2011 MLB MVP Awards: Ranking 25 Greatest Hitters to Never Win an MVP

In baseball, one of the most desired awards is being named MVP.  Chances are that if a player can garner a couple of these trophies on top of some other general accomplishments, such as All-Star berths or World Series rings, he could find himself giving a speech at Cooperstown someday.

Yet, more often than not, some of the game's greatest players have gone their entire careers without winning this award despite being of priceless value to their team.  In one particular case, New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter has never won an MVP award despite being one of the game's best hitters.

That being said, let's dive right in and explore this avenue of baseball history.  Here are the 25 best hitters to never win an MVP.

25. Johnny Mize

Known as "The Big Cat," Johnny Mize made a name for himself as a dangerous power hitter who could also hit for average.  In 15 seasons spent with the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and New York Yankees, Mize managed to hit an impressive .312 with 259 home runs and 1,337 RBI.

Yet despite his great skills, Mize never won an MVP award.  The closest he ever came was finishing second in voting in 1939 and 1940, when he lost to Cincinnati Reds players Bucky Walters and Frank McCormick.

I'll be honest with you, folks.  I checked the numbers of both Walters and McCormick, and Mize was robbed both years.  The only reason he lost was because the Reds managed to make it to the World Series both of those years.

Still, all was not lost as Mize was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1981 thanks to the Veterans Committee.

24. Tony Oliva

I might turn a lot of heads saying this, but Tony Oliva might be one of the best hitters not only to not win an MVP, but also not be in the Hall of Fame.  In 15 seasons, all spent with the Minnesota Twins, the Cuban outfielder hit .304 with 220 home runs and 947 RBI.

Like Mize, he too finished second in MVP voting twice.  The first time, in 1965, he lost to teammate Zoilo Versalles in what was a case of the most unlikely individual ever being named MVP.  The second time, in 1970, he lost to power-hitting first baseman Boog Powell.

The second time he lost, I can kind of understand since Powell's Orioles went on to win the World Series.  Yet the instance in 1965 just shouldn't have happened, especially since Oliva won the AL batting title that year with a .321 average.

23. Al Oliver

Though he finished his 18-year career with a .303 lifetime batting average, 219 home runs and 1,326 RBI, it isn't too surprising that Al Oliver never won an MVP award.  For the most part, save for the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates, the teams he played on were never that impressive.

The closest he came to winning was in 1982, when he won the NL batting title while playing for the Montreal Expos.  He tied for third with Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Pedro Guerrero and finished behind St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lonnie Smith and winner Dale Murphy of the Atlanta Braves.

22. Al Kaline

Seeing as how he spent his entire 22-season career with the Detroit Tigers and hit .297 with 399 home runs, 1,583 RBI and 3,007 hits along the way, one would think that Al Kaline would have one MVP award under his belt.  Such is not the case, despite the fact that the man won a batting title and a World Series ring.

Rather, Kaline finished second twice, in 1955 and 1963.  Both times, despite having superior seasons in terms of statistics, he lost to Yogi Berra and Elston Howard of the New York Yankees.  If you ask me, the fact that the Yankees made the World Series over the Tigers robbed Kaline of the award.

21. Robinson Cano

His career is still young and, for all we know, he could win the award next week.  Yet, as of now, Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano is easily one of the best hitters to not have won an MVP.

Scouts have compared the man to Hall of Fame second baseman Rod Carew, but with more power, and Cano proved them right in 2010 when he finished third in voting.  That year, he hit .319 with 29 home runs and 109 RBI, but lost to Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, who had a phenomenal season on top of leading his team to the World Series.

Still, Cano is young enough at 29 that he could potentially be taken off this list somewhere down the road.

20. Matt Kemp

This could change come next week, but the fact that Matt Kemp hasn't already won an MVP, let alone contended for one, is shocking.  The man can hit for average, has great power and is one of the fastest outfielders in the game.

