Unanimous Mastery: A Complete List of MLB’s Most Dominant MVP’s

For an athlete in baseball to unquestionably be voted MVP in any given year, they need to take a game of failure and make it look easy. It is why there had only been 21 unanimous MVP winners in MLB history prior to 2024.

That’s a factor in what made this past season pretty extraordinary in its own right as Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge combined to do something that baseball has only seen one other time.

Among other accolades, Ohtani’s phenomenal first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers included being voted the unanimous National League MVP. It was well deserved as Ohtani became MLB’s first 50/50 player while also having career-bests in batting average, home runs and total bases.

Still, being unable to pitch as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery, Ohtani became the first primary designated hitter to win an MVP Award in MLB history. It is a testament to just how dominant of a season he had at the plate.

It was Ohtani’s third unanimous MVP award, which is yet another remarkable accomplishment as no other player in MLB history has more than one.

Ohtani previously was voted a unanimous MVP winner in the American League while with the Los Angeles Angels in 2021 and 2023. It can’t be understated just how dominant of a run Ohtani is currently on.

The 2024 season could very well have been his fourth consecutive MVP award if not for Judge’s excellent 2022 campaign.

Also as it pertains to Judge, he and Ohtani combined to give MLB unanimous MVP winners in both leagues for a second consecutive year. In 2023, it was the Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. who collaborated with Ohtani as respective unanimous MVPs in the NL and AL.

List of unanimous MVP winners in MLB history

2024 NL: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

Ohtani played in a career-high 159 games for the Dodgers, hitting .310/.390/.646 with 38 doubles, seven triples, 54 home runs, 130 RBI and 59 stolen bases.

2024 AL: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

Judge had the most productive offensive season of his career, setting personal highs in batting average (.322), on-base percentage (.458) and slugging (.701). Judge’s 58 home runs fell short of the AL single-season record of 62, which he set in 2022.

2023 AL: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels

Ohtani led the AL in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, total bases, and OPS+. On the mound, he had a 3.14 ERA, 167 strikeouts and 1.06 WHIP in 132 innings. Ohtani also posted a career-best .184 batting average against.

2023 NL: Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves

Acuña showcased his full display of power and speed, tying a career-best for homers with 41 and absolutely demolishing his previous high for stolen bases with 73. Acuña also had the highest batting average and on-base percentage of his career at .337 and .416, respectively.

2021 AL: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels

This was Ohtani’s breakout season as a two-way superstar. He hit .257/.372/.592 with 26 doubles and 46 homers, while simultaneously making 23 starts with a 3.18 ERA in 130.1 innings.

2015 NL: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals

One of the most heavily hyped prospects in recent history, Bryce Harper put together three strong seasons since his MLB debut in 2012. The stretch included All-Star Game selections in 2012 and 2013.

Harper then truly lived up to the billing in 2015, slashing .330/.460/.649 and leading the league in on-base and slugging percentage en route to earning unanimous MVP honors.

2014 AL: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

Mike Trout had already established himself as one of the best players in baseball by the 2014 season. He was the fifth-youngest MVP ever after winning the award at just 23 years old. Trout hit .287/.377/.561 with 39 doubles, 36 home runs and 111 RBI.

2009 NL: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals

In 2009, Albert Pujols batted .327/.443/.658 while leading the NL with 47 home runs. It was the third and final MVP award of Pujols’ career.

2002 NL: Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants

Barry Bonds led baseball in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging. Bonds’ remarkable .370 batting average during the 2022 season was the highest of his career and his 46 home runs were third-highest.

1997 AL: Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners

Ken Griffey Jr. led MLB in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, runs and total bases. His 57 homers were the best mark of his career and 1.028 on-base plus slugging percentage was the second-best of his career.

1996 NL: Ken Caminiti, San Diego Padres

In his second season with the San Diego Padres since coming over from the Houston Astros, Ken Caminiti followed up an excellent 1995 season with an even better year 1996. He hit .326/.408/.621 with 37 doubles, 40 home runs and drove in 130 runs.

1994 NL: Jeff Bagwell, Houston Astros

Jeff Bagwell didn’t let a strike-shortened season slow him down. He turned the 110 games during 1994 into a season-long hot streak, hitting .368/.451/.750 with 39 home runs and 116 RBI in the process.

1993 AL: Frank Thomas, Chicago White Sox

Frank Thomas set several team records in home runs, RBI, runs scored and walks. He hit .317/.426/.607 while becoming only the third White Sox player to win MVP in the franchise history.

1988 AL: Jose Canseco, Oakland A’s

Jose Canseco was the logical choice for AL MVP after he became baseball’s first 40/40 player while also batting .307/.391/.569.

1980 NL: Mike Schmidt, Philedelphia Phillies

Former second-round draft pick Mike Schmidt won his first MVP Award in his ninth Major League season. Schmidt’s 48 home runs and 121 RBI in 1980 were both the most of his career.

1973 AL: Reggie Jackson, Oakland A’s

Reggie Jackson led the league in home runs and RBI with 32 and 117, respectively, en route to his one and only regular season MVP. Jackson would later up a few World Series MVP Awards and a new nickname.

1968 AL: Denny McLain, Detroit Tigers

Denny McLain probably had the best season by a pitcher in baseball history in 1968. The pure stats absolutely boggle the mind, especially in this day and age. Mclain had a 1.96 ERA, 280 strikeouts, and 0.90 WHIP in 336 innings. Not to mention an unfathomable 31-6 record as icing on the cake.

1967 NL: Orlando Cepeda, St. Louis Cardinals

Orlando Cepeda led his team and the rest of the league with 111 RBI, adding in 25 home runs and slashing .325/.399/.524.

1966 AL: Frank Robinson, Baltimore Orioles

Frank Robinson had about as dominant a season as you can at the plate, leading the AL in every single major offensive category. He won the triple crown with a .316 batting average, 49 home runs and 122 RBI. Robinson’s on-base percentage and slugging percentage were also tops in the AL.

1956 AL: Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees

The first of Mickey Mantle’s three AL MVP Awards was unanimously his in 1956. He won the AL triple crown with a .353 batting average, 52 homers and 130 RBI. Mantle’s 1.169 OPS was second only to his total from a second consecutive MVP season in 1957.

1953 AL: Al Rosen, Cleveland Indians

Al Rosen won his only career MVP in 1953. It was the culmination of his consistent progression from the previous three seasons. Rosen finished the season hitting .336/.422/.613 with 43 home runs and 145 RBI, missing out on winning the AL triple crown by a single point.

1936 NL: Carl Hubbell, New York Giants

Carl Hubbell collected 9.7 WAR in 1936, which was the highest single-season total of his career. He finished with a 2.31 ERA in 304 innings, including 14 complete games after the All-Star break.

1935 AL: Hank Greenberg, Detroit Tigers

Hank Greenberg has the distinction of being the first unanimous MVP in MLB history. He slashed .328/.411/.628 during the 1935 season, but what really sealed the deal for his MVP campaign was the 168 RBI he collected.