Baseball’s Greatest Player Every Year Since 1947

The Library of Congress deemed baseball "America's Pastime" in 1856, a game that was once a symbol of American nationalism, and whose narrative seemed to align with American values – play fair, work hard, and you will persevere. It was a sport that dominated the country and was the nation's top sport, long before the rise of football, basketball, and hockey.

Baseball first debuted in the U.S. in the early part of the 19th century, a game that evolved from two British games, rounders, and cricket. Even though it has always been associated with the U.S., the first game that resembles the game we all know and love took place in Canada, which upon reaching New York, evolved into the game we know. It was in 1845 that the New York Knickerbocker Baseball Club was formed, adding rules that formed the game of today.

Although baseball has been supplanted by football as the favorite sport, (the gridiron game gained in popularity in the early 1970s) America's pastime has had a huge impact on American culture. For about 50 years, beginning in the early 20th century, baseball was considered to be in its golden age. Fans would flock to stadiums and huddle around black and white TVs to watch icons like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Lou Gehrig, and Mickey Mantle play ball.

Everyone may have their favorite team, which they insist is the best, but there is no denying that certain players stand out above all others. The American and National Leagues each grant its own Cy Young Award for the top pitcher and an MVP to the top player overall. However, in each season, only one player stood out as the very best in baseball. (Sports like European football have their greats as well, like Kylian Mbappé and Cristiano Ronaldo, currently playing for France and Portugal, respectively, in the Euro 2024.)

To determine baseball's greatest player the year you were born, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the players with the highest wins above replacement each season since the Integration Era began in 1947, using data from Baseball-Reference. Some of the players on this list are now hailed as some of the greatest in history. Others had promise but after one great season, didn't hold up to the hype.

Several of these players had incredible careers that should have earned them a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but inappropriate behavior ranging from gambling and cheating allegations to sports-enhancing substances have kept them out of Cooperstown. All positions except for catcher are represented on this list. (These are scandals that rocked the sports world.)

1947

Athlete: Ted Williams
Team: Boston Red Sox
Position: Left field
Statistics: .343 batting avg., 114 RBIs, 32 home runs

1948

Athlete: Stan Musial
Team: St. Louis Cardinals
Position: Right field
Statistics: .376 batting avg., 131 RBIs, 39 home runs

1949

Athlete: Jackie Robinson
Team: Brooklyn Dodgers
Position: Second base
Statistics: .342 batting avg., 124 RBIs, 16 home runs

1950

Athlete: Eddie Stanky
Team: New York Giants
Position: Second base
Statistics: .300 batting avg., 51 RBIs, 8 home runs

1951

Athlete: Jackie Robinson
Team: Brooklyn Dodgers
Position: Second base
Statistics: .338 batting avg., 88 RBIs, 19 home runs

1952

Athlete: Bobby Shantz
Team: Philadelphia Athletics
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 2.48 ERA, 24-7 record, 152 strikeouts

1953

Athlete: Al Rosen
Team: Cleveland Indians
Position: Third base
Statistics: .336 batting avg., 145 RBIs, 43 home runs

1954

Athlete: Willie Mays
Team: New York Giants
Position: Center field
Statistics: .345 batting avg., 110 RBIs, 41 home runs

1955

Athlete: Mickey Mantle
Team: New York Yankees
Position: Center field
Statistics: .306 batting avg., 99 RBIs, 37 home runs

1956

Athlete: Mickey Mantle
Team: New York Yankees
Position: Center field
Statistics: .353 batting avg., 130 RBIs, 52 home runs

1957

Athlete: Mickey Mantle
Team: New York Yankees
Position: Center field
Statistics: .365 batting avg., 94 RBIs, 34 home runs

1958

Athlete: Willie Mays
Team: San Francisco Giants
Position: Center field
Statistics: .347 batting avg., 96 RBIs, 29 home runs

1959

Athlete: Ernie Banks
Team: Chicago Cubs
Position: Shortstop
Statistics: .304 batting avg., 143 RBIs, 45 home runs

1960

Athlete: Willie Mays
Team: San Francisco Giants
Position: Center field
Statistics: .319 batting avg., 103 RBIs, 29 home runs

1961

Athlete: Mickey Mantle
Team: New York Yankees
Position: Center field
Statistics: .317 batting avg., 128 RBIs, 54 home runs

1962

Athlete: Willie Mays
Team: San Francisco Giants
Position: Center field
Statistics: .304 batting avg., 141 RBIs, 49 home runs

