# Texas League Most Valuable Player Award

The Texas League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual award given to the best player in Minor League Baseball's Texas 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 1888, the Player of the Year Award, as it was originally known, was not created until 1931. The Texas League suspended operations during World War II from 1943 to 1945. After the cancellation of the 2020 season, the league was known as the Double-A Central in 2021 before reverting to the Texas League name in 2022. The award became known as the Most Valuable Player Award in 2021.
Thirty-three outfielders have won the MVP Award, the most of any position. First basemen, with 21 winners, have won the most among infielders, followed by third basemen (15), second basemen (8), and shortstops (6). Five pitchers and four catchers have also won the award.
Fourteen players from the El Paso Diablos have been selected for the MVP Award, more than any other team in the league, followed by the San Antonio Missions (8); the Midland RockHounds (7); the Springfield Cardinals (6); the Arkansas Travelers, Beaumont Roughnecks, and Springfield Cardinals (5); the Jackson Generals, Oklahoma City Indians, and Tulsa Oilers (4); the Amarillo Sonics, Dallas Eagles, Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs, Northwest Arkansas Naturals, and Tulsa Drillers (3); the Albuquerque Dodgers, Beaumont Golden Gators, Fort Worth Cats, Houston Buffaloes, Round Rock Express, and Wichita Wranglers (2); and the Alexandria Aces, Corpus Christi Giants, Corpus Christi Hooks, Galveston Buccaneers, Lafayette Drillers, Rio Grande Valley Giants, Shreveport Sports, and Victoria Rosebuds (1).
Twelve players from the St. Louis Cardinals Major League Baseball (MLB) organization have won the award, more than any other, followed by the Los Angeles Angels organization (8); the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers organizations (7); the Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers organizations (6); the Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, and San Francisco Giants organizations (5); the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres organizations (4); the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets organizations (3); the Cleveland Guardians, New York Yankees, and Seattle Mariners organizations (2); and the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Philadelphia Phillies, and Texas Rangers organizations (1). Five award winners played for teams that were not affiliated with any MLB organization.

