Major baseball awards effects on Hall of Fame chances

Successful a Baseball Writers’ Affiliation of America Award is an achievement in and of itself, a tangible testomony to a well-played season. When a participant wins MVP, Cy Younger or Rookie of the 12 months, he’s already added to his resume, which could sooner or later assist him turn into enshrined in Cooperstown.

However not each participant to win an MVP, Cy Younger or Rookie of the 12 months Award is within the Corridor of Fame. Of the 122 Main League gamers within the Corridor of Fame who retired in 1956 or later — the primary 12 months of the Cy Younger Award, the most recent of the BBWAA participant awards — 53 by no means received a BBWAA Award. It’s not a prerequisite, however it undoubtedly helps.

So, the place does the excellence lie? What share of gamers to win a number of such awards are within the Corridor of Fame?

Rookie of the 12 months is usually the least predictive of future greatness, just because we will’t give extra weight to gamers with a number of awards the best way we will with MVP or Cy Younger, since a participant can win solely as soon as. Of the 87 Rookie of the 12 months winners who’ve already been eligible to be on the Corridor of Fame poll, simply 19 are within the Corridor of Fame.

Nevertheless, it’s price noting that of these 87 HOF ballot-eligible Rookie of the 12 months winners, simply 21 received at the least yet another BBWAA Award of their careers. Of these 21, 11 are within the Corridor of Fame. We will’t observe gamers to win a number of Rookies of the 12 months, however that’s a approach to have a look at multi-award winners that embrace ROYs.

Right here’s a take a look at how profitable an MVP or Cy Younger — or a number of — correlates with reaching the Corridor of Fame. In all instances, the gamers evaluated have been solely those that are already Corridor of Fame-eligible (retired for at the least 5 years, performed 10 seasons). Every part additionally contains the related not but HOF-eligible retired and lively gamers to win that many awards, for future consideration. The BBWAA started voting on MVP in 1931, so none previous to which can be thought of.

In HOF (7 gamers, 78%): Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Mike SchmidtNot in HOF (2 gamers): Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez

Bonds, who received a document seven MVPs, and Rodriguez, who received three, are the outliers right here — however not due to a scarcity of manufacturing. Bonds’ 162.8 profession WAR as a place participant ranks first all-time, however hyperlinks to performance-enhancing medication clouded the image of his Corridor candidacy. Rodriguez’s 117.5 is twelfth on that very same checklist. Rodriguez, who was suspended for PEDs, obtained 34.8% of the vote in his third 12 months on the poll in 2024.

The opposite seven gamers on this class every received precisely three MVP Awards. Musial, Mantle and Schmidt have been first-ballot Corridor of Famers, whereas Berra bought in on his second poll, DiMaggio on his fourth, Campanella on his seventh and Foxx on his eighth.

Not but HOF-eligible: Albert Pujols (2028)Energetic: Mike Trout

In HOF (12 gamers, 80%): Ernie Banks, Johnny Bench, Hank Greenberg, Carl Hubbell, Willie Mays, Joe Morgan, Hal Newhouser, Cal Ripken, Frank Robinson, Frank Thomas, Ted Williams, Robin YountNot in HOF (3 gamers): Juan González, Roger Maris, Dale Murphy

9 of the 12 gamers to win at the least two MVP Awards who’re within the Corridor of Fame bought in on their first 12 months on the poll. The one three to make it, however after the primary poll, are Hubbell (fourth), Greenberg (tenth) and Newhouser (fifteenth).

González received the 1996 and 1998 AL MVP Awards, however fell off the Corridor of Fame poll in 2012 in simply his second 12 months in consideration. He hit 434 homers over the course of a 17-year profession, accumulating 38.7 WAR, which is tied for 376th amongst place gamers all-time.

The opposite two-time MVP winners to not make the Corridor of Fame each appeared on the poll 15 instances. Maris hit 39 homers in his first MVP season, 1960, then adopted it up with a record-breaking 61 in ‘61 to clinch his second straight MVP. However exterior of these two years, he had only one different 30-homer season, and his profession batting common was simply .260. Murphy performed 2,180 video games over an 18-year profession, hitting .265 with a .469 slugging share and 398 homers.

