Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The winners receive the Kenesaw Mountain Landis Memorial Baseball Award, which became the official name of the award in 1944, in honor of the first MLB commissioner, who served from 1920 until his death on November 25, 1944.
MVP voting takes place before the postseason, but the results are not announced until after the World Series. The BBWAA began by polling three writers in each league city in 1938, reducing that number to two per league city in 1961. The BBWAA does not offer a clear-cut definition of what "most valuable" means, instead leaving the judgment to the individual voters.
First basemen, with 34 winners, have won the most MVPs among infielders, followed by second basemen (16), third basemen (15), and shortstops (15). Of the 24 pitchers who have won the award, 15 are right-handed while 9 are left-handed. Walter Johnson, Carl Hubbell, and Hal Newhouser are the only pitchers who have won multiple times, Newhouser winning consecutively in 1944 and 1945.
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best-performing player (or players) in an entire league, for a particular competition, or on a specific team. Initially used in professional sports, the term is now also commonly used in amateur sports, as well as in other completely unrelated fields such as business and music. In many sports, MVP awards are presented for a specific match—in other words, a man of the match award.
The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In other cases, "Player of the Year" is used. In Australia, Australian rules football clubs and leagues use the term "Best and Fairest", while those playing rugby league use "Player of the Year", such as the Dally M Medal. The National Basketball League, however, uses the American-style "MVP" for its awards. Insofar as there is a distinction between an MVP and a Player of the Year, a "player of the year" describes the greatest individual talent, while a "most valuable player" is a person most responsible for their team's success.
Most Valuable Player Award (PIHA)
The PIHA Most Valuable Player Award is awarded annually to the Most Valuable Player in the Professional Inline Hockey Association.
History
The PIHA Most Valuable Player Award was first awarded at the conclusion of the 2001-02 PIHA season. The winner of the first PIHA MVP Award was Brian Yingling of the York Typhoon. None of the six recipients of the award have won it more than once.
Brian Yingling (2002) and older brother Steve Yingling (2003) both of the York Typhoon are the only set of brothers to both win the award. The York Typhoon are also the only team to have more than one winner.
Ryan Clemens (2006) of the Littleton Fire and Joe D'Aloisio (2007) of the Philadelphia Growl are the only two goaltenders in PIHA history to have won the award. They are the last two winners.
The first three winners of the award are all now on different teams; Brian Yingling and Steve Yingling who were on the York Typhoon, are now on the Colorado Springs Thunder and the Harrisburg Lunatics respectively; and Jim Vivona won the award with the New Jersey Minutemen is now a member of the Philadelphia Growl.
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