All that has kept him from winning/contending thus far is the Los Angeles Dodgers' underachieving in recent years, but that should be thrown out the window this year.  You see, Kemp not only hit .324 (third in the NL), but he also led the NL with 39 homers and the majors with 126 RBI, all career highs.  Oh, and let's not forget the 40 steals.

19. Kirby Puckett

In the prime of his career, Kirby Puckett was one of the most threatening hitters in the game.  He didn't look threatening at 5'8", but he could hit well for average and had great power as well.  Yet his Minnesota Twins teams were pretty bad as a whole except in 1987 and 1991, when Puckett helped guide them to World Series victories.

Still, the .318 career hitter never took home an MVP award despite coming close a few times.  The closest he came was in 1992, when he hit .329 with 19 home runs, 110 RBI and 17 steals.  He also led the majors with 210 total hits.

Yet it proved to not be enough as he finished second to Oakland closer Dennis Eckersley.

18. John Olerud

Though he showcased occasional power, first baseman John Olerud became known for two things in his 17-year career: hitting well for average and playing great defense.  When he retired after the 2005 season, he had a career mark of .295 and had won three Gold Gloves.

Olerud's best season was in 1993, when he was with the Toronto Blue Jays.  That year, he won the AL batting title with a .363 average, 24 home runs and 107 RBI, as his team won its second consecutive World Series.  Yet Olerud only hit .235 in the Fall Classic.

This probably killed his chances of winning MVP, as he finished third behind teammate Paul Molitor and Chicago White Sox first baseman Frank Thomas, the latter of whom hit a respectable .317 but was a superior power hitter.

17. Edgar Martinez

Growing up as a New York Yankees fan, I always used to dread whenever the time came for the team to play the Seattle Mariners.  Sure, the boys from the Pacific Northwest may have been having a bad season overall, but designated hitter Edgar Martinez always found a way to kill my team's pitching and turn the game into a dogfight.

In 18 years, all with Seattle, Martinez hit .312 with 309 home runs and 1,261 RBI, winning batting titles in 1992 and 1995.  Yet playing on a team that rarely saw the playoffs meant difficulty in competing for the MVP.

The closest Martinez came to winning was, in fact, in 1995.  He led the AL with a .356 average that year and hit 29 home runs to go with 113 RBI as he helped the Mariners reach their first ALCS.  He would ultimately finish third behind Albert Belle and Mo Vaughn, the latter of whom won with a .300 average, 39 home runs and 126 RBI for the division-winning Boston Red Sox.

16. Roberto Alomar

Recently inducted into the Hall of Fame, Roberto Alomar was the best second baseman of his generation.  He spent 17 years, the best of which were with the Toronto Blue Jays (with whom he won two World Series) and Cleveland Indians.  From 1992-2001, Alomar hit .315 and played in 10 All-Star games, not to mention the nine Gold Gloves he won.

Though his production began to decline starting in 2002, he finished his career with a .300 lifetime batting average but no MVP award for his already brilliant resume.  The closest he came was finishing third in 1999, when he was with the Indians.

That year, Alomar hit .323 with 24 home runs and 120 RBI but ultimately lost to Texas Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez.

15. Michael Young

Michael Young is one of those players who is remarkably consistent, yet his skills are never fully appreciated due to him being on a team already loaded with star talent.  Ever since 2003, he has been the Texas Rangers' most consistent hitter but has not gotten his due recognition either because the teams he played on were bad or, in recent years, he was overshadowed by the likes of Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre.

As a result, despite winning a batting title in 2005 and hitting .311 since 2003, the 35-year-old Young has never even contended for an MVP award.  The closest he ever came was finishing eighth in voting in 2004, but we all know that he is better than that.

14. Paul Molitor

Paul Molitor is one of those players who probably could have played well into his 40s had he not retired in 1998 at age 41.  In 21 years spent with the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins, Molitor hit .306 and accumulated 3,319 hits along the way.

