Main baseball awards results on Corridor of Fame probabilities

Profitable 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 Yr, he’s already added to his resume, which could in the future assist him turn out to be enshrined in Cooperstown.

However not each participant to win an MVP, Cy Younger or Rookie of the Yr 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 gained a BBWAA Award. It’s not a prerequisite, nevertheless it positively helps.

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

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

Nonetheless, it’s value noting that of these 87 HOF ballot-eligible Rookie of the Yr winners, simply 21 gained at the very least 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 Yr, however that’s a means to have a look at multi-award winners that embody 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 circumstances, the gamers evaluated have been solely those that are already Corridor of Fame-eligible (retired for at the very least 5 years, performed 10 seasons). Every part additionally contains the related not but HOF-eligible retired and energetic gamers to win that many awards, for future consideration. The BBWAA started voting on MVP in 1931, so none previous to which might be thought of.

In HOF (7 gamers, 78%): Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Mike Schmidt
Not in HOF (2 gamers): Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez

Bonds, who gained a report seven MVPs, and Rodriguez, who gained three, are the outliers right here — however not due to an absence 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, acquired 34.8% of the vote in his third 12 months on the poll in 2024.

The opposite seven gamers on this class every gained 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 Yount
Not in HOF (3 gamers): Juan González, Roger Maris, Dale Murphy

9 of the 12 gamers to win at the very 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 gained 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 occasions. 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 proportion and 398 homers.

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

Loads of first-ballot Corridor of Famers gained 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 general local weather, or one other type of one-hit surprise. Thus, only one MVP Award will not be sufficient to ensure a plaque in Cooperstown.

These not within the Corridor of Fame embody three MVP winners who didn’t even make the poll: Jim Konstanty, Al Rosen and Zoilo Versalles. Konstanty was a pitcher who gained NL MVP in 1950 when he appeared in 74 video games, all in aid, 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 gained 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 gained AL MVP, however completed his profession with simply 12.6 WAR whole.

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 Seaver
Not in HOF (1 participant): Roger Clemens

As with MVP, there’s an outlier who gained extra such awards than anybody else however will not be but within the Corridor of Fame. Clemens gained a report 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 gained 5 and Carlton and Maddux gained 4 every, whereas the remaining gained three Cy Younger Awards.

In HOF (4 gamers, 50%): Bob Gibson, Tom Glavine, Roy Halladay, Gaylord Perry
Not in HOF (4 gamers): Tim Lincecum, Denny McLain, Bret Saberhagen, Johan Santana

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

Santana and Saberhagen particularly are nice examples of this, being good sufficient to win the award a number of occasions, however not good 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 common 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 general, 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 Wynn
Not in HOF: 38 gamers

The one-time Cy Younger Award winners are so much much less continuously 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 smart if we think about how susceptible pitchers are to breaking down or not sustaining success.

These not within the Corridor of Fame embody Bob Turley, who accrued simply 13.3 profession WAR in his profession. He gained 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 certainly one of three Cy Younger winners to be HOF eligible however by no means even make it onto the poll, together with Dean Probability and Mike McCormick.

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