NPB Most Valuable Player Award

From BR Bullpen

Since 1937, there has been a Most Valuable Player Award in Nippon Pro Baseball.

Japanese Professional Baseball League Winners[edit]

Year Player Team Position AB R H HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG W - L SV IP HA HRA BB SO ERA
1937 Spring Eiji Sawamura Tokyo Kyojin P 98 13 27 0 11 0 .276 .330 .316 24 - 4 244.0 138 2 68 196 0.81
1937 Fall Harrison McGalliard Kourakuen Eagles C 200 34 62 1 24 7 .310 .370 .430 Did not pitch
1938 Spring Hisanori Karita Tokyo Senators 2B 134 31 40 5 15 7 .299 .413 .493 0 - 0 0.0 1 0 0 0 0.00
1938 Fall Haruyasu Nakajima Tokyo Kyojin OF 155 30 56 10 38 3 .361 .428 .626 Did not pitch
1939 Victor Starffin Tokyo Kyojin P 182 12 42 1 22 2 .231 .250 .286 42 - 15 458.1 316 4 156 282 1.73
1940 Victor Starffin Tokyo Kyojin P 171 13 43 0 28 0 .251 .257 .304 38 - 12 436.0 241 3 145 245 0.97
1941 Tetsuharu Kawakami Tokyo Kyojin 1B 339 44 105 4 57 5 .310 .395 .460 Did not pitch
1942 Shigeru Mizuhara Tokyo Kyojin 2B 258 32 58 0 16 2 .225 .324 .279 Did not pitch
1943 Shosei Go Tokyo Kyojin OF 297 68 89 2 20 54 .300 .457 .387 Did not pitch
1944 Tadashi Wakabayashi Hanshin P 93 14 25 0 15 2 .269 .370 .387 22 - 4 248.0 199 1 53 45 1.56
1946 Kazuto Tsuruoka Kinki Great Ring 3B 388 75 122 4 95 32 .314 .422 .446 Did not pitch
1947 Tadashi Wakabayashi Osaka Tigers P 138 9 26 0 10 1 .188 .217 .254 26 - 12 331.2 277 8 69 86 2.09
1948 Kazuto Tsuruoka Nankai Hawks 3B 449 65 137 8 68 23 .305 .399 .434 Did not pitch
1949 Fumio Fujimura Osaka Tigers OF 563 116 187 46 142 12 .332 .388 .650 Did not pitch

Nippon Professional Baseball Winners[edit]