## Winners

Key :
| Position | Indicates the player's primary position |
| ^ | Indicates multiple award winners in the same year |
Winners :
| Year | Winner | Team | Organization | Position |
| 1931 | Dizzy Dean | Houston Buffaloes | St. Louis Cardinals | Pitcher |
| 1932 | Hank Greenberg | Beaumont Exporters | Detroit Tigers | First baseman |
| 1933 | Zeke Bonura | Dallas Steers | — | First baseman |
| 1934 | Charlie English | Galveston Buccaneers | — | Second baseman |
| 1935 | Rudy York | Beaumont Exporters | Detroit Tigers | First baseman |
| 1936 | Les Mallon | Dallas Steers | Chicago White Sox | Second baseman |
| 1937 | Harold Hillin | Oklahoma City Indians | — | Pitcher |
| 1938 | Dizzy Trout | Beaumont Exporters | Detroit Tigers | Pitcher |
| 1939 | Nick Cullop | Houston Buffaloes | St. Louis Cardinals | Outfielder |
| 1940 | Bob Muncrief | San Antonio Missions | St. Louis Browns | Pitcher |
| 1941 | Rip Russell | Tulsa Oilers | Chicago Cubs | Third baseman |
| 1942 | Dick Wakefield | Beaumont Exporters | Detroit Tigers | Outfielder |
| 1943 | None selected (season cancelled due to World War II) | None selected (season cancelled due to World War II) | None selected (season cancelled due to World War II) | None selected (season cancelled due to World War II) |
| 1944 | None selected (season cancelled due to World War II) | None selected (season cancelled due to World War II) | None selected (season cancelled due to World War II) | None selected (season cancelled due to World War II) |
| 1945 | None selected (season cancelled due to World War II) | None selected (season cancelled due to World War II) | None selected (season cancelled due to World War II) | None selected (season cancelled due to World War II) |
| 1946 | Hank Schenz | Tulsa Oilers | Chicago Cubs | Third baseman |
| 1947 | Al Rosen | Oklahoma City Indians | Cleveland Indians | Third baseman |
| 1948 | Irv Noren | Fort Worth Cats | Brooklyn Dodgers | Outfielder |
| 1949 | Herb Conyers | Oklahoma City Indians | Cleveland Indians | First baseman |
| 1950 | Gil McDougald | Beaumont Roughnecks | New York Yankees | Second baseman |
| 1951 | Jim Dyck | San Antonio Missions | St. Louis Browns | Outfielder |
| 1952 | Billy Hunter | Fort Worth Cats | Brooklyn Dodgers | Shortstop |
| 1953 | Joe Frazier | Oklahoma City Indians | — | Outfielder |
| 1954 | Frank Kellert | San Antonio Missions | Baltimore Orioles | First baseman |
| 1955 | Ray Murray | Dallas Eagles | New York Giants | Catcher |
| 1956 | Ken Guettler | Shreveport Sports | — | Outfielder |
| 1957 | Jim Frey | Tulsa Oilers | Philadelphia Phillies | Outfielder |
| 1958 | Michael Lutz | Corpus Christi Giants | San Francisco Giants | Outfielder |
| 1959 | Carl Warwick | Victoria Rosebuds | Los Angeles Dodgers | Outfielder |
| 1960 | Chuck Hiller | Rio Grande Valley Giants | San Francisco Giants | Second basemen |
| 1961 | Phil Linz | Amarillo Gold Sox | New York Yankees | Shortstop |
| 1962 | Cap Peterson | El Paso Sun Kings | San Francisco Giants | Shortstop |
| 1963 | Jim Beauchamp | Tulsa Oilers | St. Louis Cardinals | Outfielder |
| 1964 | Joe Morgan | San Antonio Bullets | Houston Colt .45's | Second baseman |
| 1965 | Leo Posada | Amarillo Sonics | Houston Astros | Outfielder |
| 1966 | Tommy Hutton | Albuquerque Dodgers | Los Angeles Dodgers | First baseman |
| 1967 | Nate Colbert | Amarillo Sonics | Houston Astros | Outfielder |
| 1968^ | Jim Spencer | El Paso Sun Kings | California Angels | First baseman |
| 1968^ | Bill Sudakis | Albuquerque Dodgers | Los Angeles Dodgers | Third baseman |
| 1969^ | Bobby Grich | Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs | Baltimore Orioles | Shortstop |
| 1969^ | Larry Johnson | Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs | Baltimore Orioles | First baseman |
| 1970 | Mickey Rivers | El Paso Sun Kings | California Angels | Outfielder |
| 1971 | Enos Cabell | Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs | Baltimore Orioles | First baseman |
| 1972 | Randy Elliott | Alexandria Aces | San Diego Padres | Outfielder |
| 1973 | Héctor Cruz | Arkansas Travelers | St. Louis Cardinals | Outfielder |
| 1974 | John Balaz | El Paso Diablos | California Angels | Outfielder |
| 1975 | Gary Alexander | Lafayette Drillers | San Francisco Giants | Catcher |
