# International League Most Valuable Player Award

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.
Twenty-nine outfielders have won the MVP Award, the most of any position. First basemen, with 28 winners, have won the most among infielders, followed by third basemen (14), shortstops (10), and second basemen (5). Five catchers and four pitchers have won the award.
Seventeen players who have won the MVP Award also won the International League Top MLB Prospect Award (formerly the Rookie of the Year Award) in the same season: Don Buford (1963), Joe Foy (1965), Mike Epstein (1966), Merv Rettenmund (1968), Luis Alvarado (1969), Roger Freed (1970), Jim Rice (1974), Mike Vail (1975), Rich Dauer (1976), Scott Bradley (1984), Dan Pasqua (1985), Randy Milligan (1987), J. T. Snow (1992), Chris Colabello (2013), Steven Souza Jr. (2014), Rhys Hoskins (2017), and Joey Meneses (2018). From 1932 to 1952, pitchers were eligible to win the MVP Award as no award was designated for pitchers. In 1953, the International League established a Pitcher of the Year Award (formerly the Most Valuable Pitcher Award). Two players have won the MVP Award on multiple occasions. Rocky Nelson, who was the MVP for 1953, 1955, and 1958, has the most wins. Roberto Petagine won back-to-back in 1997 and 1998.
Twelve players from the Rochester Red Wings have been selected for the MVP Award, more than any other team in the league, followed by the Columbus Clippers (9), the original Buffalo Bisons (8); the Norfolk Tides, Pawtucket Red Sox, and Toronto Maple Leafs (7); the Durham Bulls and Syracuse Mets (6); the Baltimore Orioles, Montreal Royals, and Toledo Mud Hens (5); the Newark Bears and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (3); the Buffalo Bisons, Indianapolis Indians, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Louisville Colonels, and Richmond Braves (2); and the Charlotte Knights, Columbus Jets, Louisville Bats, and Memphis Redbirds (1).
Fourteen players from the New York Yankees Major League Baseball (MLB) organization have won the award, more than any other, followed by the Boston Red Sox organization (10); the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Guardians organizations (9); the New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays organizations (6); the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinalsorganizations (5); the Toronto Blue Jays organization (3); the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins organizations (2); and the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Washington Nationals organizations (1). Eight award winners played for teams that were not affiliated with any MLB organization.

