Winners
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| League | California League |
| Awarded for | Regular season most valuable player of the California League |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | California League |
| History | |
| First award | Spider Jorgensen (1941) |
| Most recent | Ryan Ritter (2023) |
The California League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual award given to the best player in minor league baseball's California League. In 1941, John Jorgensen won the first ever California League MVP Award. After the cancellation of the 2020 season, [1] the league was known as the Low-A West in 2021 before reverting to the California League name in 2022. [2] [3]
First basemen, with 13 winners, have won the most among infielders, followed by shortstops (7), third basemen (5), and second basemen (4). Ten catchers have also won the award. Seven players who won the award were pitchers. Twenty-seven outfielders have won the MVP Award, the most of any position. Six players played during seasons for which position information is unavailable.
Sixteen players from the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball (MLB) organization have won the MVP Award, more than any other, followed by the San Diego Padres organization (8); the California/Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants organizations (6); the Minnesota Twins organization (5); the St. Louis Cardinals organization (4); the Colorado Rockies, Kansas City/Oakland Athletics, and Milwaukee Brewers organization (3); the Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays organizations (2); and the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, and New York Mets organizations (1). Six players competed for teams that were unaffiliated with Major League Baseball organizations.
* | Indicates multiple award winners in the same year |
| Position | Indicates the player's primary position if known |
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Kenneth John Reitz was an American baseball third baseman who played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "Zamboni", he played for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1972 to 1982. He won the Gold Glove Award in 1975 and was an All-Star in 1980. He retired with the highest all-time career fielding percentage for National League third basemen at .970 after leading the National League in fielding percentage a record six times.
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The International League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual award given to the best player in Minor League Baseball's International League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. Broadcasters, Minor League Baseball executives, members of the media, coaches, and other representatives from the league's clubs have previously voted as well. Though the circuit was founded in 1884, it did not become known as the International League on a consistent basis until 1912. The first Most Valuable Player Award was not issued until 1932. After the cancellation of the 2020 season, the league was known as the Triple-A East in 2021 before reverting to the International League name in 2022.
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The Eastern League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual award given to the best player in Minor League Baseball's Eastern League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. League broadcasters, Minor League Baseball executives, and members of the media have previously voted as well. Though the league was established in 1938, the award was not created until 1962. After the cancellation of the 2020 season, the league was known as the Double-A Northeast in 2021 before reverting to the Eastern League name in 2022.
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The Midwest League Top MLB Prospect Award is an annual award given to the best rookie player in Minor League Baseball's Midwest League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. League broadcasters, Minor League Baseball executives, and members of the media have previously voted as well. Though the league was established in 1947, the award was not created until 1956 as the Prospect of the Year Award. After the cancellation of the 2020 season, the league was known as the High-A Central in 2021 before reverting to the Midwest League name in 2022. The Top MLB Prospect Award began to be issued instead of the Prospect of the Year Award in 2021.
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