1963

Athlete: Sandy Koufax
Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 1.88 ERA, 25-5 record, 306 strikeouts

1964

Athlete: Willie Mays
Team: San Francisco Giants
Position: Center field
Statistics: .296 batting avg., 111 RBIs, 47 home runs

1965

Athlete: Willie Mays
Team: San Francisco Giants
Position: Center field
Statistics: .317 batting avg., 112 RBIs, 52 home runs

1966

Athlete: Sandy Koufax
Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 1.73 ERA, 27-9 record, 317 strikeouts

1967

Athlete: Carl Yastrzemski
Team: Boston Red Sox
Position: Left field
Statistics: .326 batting avg., 121 RBIs, 44 home runs

1968

Athlete: Bob Gibson
Team: St. Louis Cardinals
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 1.12 ERA, 22-9 record, 268 strikeouts

1969

Athlete: Bob Gibson
Team: St. Louis Cardinals
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 2.18 ERA, 20-13 record, 269 strikeouts

1970

Athlete: Carl Yastrzemski
Team: Boston Red Sox
Position: First base
Statistics: .329 batting avg., 102 RBIs, 40 home runs

1971

Athlete: Wilbur Wood
Team: Chicago White Sox
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 1.91 ERA, 22-13 record, 210 strikeouts

1972

Athlete: Steve Carlton
Team: Philadelphia Phillies
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 1.98 ERA, 27-10 record, 310 strikeouts

1973

Athlete: Tom Seaver
Team: New York Mets
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 2.08 ERA, 19-10 record, 251 strikeouts

1974

Athlete: Mike Schmidt
Team: Philadelphia Phillies
Position: Third base
Statistics: .282 batting avg., 116 RBIs, 36 home runs

1975

Athlete: Joe Morgan
Team: Cincinnati Reds
Position: Second base
Statistics: .327 batting avg., 94 RBIs, 17 home runs

1976

Athlete: Mark Fidrych
Team: Detroit Tigers
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 2.34 ERA, 19-9 record, 97 strikeouts

1977

Athlete: Rod Carew
Team: Minnesota Twins
Position: First base
Statistics: .388 batting avg., 100 RBIs, 14 home runs

1978

Athlete: Phil Niekro
Team: Atlanta Braves
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 2.88 ERA, 19-18 record, 248 strikeouts

1979

Athlete: Fred Lynn
Team: Boston Red Sox
Position: Center field
Statistics: .333 batting avg., 122 RBIs, 39 home runs

1980

Athlete: Steve Carlton
Team: Philadelphia Phillies
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 2.34 ERA, 24-9 record, 286 strikeouts

1981

Athlete: Mike Schmidt
Team: Philadelphia Phillies
Position: Third base
Statistics: .316 batting avg., 91 RBIs, 31 home runs

1982

Athlete: Robin Yount
Team: Milwaukee Brewers
Position: Shortstop
Statistics: .331 batting avg., 114 RBIs, 29 home runs

1983

Athlete: Cal Ripken Jr.
Team: Baltimore Orioles
Position: Shortstop
Statistics: .318 batting avg., 102 RBIs, 27 home runs

1984

Athlete: Cal Ripken Jr.
Team: Baltimore Orioles
Position: Shortstop
Statistics: .304 batting avg., 86 RBIs, 27 home runs

1985

Athlete: Dwight Gooden
Team: New York Mets
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 1.53 ERA, 24-4 record, 268 strikeouts

1986

Athlete: Teddy Higuera
Team: Milwaukee Brewers
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 2.79 ERA, 20-11 record, 207 strikeouts

1987

Athlete: Roger Clemens
Team: Boston Red Sox
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 2.97 ERA, 20-9 record, 256 strikeouts

1988

Athlete: Wade Boggs
Team: Boston Red Sox
Position: Third base
Statistics: .366 batting avg., 58 RBIs, 5 home runs

1989

Athlete: Bret Saberhagen
Team: Kansas City Royals
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 2.16 ERA, 23-6 record, 193 strikeouts

1990

Athlete: Roger Clemens
Team: Boston Red Sox
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 1.93 ERA, 21-6 record, 209 strikeouts

1991

Athlete: Cal Ripken Jr.
Team: Baltimore Orioles
Position: Shortstop
Statistics: .323 batting avg., 114 RBIs, 34 home runs

1992

Athlete: Greg Maddux
Team: Chicago Cubs
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 2.18 ERA, 20-11 record, 199 strikeouts