| 1976 | Willie Aikens | El Paso Diablos | California Angels | First baseman |
| 1977 | Karl Pagel | Midland Cubs | Chicago Cubs | Outfielder |
| 1978 | Bobby Clark | El Paso Diablos | California Angels | Outfielder |
| 1979 | Mark Brouhard | El Paso Diablos | California Angels | Outfielder |
| 1980 | Tim Leary | Jackson Mets | New York Mets | Pitcher |
| 1981 | Steve Sax | San Antonio Dodgers | Los Angeles Dodgers | Second baseman |
| 1982 | Darryl Strawberry | Jackson Mets | New York Mets | Outfielder |
| 1983 | Mark Gillaspie | Beaumont Golden Gators | San Diego Padres | Outfielder |
| 1984 | Jim Steels | Beaumont Golden Gators | San Diego Padres | Outfielder |
| 1985 | Billy Jo Robidoux | El Paso Diablos | Milwaukee Brewers | First baseman |
| 1986 | Steve Stanicek | El Paso Diablos | Milwaukee Brewers | First baseman |
| 1987 | Gregg Jefferies | Jackson Mets | New York Mets | Shortstop |
| 1988 | Jeff Manto | Midland Angels | California Angels | Third baseman |
| 1989 | Ray Lankford | Arkansas Travelers | St. Louis Cardinals | Outfielder |
| 1990 | Henry Rodríguez | San Antonio Missions | Los Angeles Dodgers | Outfielder |
| 1991 | John Jaha | El Paso Diablos | Milwaukee Brewers | First baseman |
| 1992 | Troy O'Leary | El Paso Diablos | Milwaukee Brewers | Outfielder |
| 1993 | Roberto Petagine | Jackson Generals | Houston Astros | First baseman |
| 1994 | Tim Unroe | El Paso Diablos | Milwaukee Brewers | Third baseman |
| 1995 | Johnny Damon | Wichita Wranglers | Kansas City Royals | Outfielder |
| 1996 | Bubba Smith | Tulsa Drillers | Texas Rangers | First baseman |
| 1997 | Mike Kinkade | El Paso Diablos | Milwaukee Brewers | Third baseman |
| 1998 | Tyrone Horne | Arkansas Travelers | St. Louis Cardinals | Outfielder |
| 1999 | Adam Piatt | Midland RockHounds | Oakland Athletics | Third baseman |
| 2000 | Keith Ginter | Round Rock Express | Houston Astros | Second baseman |
| 2001 | Jason Lane | Round Rock Express | Houston Astros | Outfielder |
| 2002 | Chad Tracy | El Paso Diablos | Arizona Diamondbacks | Third baseman |
| 2003 | Justin Leone | San Antonio Missions | Seattle Mariners | Third baseman |
| 2004 | Ryan Shealy | Tulsa Drillers | Colorado Rockies | First baseman |
| 2005 | Andre Ethier | Midland RockHounds | Oakland Athletics | Outfielder |
| 2006 | Alex Gordon | Wichita Wranglers | Kansas City Royals | Third baseman |
| 2007 | Chase Headley | San Antonio Missions | San Diego Padres | Third baseman |
| 2008 | Kila Kaʻaihue | Northwest Arkansas Naturals | Kansas City Royals | First baseman |
| 2009 | Chris Carter | Midland RockHounds | Oakland Athletics | First baseman |
| 2010 | Mike Moustakas | Northwest Arkansas Naturals | Kansas City Royals | Third baseman |
| 2011 | Matt Adams | Springfield Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals | First baseman |
| 2012 | Oscar Taveras | Springfield Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals | Outfielder |
| 2013 | George Springer | Corpus Christi Hooks | Houston Astros | Outfielder |
| 2014 | Alex Yarbrough | Arkansas Travelers | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Second baseman |
| 2015 | Chad Pinder | Midland RockHounds | Oakland Athletics | Shortstop |
| 2016 | Matt Chapman | Midland RockHounds | Oakland Athletics | Third baseman |
| 2017 | Matt Beaty | Tulsa Drillers | Los Angeles Dodgers | First baseman |
| 2018 | Joey Curletta | Arkansas Travelers | Seattle Mariners | First baseman |
| 2019 | Dylan Carlson | Springfield Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals | Outfielder |
| 2020 | None selected (season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic) | None selected (season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic) | None selected (season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic) | None selected (season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic) |
| 2021 | MJ Melendez | Northwest Arkansas Naturals | Kansas City Royals | Catcher |
| 2022 | Moisés Gómez | Springfield Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals | Outfielder |
| 2023 | Thomas Saggese | Springfield Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals | Third baseman |
| 2024 | Jimmy Crooks | Springfield Cardinals | St. Louis Cardinals | Catcher |