## Winners

Key :
| Position | Indicates the player's primary position |
| (#) | Number of wins by players who won the award multiple times |
| ^ | Indicates multiple award winners in the same year |
Winners :
| Year | Winner | Team | Organization | Position |
| 1932 | Marv Owen | Toronto Maple Leafs Newark Bears | Detroit Tigers New York Yankees | Third baseman |
| 1933 | Red Rolfe | Newark Bears | New York Yankees | Shortstop |
| 1934 | Ike Boone | Toronto Maple Leafs | Cincinnati Reds | Outfielder |
| 1935 | George Puccinelli | Baltimore Orioles | — | Outfielder |
| 1936 | Beauty McGowan | Buffalo Bisons | — | Outfielder |
| 1937 | Buck Crouse | Buffalo Bisons Baltimore Orioles | — — | Catcher |
| 1938 | Ollie Carnegie | Buffalo Bisons | — | Outfielder |
| 1939 | Mickey Witek | Newark Bears | New York Yankees | Shortstop |
| 1940 | Mike Ryba | Rochester Red Wings | St. Louis Cardinals | Pitcher |
| 1941 | Fred Hutchinson | Buffalo Bisons | Detroit Tigers | Pitcher |
| 1942 | Red Barrett | Syracuse Chiefs | Cincinnati Reds | Pitcher |
| 1943 | Red Schoendienst | Rochester Red Wings | St. Louis Cardinals | Shortstop |
| 1944 | Howie Moss | Baltimore Orioles | Cleveland Indians | Outfielder |
| 1945 | Sherm Lollar | Baltimore Orioles | Cleveland Indians | Catcher |
| 1946 | Eddie Robinson | Baltimore Orioles | Cleveland Indians | First baseman |
| 1947 | Hank Sauer | Syracuse Chiefs | Cincinnati Reds | Outfielder |
| 1948 | Jimmy Bloodworth | Montreal Royals | Brooklyn Dodgers | Second baseman |
| 1949 | Bobby Morgan | Montreal Royals | Brooklyn Dodgers | Shortstop |
| 1950 | Tom Poholsky | Rochester Red Wings | St. Louis Cardinals | Pitcher |
| 1951 | Archie Wilson | Buffalo Bisons | — | Outfielder |
| 1952 | Jim Gilliam | Montreal Royals | Brooklyn Dodgers | Second baseman |
| 1953 | Rocky Nelson (1) | Montreal Royals | Brooklyn Dodgers | First baseman |
| 1954 | Elston Howard | Toronto Maple Leafs | — | Catcher |
| 1955 | Rocky Nelson (2) | Montreal Royals | Brooklyn Dodgers | First baseman |
| 1956 | Mike Goliat | Toronto Maple Leafs | — | Second baseman |
| 1957 | Mike Baxes | Buffalo Bisons | Kansas City Athletics | Shortstop |
| 1958 | Rocky Nelson (3) | Toronto Maple Leafs | — | First baseman |
| 1959 | Pancho Herrera | Buffalo Bisons | Philadelphia Phillies | First baseman |
| 1960 | Jim King | Toronto Maple Leafs | Cleveland Indians | Outfielder |
| 1961 | Ted Savage | Buffalo Bisons | Philadelphia Phillies | Outfielder |
| 1962 | Tony Martínez | Jacksonville Suns | Cleveland Indians | Shortstop |
| 1963 | Don Buford | Indianapolis Indians | Chicago White Sox | Third baseman |
| 1964 | Joe Morgan | Jacksonville Suns | St. Louis Cardinals | Third baseman |
| 1965 | Joe Foy | Toronto Maple Leafs | Boston Red Sox | Third baseman |
| 1966 | Mike Epstein | Rochester Red Wings | Baltimore Orioles | First baseman |
| 1967 | Tommie Aaron | Richmond Braves | Atlanta Braves | Outfielder |
| 1968 | Merv Rettenmund | Rochester Red Wings | Baltimore Orioles | Outfielder |
| 1969 | Luis Alvarado | Louisville Colonels | Boston Red Sox | Shortstop |
| 1970^ | Roger Freed | Rochester Red Wings | Baltimore Orioles | Outfielder |
| 1970^ | George Kopacz | Columbus Jets | Pittsburgh Pirates | First baseman |
| 1971 | Bobby Grich | Rochester Red Wings | Baltimore Orioles | Shortstop |
| 1972 | Dwight Evans | Louisville Colonels | Boston Red Sox | Outfielder |
| 1973 | Jim Fuller | Rochester Red Wings | Baltimore Orioles | Outfielder |
| 1974 | Jim Rice | Pawtucket Red Sox | Boston Red Sox | Outfielder |
| 1975 | Mike Vail | Tidewater Tides | New York Mets | Outfielder |
| 1976^ | Rich Dauer | Rochester Red Wings | Baltimore Orioles | Second baseman |
| 1976^ | Mickey Klutts | Syracuse Chiefs | New York Yankees | Shortstop |
| 1976^ | Joe Lis | Toledo Mud Hens | Cleveland Indians | First baseman |
| 1977 | Ted Cox | Pawtucket Red Sox | Boston Red Sox | Third baseman |
| 1978 | Gary Allenson | Pawtucket Red Sox | Boston Red Sox | Catcher |
| 1979^ | Bobby Brown | Columbus Clippers | New York Yankees | Outfielder |
| 1979^ | Dave Stapleton | Pawtucket Red Sox | Boston Red Sox | First baseman |
| 1980 | Marshall Brant | Columbus Clippers | New York Yankees | First baseman |
| 1981 | Brett Butler | Richmond Braves | Atlanta Braves | Outfielder |
| 1982 | Tucker Ashford | Columbus Clippers | New York Yankees | Third baseman |
| 1983 | Tim Teufel | Toledo Mud Hens | Minnesota Twins | Second baseman |
| 1984 | Scott Bradley | Columbus Clippers | New York Yankees | Catcher |
| 1985 | Dan Pasqua | Columbus Clippers | New York Yankees | Outfielder |
| 1986 | Pat Dodson | Pawtucket Red Sox | Boston Red Sox | First baseman |
| 1987 | Randy Milligan | Tidewater Tides | New York Mets | First baseman |
| 1988 | Craig Worthington | Rochester Red Wings | Baltimore Orioles | Third baseman |
| 1989 | Tom O'Malley | Tidewater Tides | New York Mets | Third baseman |
| 1990 | Hensley Meulens | Columbus Clippers | New York Yankees | Outfielder |
| 1991 | Derek Bell | Syracuse Chiefs | Toronto Blue Jays | Outfielder |
| 1992 | J. T. Snow | Columbus Clippers | New York Yankees | First baseman |
| 1993 | Jim Thome | Charlotte Knights | Cleveland Indians | Third baseman |
| 1994 | Jeff Manto | Norfolk Tides Rochester Red Wings | New York Mets Baltimore Orioles | Third baseman |
| 1995 | Butch Huskey | Norfolk Tides | New York Mets | Third baseman |
| 1996 | Phil Hiatt | Toledo Mud Hens | Detroit Tigers | Third baseman |
| 1997 | Roberto Petagine (1) | Norfolk Tides | New York Mets | First baseman |
| 1998 | Roberto Petagine (2) | Indianapolis Indians | Cincinnati Reds | First baseman |
| 1999 | Steve Cox | Durham Bulls | Tampa Bay Devil Rays | First baseman |
| 2000 | Chad Mottola | Syracuse SkyChiefs | Toronto Blue Jays | Outfielder |
| 2001 | Toby Hall | Durham Bulls | Tampa Bay Devil Rays | Catcher |
| 2002 | Raúl González | Louisville Bats | Cincinnati Reds | Outfielder |
| 2003 | Fernando Seguignol | Columbus Clippers | New York Yankees | First baseman |
| 2004 | Jhonny Peralta | Buffalo Bisons | Cleveland Indians | Shortstop |
| 2005 | Shane Victorino | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons | Philadelphia Phillies | Outfielder |
| 2006 | Kevin Witt | Durham Bulls | Tampa Bay Devil Rays | First baseman |
| 2007 | Mike Hessman | Toledo Mud Hens | Detroit Tigers | Third baseman |
| 2008 | Jeff Bailey | Pawtucket Red Sox | Boston Red Sox | First baseman |
| 2009 | Shelley Duncan | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees | New York Yankees | Outfielder |
| 2010 | Dan Johnson | Durham Bulls | Tampa Bay Rays | Third baseman |
| 2011 | Russ Canzler | Durham Bulls | Tampa Bay Rays | Outfielder |
| 2012 | Mauro Gómez | Pawtucket Red Sox | Boston Red Sox | First baseman |
| 2013 | Chris Colabello | Rochester Red Wings | Minnesota Twins | First baseman |
| 2014 | Steven Souza Jr. | Syracuse Chiefs | Washington Nationals | Outfielder |
| 2015 | Matt Hague | Buffalo Bisons | Toronto Blue Jays | First baseman |
| 2016 | Ben Gamel | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders | New York Yankees | Outfielder |
| 2017 | Rhys Hoskins | Lehigh Valley IronPigs | Philadelphia Phillies | First baseman |
| 2018 | Joey Meneses | Lehigh Valley IronPigs | Philadelphia Phillies | First baseman |
| 2019 | Ryan Mountcastle | Norfolk Tides | Baltimore Orioles | First baseman |
| 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 | Aderlin Rodríguez | Toledo Mud Hens | Detroit Tigers | First baseman |
| 2022 | Jonathan Aranda | Durham Bulls | Tampa Bay Rays | First baseman |
| 2023 | Luken Baker | Memphis Redbirds | St. Louis Cardinals | First baseman |
| 2024 | Johnathan Rodríguez | Columbus Clippers | Cleveland Guardians | Outfielder |