1993

Athlete: Barry Bonds
Team: San Francisco Giants
Position: Left field
Statistics: .336 batting avg., 123 RBIs, 46 home runs

1994

Athlete: Greg Maddux
Team: Atlanta Braves
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 1.56 ERA, 16-6 record, 156 strikeouts

1995

Athlete: Greg Maddux
Team: Atlanta Braves
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 1.63 ERA, 19-2 record, 181 strikeouts

1996

Athlete: Ken Griffey Jr.
Team: Seattle Mariners
Position: Center field
Statistics: .303 batting avg., 140 RBIs, 49 home runs

1997

Athlete: Roger Clemens
Team: Toronto Blue Jays
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 2.05 ERA, 21-7 record, 292 strikeouts

1998

Athlete: Kevin Brown
Team: San Diego Padres
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 2.38 ERA, 18-7 record, 257 strikeouts

1999

Athlete: Pedro Martinez
Team: Boston Red Sox
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 2.07 ERA, 23-4 record, 313 strikeouts

2000

Athlete: Pedro Martinez
Team: Boston Red Sox
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 1.74 ERA, 18-6 record, 284 strikeouts

2001

Athlete: Barry Bonds
Team: San Francisco Giants
Position: Left field
Statistics: .328 batting avg., 137 RBIs, 73 home runs

2002

Athlete: Barry Bonds
Team: San Francisco Giants
Position: Left field
Statistics: .370 batting avg., 110 RBIs, 46 home runs

2003

Athlete: Barry Bonds
Team: San Francisco Giants
Position: Left field
Statistics: .341 batting avg., 90 RBIs, 45 home runs

2004

Athlete: Barry Bonds
Team: San Francisco Giants
Position: Left field
Statistics: .362 batting avg., 101 RBIs, 45 home runs

2005

Athlete: Alex Rodriguez
Team: New York Yankees
Position: Third base
Statistics: .321 batting avg., 130 RBIs, 48 home runs

2006

Athlete: Albert Pujols
Team: St. Louis Cardinals
Position: First base
Statistics: .331 batting avg., 137 RBIs, 49 home runs

2007

Athlete: Alex Rodriguez
Team: New York Yankees
Position: Third base
Statistics: .314 batting avg., 156 RBIs, 54 home runs

2008

Athlete: Albert Pujols
Team: St. Louis Cardinals
Position: First base
Statistics: .357 batting avg., 116 RBIs, 37 home runs

2009

Athlete: Zack Greinke
Team: Kansas City Royals
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 2.16 ERA, 16-8 record, 242 strikeouts

2010

Athlete: Josh Hamilton
Team: Texas Rangers
Position: Left field
Statistics: .359 batting avg., 100 RBIs, 32 home runs

2011

Athlete: Roy Halladay
Team: Philadelphia Phillies
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 2.35 ERA, 19-6 record, 220 strikeouts

2012

Athlete: Mike Trout
Team: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Position: Center field
Statistics: .326 batting avg., 83 RBIs, 30 home runs

2013

Athlete: Mike Trout
Team: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Position: Center field
Statistics: .323 batting avg., 97 RBIs, 27 home runs

2014

Athlete: Corey Kluber
Team: Cleveland Indians
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 2.44 ERA, 18-9 record, 269 strikeouts

2015

Athlete: Bryce Harper
Team: Washington Nationals
Position: Right field
Statistics: .330 batting avg., 99 RBIs, 42 home runs

2016

Athlete: Mike Trout
Team: Los Angeles Angels
Position: Center field
Statistics: .315 batting avg., 100 RBIs, 29 home runs

2017

Athlete: Joey Votto
Team: Cincinnati Reds
Position: First base
Statistics: .320 batting avg., 100 RBIs, 36 home runs

2018

Athlete: Mookie Betts
Team: Boston Red Sox
Position: Right field
Statistics: .346 batting avg., 80 RBIs, 32 home runs

2019

Athlete: Alex Bregman
Team: Houston Astros
Position: Third base
Statistics: .296 batting avg., 112 RBIs, 41 home runs

2020

Athlete: Mookie Betts
Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
Position: Right field
Statistics: .292 batting avg., 39 RBIs, 16 home runs

2021

Athlete: Zack Wheeler
Team: Philadelphia Phillies
Position: Pitcher
Statistics: 2.78 ERA, 14-10 record, 247 strikeouts