## Wins by team

Active Texas League teams appear in bold.
| Team | Award(s) | Year(s) |
| El Paso Diablos (El Paso Sun Kings) | 14 | 1962, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2002 |
| San Antonio Missions (San Antonio Bullets/Dodgers) | 8 | 1940, 1951, 1954, 1964, 1981, 1990, 2003, 2007 |
| Midland RockHounds (Midland Cubs/Angels) | 7 | 1977, 1988, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2015, 2016 |
| Springfield Cardinals | 6 | 2011, 2012, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| Arkansas Travelers | 5 | 1976, 1989, 1998, 2014, 2018 |
| Beaumont Roughnecks (Beaumont Exporters) | 5 | 1932, 1935, 1938, 1942, 1950 |
| Jackson Generals (Jackson Mets) | 4 | 1980, 1982, 1987, 1993 |
| Oklahoma City Indians | 4 | 1937, 1947, 1949, 1953 |
| Tulsa Oilers | 4 | 1941, 1946, 1957, 1963 |
| Amarillo Sonics (Amarillo Gold Sox) | 3 | 1961, 1965, 1967 |
| Dallas Eagles (Dallas Steers) | 3 | 1933, 1936, 1955 |
| Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs | 3 | 1969, 1971 |
| Northwest Arkansas Naturals | 3 | 2008, 2010, 2021 |
| Tulsa Drillers | 3 | 1996, 2004, 2017 |
| Albuquerque Dodgers | 2 | 1966, 1968 |
| Beaumont Golden Gators | 2 | 1983, 1984 |
| Fort Worth Cats | 2 | 1948, 1952 |
| Houston Buffaloes | 2 | 1931, 1939 |
| Round Rock Express | 2 | 2000, 2001 |
| Wichita Wranglers | 2 | 1995, 2006 |
| Alexandria Aces | 1 | 1972 |
| Corpus Christi Giants | 1 | 1958 |
| Corpus Christi Hooks | 1 | 2013 |
| Galveston Buccaneers | 1 | 1934 |
| Lafayette Drillers | 1 | 1975 |
| Rio Grande Valley Giants | 1 | 1960 |
| Shreveport Sports | 1 | 1956 |
| Victoria Rosebuds | 1 | 1959 |

## Wins by organization

Active Texas League–Major League Baseball affiliations appear in bold.
| Organization | Award(s) | Year(s) |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 12 | 1931, 1939, 1963, 1973, 1989, 1998, 2011, 2012, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| Los Angeles Angels (California Angels) | 8 | 1959, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1988 |
| Houston Astros (Houston Colt .45's) | 7 | 1964, 1965, 1967, 1993, 2000, 2001, 2013 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers (Brooklyn Dodgers) | 7 | 1948, 1952, 1966, 1968, 1981, 1990, 2017 |
| Baltimore Orioles (St. Louis Browns) | 6 | 1940, 1951, 1954, 1969, 1971 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 6 | 1985, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1997 |
| Kansas City Royals | 5 | 1995, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2021 |
| Oakland Athletics | 5 | 1999, 2005, 2009, 2015, 2016 |
| San Francisco Giants (New York Giants) | 5 | 1955, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1975 |
| Detroit Tigers | 4 | 1932, 1935, 1938, 1942 |
| San Diego Padres | 4 | 1972, 1983, 1984, 2007 |
| Chicago Cubs | 3 | 1941, 1946, 1977 |
| New York Mets | 3 | 1980, 1982, 1987 |
| Cleveland Guardians (Cleveland Indians) | 2 | 1947, 1949 |
| New York Yankees | 2 | 1950, 1961 |
| Seattle Mariners | 2 | 2003, 2018 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 1 | 2002 |
| Chicago White Sox | 1 | 1936 |
| Colorado Rockies | 1 | 2004 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 1 | 1957 |
| Texas Rangers | 1 | 1957 |