## Wins by team

Active International League teams appear in bold.
| Team | Award(s) | Year(s) |
| Rochester Red Wings | 12 | 1940, 1943, 1950, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1988, 1994, 2013 |
| Columbus Clippers | 9 | 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1992, 2003, 2024 |
| Buffalo Bisons (1886–1970) | 8 | 1936, 1937, 1938, 1941, 1951, 1957, 1959, 1961 |
| Norfolk Tides (Tidewater Tides) | 7 | 1975, 1987, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2019 |
| Pawtucket Red Sox | 7 | 1974, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986, 2008, 2012 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 7 | 1932, 1934, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1965 |
| Durham Bulls | 6 | 1999, 2001, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2022 |
| Syracuse Mets (Syracuse Chiefs/Sky Chiefs) | 6 | 1942, 1947, 1976, 1991, 2000, 2014 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 5 | 1935, 1937, 1944, 1945, 1946 |
| Montreal Royals | 5 | 1948, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955 |
| Toledo Mud Hens | 5 | 1976, 1983, 1996, 2007, 2021 |
| Newark Bears | 3 | 1932, 1933, 1939 |
| Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons/Yankees) | 3 | 2005, 2009, 2016 |
| Buffalo Bisons | 2 | 2004, 2015 |
| Indianapolis Indians | 2 | 1963, 1998 |
| Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Jacksonville Suns) | 2 | 1962, 1964 |
| Lehigh Valley IronPigs | 2 | 2017, 2018 |
| Louisville Colonels | 2 | 1969, 1972 |
| Richmond Braves | 2 | 1967, 1981 |
| Charlotte Knights | 1 | 1993 |
| Columbus Jets | 1 | 1970 |
| Louisville Bats | 1 | 2002 |
| Memphis Redbirds | 1 | 2023 |

## Wins by organization

Active International League–Major League Baseball affiliations appear in bold.
| Organization | Award(s) | Year(s) |
| New York Yankees | 14 | 1932, 1933, 1939, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1992, 2003, 2009, 2016 |
| Boston Red Sox | 10 | 1965, 1969, 1972, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986, 2008, 2012 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 9 | 1966, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1988, 1994, 2019 |
| Cleveland Guardians (Cleveland Indians) | 9 | 1944, 1945, 1946, 1960, 1962, 1976, 1993, 2004, 2024 |
| New York Mets | 6 | 1975, 1987, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1997 |
| Tampa Bay Rays (Tampa Bay Devil Rays) | 6 | 1999, 2001, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2022 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 5 | 1934, 1942, 1947, 1998, 2002 |
| Detroit Tigers | 5 | 1932, 1941, 1996, 2007, 2021 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers (Brooklyn Dodgers) | 5 | 1948, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 5 | 1959, 1961, 2005, 2017, 2018 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 5 | 1940, 1943, 1950, 1964, 2023 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 3 | 1991, 2000, 2015 |
| Atlanta Braves | 2 | 1967, 1981 |
| Minnesota Twins | 2 | 1983, 2013 |
| Chicago White Sox | 1 | 1963 |
| Oakland Athletics (Kansas City Athletics) | 1 | 1957 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 1 | 1970 |
| Washington Nationals | 1 | 2014 |