Year League Player Team Position AB R H HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG W - L SV IP HA HRA BB SO ERA
1950 CL Makoto Kozuru Shochiku Robins OF 516 143 183 51 161 28 .355 .450 .729 Did not pitch
PL Kaoru Betto Mainichi Orions OF 477 108 160 43 105 34 .335 .397 .671 Did not pitch
1951 CL Tetsuharu Kawakami Yomiuri Giants 1B 374 74 141 15 81 14 .377 .450 .580 Did not pitch
PL Kazuto Tsuruoka Nankai Hawks 2B 338 44 105 2 58 19 .311 .363 .396 Did not pitch
1952 CL Takehiko Bessho Yomiuri Giants P 147 15 40 5 26 1 .272 .327 .408 33 - 13 371.1 299 13 93 153 1.94
PL Susumu Yuki Nankai Hawks P 68 2 10 0 6 0 .147 .194 .162 19 - 7 193.0 160 6 28 104 1.91
1953 CL Takumi Otomo Yomiuri Giants P 102 15 26 0 6 0 .255 .262 .314 27 - 6 281.1 199 13 63 173 1.85
PL Isami Okamoto Nankai Hawks 2B 450 71 143 19 77 30 .318 .372 .502 Did not pitch
1954 CL Shigeru Sugishita Chunichi Dragons P 135 12 29 0 14 0 .215 .250 .267 32 - 12 395.1 265 9 103 273 1.39
PL Hiroshi Oshita Nishitetsu Lions OF 514 76 165 22 88 11 .321 .384 .537 Did not pitch
1955 CL Tetsuharu Kawakami Yomiuri Giants 1B 435 55 147 12 79 17 .338 .425 .460 Did not pitch
PL Tokuji Iida Nankai Hawks OF 525 79 163 14 75 42 .310 .390 .450 Did not pitch
1956 CL Takehiko Bessho Yomiuri Giants P 115 12 28 1 10 0 .243 .252 .296 27 - 15 340.1 282 11 60 185 1.93
PL Futoshi Nakanishi Nishitetsu Lions 3B 462 74 150 29 95 15 .325 .393 .593 Did not pitch
1957 CL Wally Yonamine Yomiuri Giants OF 467 55 160 12 48 10 .343 .386 .493 Did not pitch
PL Kazuhisa Inao Nishitetsu Lions P 134 10 26 1 9 0 .194 .250 .261 35 - 6 373.2 243 14 76 288 1.37
1958 CL Motoshi Fujita Yomiuri Giants P 110 6 14 0 4 0 .127 .165 .173 29 - 13 359.0 251 11 114 199 1.53
PL Kazuhisa Inao Nishitetsu Lions P 148 14 35 4 14 1 .236 .250 .365 33 - 10 373.0 269 8 76 334 1.42
1959 CL Motoshi Fujita Yomiuri Giants P 108 8 10 1 7 1 .093 .123 .139 27 - 11 330.0 250 14 93 181 1.83
PL Tadashi Sugiura Nankai Hawks P 120 9 22 0 8 0 .183 .240 .208 38 - 4 371.1 245 17 35 336 1.41
1960 CL Noboru Akiyama Taiyo Whales P 80 3 10 0 4 0 .125 .123 .163 21 - 10 262.1 189 11 86 183 1.75
PL Kazuhiro Yamauchi Daimai Orions OF 483 93 151 32 103 5 .313 .395 .580 Did not pitch
1961 CL Shigeo Nagashima Yomiuri Giants 3B 448 84 158 28 86 14 .353 .456 .652 Did not pitch
PL Katsuya Nomura Nankai Hawks C 494 70 146 29 89 8 .296 .367 .514 Did not pitch
1962 CL Minoru Murayama Hanshin Tigers P 116 3 14 0 4 0 .121 .149 .138 25 - 14 366.1 261 17 55 265 1.20
PL Isao Harimoto Toei Flyers OF 472 89 157 31 99 23 .333 .435 .597 Did not pitch
1963 CL Shigeo Nagashima Yomiuri Giants 3B 478 99 163 37 112 16 .341 .437 .657 Did not pitch
PL Katsuya Nomura Nankai Hawks C 550 104 160 52 135 4 .291 .386 .618 Did not pitch
1964 CL Sadaharu Oh Yomiuri Giants 1B 472 110 151 55 119 6 .320 .456 .720 Did not pitch
PL Joe Stanka Nankai Hawks P 97 7 13 1 6 0 .134 .175 .175 26 - 7 277.2 221 28 80 172 2.40
1965 CL Sadaharu Oh Yomiuri Giants 1B 428 104 138 42 104 2 .322 .490 .666 Did not pitch
PL Katsuya Nomura Nankai Hawks C 488 92 156 42 110 3 .320 .397 .637 Did not pitch
1966 CL Shigeo Nagashima Yomiuri Giants 3B 474 83 163 26 105 14 .344 .413 .586 Did not pitch
PL Katsuya Nomura Nankai Hawks C 474 82 148 34 97 8 .312 .406 .568 Did not pitch
1967 CL Sadaharu Oh Yomiuri Giants 1B 426 94 139 47 108 3 .326 .488 .723 Did not pitch
PL Mitsuhiro Adachi Hankyu Braves P 86 6 10 0 2 0 .116 .144 .151 20 - 10 268.0 191 13 60 130 1.75
1968 CL Shigeo Nagashima Yomiuri Giants 3B 494 80 157 39 125 8 .318 .398 .613 Did not pitch
PL Tetsuya Yoneda Hankyu Braves P 107 11 16 5 10 0 .150 .216 .308 29 - 13 348.2 302 27 105 237 2.79
1969 CL Sadaharu Oh Yomiuri Giants 1B 452 112 156 44 103 5 .345 .472 .690 Did not pitch
