, is next to impossible in this era. It is a feat that has only been accomplished once since the ’60s; by Miguel Cabrera in 2012. The Detroit Tigers star hit .330 en route to blasting 44 home runs and hitting 139 RBIs. It was a truly dominant offensive season.
6. Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels – 2021
What Shohei Ohtani did as a two-way pitcher in 2021 was unprecedented. With the Los Angeles Angels, he had a case as both the best pitcher in baseball and the best hitter in baseball. Although Ohtani’s batting average in his second MVP season (2023) was much improved from this year, the 46 home runs he hit were still incredibly impressive, considering he was a regular to appear on the bump.
As a pitcher, Ohtani pitched 130 innings en route to a 3.18 ERA. He also struck out 156 batters. It can be argued that Ohtani had better seasons as either a hitter or a pitcher later in his career, but he put it all together quite well in 2021, and this season will be remembered forever for the emergence of a legitimate two-way star.
7. Babe Ruth, New York Yankees – 1923
Before the BBWAA starting voting on the MVP in 1931, the award for the best player in each baseball league was known as the League Awards. Everyone knows Babe Ruth, but most of his legendary career occurred before the MVP became what we know it to be today (or when you couldn’t win it twice). He did win the League Award in 1923, though.
Although this wasn’t for sure his best MLB season, it was the only one that he was named MVP in. Ruth led the league in WAR (14.1), runs (151), home runs (41), RBIs (130), walks (170), OBP (.545), and much more. He also set a personal best for batting average by hitting .393. While he didn’t win the batting title, he still holds the record for single-season batting average in New York Yankees history. Ruth was great throughout the entirety of his career, but this was arguably his most well-rounded season.
8. Joe DiMaggio, New York Yankees – 1941
Joe DiMaggio makes this list of the best MVP seasons ever for one reason: His 56-consecutive-game hitting streak. Ted Williams was arguably the best player in the American League in 1941, but DiMaggio’s record streak for games with a hit captivated the nation and the sports world as a whole, and Williams doesn’t qualify for this list this season since he didn’t win the MVP.
DiMaggio’s hitting streak, which came in his second MVP season, is considering an unbreakable record. He batted .408 while his streak was active, but his season as a whole was impressive. DiMaggio hit .357 overall and led baseball with 125 RBIs.
9. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees – 2022
While Aaron Judge’s 2024 MVP-winning season was pretty great, his 2022 campaign was even better. The Yankees star hit 62 balls over the fence, which is the most in American League history. Depending on your view on Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa, you might even consider this the MLB record for single-season home runs. Judge did this in a dominant era of pitching, too.
10. Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees – 1956
Our fourth straight Yankee on this list of the best MLB MVP seasons ever is Mickey Mantle. In 1956, Mantle was yet another triple crown winner. He led baseball in batting average (.353), home runs (52), and RBIs (130).
Mantle was head and shoulders above his peers in 1956, and the MVP he won the following year was pretty impressive, too, but it just narrowly missed the cut here. Mantle’s prime is truly one of the best in MLB history.
11. Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants – 2002
In 2001, Bonds smacked the home runs. His 2004 season saw the outfielder take all the free bases that he could get. In 2002, though, the Giants megastar actually had his highest OPS+ (268). After hitting 73 homers the year prior, pitchers were hesitant to throw anywhere in Bonds’ vicinity. He walked 198 times, but 68 of those walks were intentional.
During that time, Bonds only struck out 47 times. That means Bonds was intentionally walked 21 more times than he struck out. Bonds was still able to bat .370 and hit 46 home runs. The batting average was the best of his career, and the combination of hitting for contact, hitting for power, and plate discipline is unlike anything we’ve seen in baseball before or after.
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12. Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles Dodgers – 1963
Sandy Koufax is one of the most famous pitchers for a reason, and one of his best seasons on the mound came in a CY Young/MVP-winning 1963 campaign. While you could argue that Koufax was better in 1965 when he had 382 strikeouts, he didn’t win the MVP that season.
Koufax’s first Cy Young and only MVP season was still super impressive. He still led the league in strikeouts (306), and his 1.88 ERA was actually better than it would be two years later.
13. Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers – 2024
Shohei Ohtani’s most recent MVP-winning season is one of the hardest to rank, as there is a case to be made the American League MVP (Aaron Judge) had an even better season. We are going to give the slight edge to Ohtani over Judge, though, especially because Ohtani’s Dodgers beat Judge’s Yankees in dominant fashion in the World Series.
This season, Ohtani combined power and speed unlike anyone we’ve seen before. Those two traits aren’t usually paired together, but Ohtani hit 54 home runs and stole 59 bases, making him the first member of the 50-50 club.
Ohtani didn’t pitch this season, like he has before, and he played exclusively as a designated hitter. But his ability to either score right out of the batters box or better his chance to cross home if he was on the bases is undeniably impactful. This was Ohtani’s third MVP season, and without needing to focus on pitching, he had by far his best season as a batter.
14. Lou Gehrig, New York Yankees – 1927
The 1927 Yankees are widely considered the best team in MLB history. Babe Ruth put up wild numbers for the Bronx Bombers this season, but he was outdone by his teammate, Lou Gehrig. The duo led the Yankees to 110 wins, and Gehrig had a .467 on-base percentage. He also hit 47 home runs and 147 RBIs.
This dominant team, of course, won the World Series, so the best player on arguably the best team ever certainly deserves a spot among the best MVP seasons of all time.
15. Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants – 1965
The incredible Sandy Koufax season in 1965 mentioned above that didn’t end in MVP honors fell short because of how great Willie Mays was that year. Mays had last won the MVP 11 years before this, but he showed off his impressive longevity with a 52-home run season.
The Say Hey Kid got on base 39.8% of the time, and he played impressive defense in the outfield at Candlestick Park. Sammy Sosa (1998), Stan Musial (1948), Joe Morgan (1975), Mike Trout (2016), and Lefty Grove (1931) were some of the names who narrowly missed out list of the 15 best MLB MVP seasons ever.