Yet, despite playing in the World Series twice and even winning in 1993, Molitor was never named the AL MVP.  He finished second in 1993 after hitting .332 with 22 homers, 111 RBI, 22 steals (at age 36!!) and leading the majors with 211 hits but lost to Frank Thomas, who had a monster season in terms of home runs.

13. Lou Brock

The mark of a great hitter is being able to get on base, and no one was better at that than former all-time steals leader Lou Brock.  The speedy outfielder had some great seasons in 19 years spent with the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, even winning a World Series in 1967.  After he retired in 2009, he had a .293 average to go with 3,023 hits and a then-all-time leading 938 steals.

Still, Brock's lack of devastating power kept him from winning an MVP award.  He came close in 1974, when he hit .306 and led the majors with an incredible 118 stolen bases.

Yet Brock fell victim to the archaic idea that in order to be an MVP, one must be on a winning team.  As a result, he finished second to Steve Garvey, a first baseman who helped get the Los Angeles Dodgers back to the World Series.

12. Bernie Williams

If you were a Yankees fan growing up in the '90s, chances are you worshiped outfielder Bernie Williams and had at least one poster of him on your wall, as well as a few of his t-shirts.  There was nothing wrong with this, seeing as how Williams was one of the team's most clutch hitters during their championship years under Joe Torre.

From 1995-2002, Williams hit .321 and even took home the 1998 AL batting title.  Yet, for some reason or another, Williams never took home an MVP trophy.  Heck, he never even contended for one, and that's just blasphemy.

The closest he came was finishing seventh in voting in 1998, when the award was given to Texas Rangers power-hitting outfielder Juan Gonzalez.

11. David Ortiz

Ever since joining the Boston Red Sox in 2003, David "Big Papi" Ortiz has been one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball.  The man can smack home runs with ease and has a knack for doing it late in games.

Yet, despite posting some monster numbers in 2005 and 2006, Ortiz's status as a designated hitter has hurt him in his quest to win an MVP award.  In '05, he hit .300 while hitting 47 home runs and leading the majors with 148 RBI but finished second in voting to New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. 

In '06, he hit .287 and led the AL with 54 homers and 137 RBI but finished third behind Derek Jeter and Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau, as the Red Sox failed to make the playoffs that year.

I hate to say it, but his decline over the past few years and his alleged steroid use will prevent him from ever winning this award, even if he has a career season in 2012 and helps his team win the World Series.

10. Al Simmons

Al Simmons was an outfielder who played for 20 years and retired with a .334 lifetime batting average, 2,927 hits, 307 home runs and 1,827 RBI.  Along the way, he won two World Series rings with the Philadelphia Athletics and also took home two batting titles.

Yet Simmons played in an era dominated by Ruth, Gehrig and DiMaggio.  Thus, his performance always took a back seat and he never won an MVP award despite having some great seasons.

He came close in 1925 when he hit .387 with 24 home runs and 129 RBI and also led the majors with 253 total hits.  Yet he finished second to Washington Senators shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh, who had a far inferior season.  However, his team made the World Series while Simmons' did not.

9. Nomar Garciaparra

Even though injuries made him a shell of the player he once was, Nomar Garciaparra was one of the game's best hitters prior to 2004, when everything started going downhill.  Over a four-year stretch from 1997-2000, Garciaparra hit .337 and took home consecutive batting titles in 1999 and 2000.  For his career, he hit .313 despite a horrible decline.

Yet, despite his great power and incredible skills with the bat, Garciaparra never took home an MVP award.  He finished second in 1998 but lost to Juan Gonzalez, a superior power hitter who had led his team to the postseason.

8. Manny Ramirez

Considering how he was once one of the game's most feared hitters and finished his career with a .312 batting average to go with two World Series rings and 555 home runs, it's almost shocking that Manny Ramirez never took home an MVP award.  He finished third in voting twice, in 1999 with the Cleveland Indians and in 2004 with the Boston Red Sox.