In HOF: 42 gamers (44%)Not in HOF: 53 gamers

Loads of first-ballot Corridor of Famers received only one MVP Award of their careers, so it ought to come as little shock that this quantity is close to 50 p.c. Eighteen of these Corridor of Famers bought in on the primary poll, together with Hank Aaron, Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones, Willie McCovey, Jackie Robinson and others.

However there are additionally gamers whose MVP seasons have been extra a flash within the pan, based mostly on that season’s total local weather, or one other type of one-hit marvel. Thus, only one MVP Award will not be sufficient to ensure a plaque in Cooperstown.

These not within the Corridor of Fame embrace three MVP winners who didn’t even make the poll: Jim Konstanty, Al Rosen and Zoilo Versalles. Konstanty was a pitcher who received NL MVP in 1950 when he appeared in 74 video games, all in reduction, with a 2.66 ERA. He posted only one extra season with an ERA beneath 3.00 after ‘50. Rosen was a four-time All-Star, together with in 1953, when he received AL MVP, however not one of the different seasons of his profession have been on the extent of his ‘53 marketing campaign. Versalles had 7.2 WAR in 1965, when he received AL MVP, however completed his profession with simply 12.6 WAR complete.

Not but HOF-eligible: Ichiro Suzuki (2025), Dustin Pedroia (2025), Buster Posey (2027), Ryan Braun (2027)

In HOF (7 gamers, 88%): Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton, Greg Maddux, Sandy Koufax, Pedro Martínez, Jim Palmer, Tom SeaverNot in HOF (1 participant): Roger Clemens

As with MVP, there’s an outlier who received extra such awards than anybody else however will not be but within the Corridor of Fame. Clemens received a document seven Cy Younger Awards and amassed 138.7 profession pitching WAR, third-most all-time. However his hyperlinks to performance-enhancing medication have made the state of affairs murkier. 

All seven of the three- to five-time Cy Younger winners not solely bought into the Corridor of Fame, however did so on the primary poll. Johnson received 5 and Carlton and Maddux received 4 every, whereas the remaining received three Cy Younger Awards.

In HOF (4 gamers, 50%): Bob Gibson, Tom Glavine, Roy Halladay, Gaylord PerryNot in HOF (4 gamers): Tim Lincecum, Denny McLain, Bret Saberhagen, Johan Santana

It is sensible that profitable two Cy Youngs is much less predictive of a name to Cooperstown than profitable two MVPs, since pitchers usually break down at a youthful age or have shorter sustained peaks of greatness.

Santana and Saberhagen particularly are nice examples of this, being sensible sufficient to win the award a number of instances, however not sensible for an extended sufficient interval to make it into the Corridor of Fame. Each Saberhagen and Santana fell off the poll after one 12 months, whereas McLain made it three.

The typical profession WAR of a beginning pitcher within the Corridor of Fame is 73.0, and the typical WAR of these pitchers’ finest seven seasons is 49.9. Santana had 51.7 profession WAR and 45.0 WAR in his finest seven seasons. McLain had 19.3 WAR and 22.2 in his finest seven. And Saberhagen had 58.9 total, with 43.1 in his seven finest seasons.

In HOF (10 gamers, 21%): Don Drysdale, Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Whitey Ford, Catfish Hunter, Ferguson Jenkins, John Smoltz, Warren Spahn, Bruce Sutter and Early WynnNot in HOF: 38 gamers

The one-time Cy Younger Award winners are lots much less incessantly Corridor of Famers in comparison with the one-time MVP winners, with simply 10 of them within the Corridor of Fame. Much more so than with the two-time Cy Younger Award winners, this is sensible if we contemplate how inclined pitchers are to breaking down or not sustaining success.

These not within the Corridor of Fame embrace Bob Turley, who gathered simply 13.3 profession WAR in his profession. He received the award in 1958, when he had a 2.97 ERA and 19 full video games, but in addition walked a Main League-high 128 batters.

Turley is one in all three Cy Younger winners to be HOF eligible however by no means even make it onto the poll, together with Dean Likelihood and Mike McCormick.

Not but HOF-eligible: CC Sabathia (2025), Félix Hernández (2025), Rick Porcello (2026), Jake Arrieta (2027), David Value (2028)Energetic: Sandy Alcantara, Trevor Bauer, Shane Bieber, Corbin Burnes, Gerrit Cole, Zack Greinke, Dallas Keuchel, Robbie Ray