In '99, he lost to Pudge Rodriguez, who had led his team to the postseason and just had a phenomenal season.  In '04, he finished behind Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield and Angels outfielder Vladimir Guerrero despite being better than both in the power categories.

If you ask me, it was his prima donna attitude that prevented him from ever winning.

7. Todd Helton

In all but three of his 15 MLB seasons, Todd Helton has hit over .300.  In 2000, he won the NL batting title with a .372 average and led the majors with 147 RBI.  For his career, he has hit .323 despite playing on some horrific Colorado Rockies teams.  Therein lies why Helton has never won an MVP award.

He finished fifth in voting in 2000, but his team finishing in fourth place that year kept him from taking the trophy home.

6. Nap Lajoie

In all fairness, the MVP award didn't exist during the prime of Nap Lajoie's career.  The man played from 1896-1916 and was one of the greatest hitters for average of his generation, winning five batting titles and finishing his career with a .338 batting average.

Once the award did exist, he finished 13th in voting in 1911 and 11th in 1913.  One can only imagine how many he would have won had the award been around in his prime.

5. Wade Boggs

In 18 seasons, Wade Boggs hit over .300 in all but three.  He won five batting titles and finished his career with a .328 average to go with 3,010 hits.  Yet there remains one question: Where's the MVP award?

Believe it or not, Boggs never won the award, as he played on some pretty bad Boston Red Sox teams in his time.  The closest he came was finishing fourth in 1985, when he led the AL with a .368 batting average and 240 total hits.  Yet he lost out to New York Yankees first baseman and his future teammate, Don Mattingly, who had superior power numbers.

4. Tony Gwynn

Tony Gwynn's skills with the bat bordered on the freakish.  In all but one of his 20 seasons, he hit over .300 and took home eight NL batting titles.  In the strike-shortened 1994 season, he hit an incredible .394.

Yet Gwynn's Padres teams were notorious for being the lovable losers of the NL West and thus, he never won an MVP award.  However, he came close in 1984, finishing third in voting, as he led the Padres to their first World Series.

Despite hitting .351 that year and winning his first batting title, he lost out to Ryne Sandberg of the Chicago Cubs.

3. Matt Holliday

His career is far from over, but the fact that Matt Holliday has yet to win an MVP award is just plain wrong.  The man has a great knack for hitting for average and has a decent power bat to boot, but his playing on some bad Colorado Rockies teams at one point hurt him.

Yet the year that Holliday finished closest in voting, in 2007, the Rockies made the World Series much in part to his performance.  That year he won the NL batting title with a .340 average, 36 homers and an NL-leading 137 RBI.  Instead, he finished second to Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins, who hit .296 with 30 homers, 94 RBI and 41 steals.

I'm sorry, but that's just wrong.  Seeing as how Holliday is a .315 career hitter and was so clutch down the stretch for his team, that award should have been his.

2. Honus Wagner

In Honus Wagner's defense, the MVP award did not exist during the prime years of his career.  In 21 seasons from 1897-1917, Wagner hit .328 and retired with 3,420 hits, winning eight batting titles along the way.

Yet he still managed to finish second in voting for the award in 1912.  He hit .324 that year and led the NL with 102 RBI but lost to Larry Doyle of the New York Giants, who made the World Series.

1. Derek Jeter

Ever since becoming a full-time player in 1996, Derek Jeter has been a model of consistency as one of the game's most clutch players.  He has won five World Series rings, appeared in 12 All-Star Games and this past season, became the newest member of the 3,000 hit club.  For his career, Jeter has hit .313.

Yet he has never won an MVP award despite coming close more than once.  He finished second in voting in 2006, when he hit .343 with 14 home runs, 97 RBI and 34 steals.  Yet he lost to Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau.

Morneau's line for that season: .321 average, 34 home runs and 130 RBI.  So, basically, Jeter got the shaft because he isn't a power hitter?  Blasphemy.