PL Atsushi Nagaike Hankyu Braves OF 487 95 154 41 101 21 .316 .383 .622 Did not pitch
1970 CL Sadaharu Oh Yomiuri Giants 1B 425 97 138 47 93 1 .325 .476 .713 Did not pitch
PL Masaaki Kitaru Lotte Orions P 89 7 14 0 6 0 .157 .212 .169 21 - 10 278.0 225 29 42 161 2.53
1971 CL Shigeo Nagashima Yomiuri Giants 3B 485 84 155 34 86 4 .320 .395 .581 Did not pitch
PL Atsushi Nagaike Hankyu Braves OF 476 87 151 40 114 8 .317 .404 .618 Did not pitch
1972 CL Tsuneo Horiuchi Yomiuri Giants P 112 3 13 1 7 0 .116 .124 .143 26 - 9 312.0 292 34 95 203 2.91
PL Yutaka Fukumoto Hankyu Braves OF 472 99 142 14 40 106 .301 .384 .468 Did not pitch
1973 CL Sadaharu Oh Yomiuri Giants 1B 428 111 152 51 114 2 .355 .500 .755 Did not pitch
PL Katsuya Nomura Nankai Hawks C 475 65 147 28 96 3 .309 .373 .524 Did not pitch
1974 CL Sadaharu Oh Yomiuri Giants 1B 385 105 128 49 107 1 .332 .532 .761 Did not pitch
PL Tomehiro Kaneda Lotte Orions P 57 6 12 3 5 0 .211 .237 .368 16 - 7 0 201.2 167 18 51 138 2.90
1975 CL Koji Yamamoto Hiroshima Toyo Carp OF 451 86 144 30 84 24 .319 .406 .565 Did not pitch
PL Hideji Kato Hankyu Braves 1B 456 74 141 32 97 12 .309 .388 .572 Did not pitch
1976 CL Sadaharu Oh Yomiuri Giants 1B 400 99 130 49 123 3 .325 .479 .725 Did not pitch
PL Hisashi Yamada Hankyu Braves P Did not bat 26 - 7 5 259.2 217 20 48 143 2.39
1977 CL Sadaharu Oh Yomiuri Giants 1B 432 114 140 50 124 1 .324 .477 .706 Did not pitch
PL Hisashi Yamada Hankyu Braves P Did not bat 16 - 10 7 240.2 204 19 46 132 2.28
1978 CL Tsutomu Wakamatsu Yakult Swallows OF 460 100 157 17 71 12 .341 .408 .539 Did not pitch
PL Hisashi Yamada Hankyu Braves P Did not bat 18 - 4 4 219.2 188 23 40 117 2.66
1979 CL Yutaka Enatsu Hiroshima Toyo Carp P 16 1 3 0 2 0 .188 .188 .250 9 - 5 22 104.2 77 10 36 117 2.66
PL Charlie Manuel Kintetsu Buffaloes OF 333 69 108 37 94 0 .324 .434 .712 Did not pitch
1980 CL Koji Yamamoto Hiroshima Toyo Carp OF 440 91 148 44 112 14 .336 .445 .714 Did not pitch
PL Isamu Kida Nippon Ham Fighters P Did not bat 22 - 8 4 253.0 195 26 89 225 2.28
1981 CL Suguru Egawa Yomiuri Giants P 80 3 14 1 8 0 .175 .179 .250 20 - 6 0 240.1 187 27 38 221 2.29
PL Yutaka Enatsu Nippon Ham Fighters P Did not bat 3 - 6 25 83.0 69 10 24 75 2.82
1982 CL Takayoshi Nakao Chunichi Dragons C 394 47 111 18 47 7 .282 .325 .459 Did not pitch
PL Hiromitsu Ochiai Lotte Orions 2B 462 86 150 32 99 8 .325 .428 .606 Did not pitch
1983 CL Tatsunori Hara Yomiuri Giants 3B 500 94 151 32 103 9 .302 .375 .574 Did not pitch
PL Osamu Higashio Seibu Lions P Did not bat 18 - 9 2 213.0 198 14 51 72 2.92
1984 CL Sachio Kinugasa Hiroshima Toyo Carp 3B 490 79 161 31 102 11 .329 .373 .576 Did not pitch
PL Boomer Wells Hankyu Braves 1B 482 82 171 37 130 2 .355 .421 .641 Did not pitch
1985 CL Randy Bass Hanshin Tigers 1B 497 100 174 54 134 1 .350 .428 .718 Did not pitch
PL Hiromitsu Ochiai Lotte Orions 3B 460 118 169 52 146 5 .367 .481 .763 Did not pitch
1986 CL Manabu Kitabeppu Hiroshima Toyo Carp P 78 3 9 0 1 0 .115 .148 .115 18 - 4 0 230.0 216 21 30 123 2.43
PL Hiromichi Ishige Seibu Lions SS 514 91 169 27 89 19 .329 .386 .531 Did not pitch
1987 CL Kazuhiro Yamakura Yomiuri Giants C 395 46 108 22 66 3 .273 .362 .486 Did not pitch
PL Osamu Higashio Seibu Lions P Did not bat 15 - 9 0 222.2 215 16 29 85 2.59
1988 CL Genji Kaku Chunichi Dragons P 15 1 3 1 2 0 .200 .200 .400 7 - 6 37 111.0 73 9 31 94 1.95
PL Hiromitsu Kadota Nankai Hawks OF 447 82 139 44 125 2 .311 .429 .633 Did not pitch
1989 CL Warren Cromartie Yomiuri Giants OF 439 70 166 15 72 7 .378 .449 .560 Did not pitch
PL Ralph Bryant Kintetsu Buffaloes OF 494 91 140 49 121 5 .283 .377 .628 Did not pitch
1990 CL Masaki Saito Yomiuri Giants P 74 5 18 0 5 0 .243 .300 .284 20 - 5 0 224.0 177 17 52 146 2.17
PL Hideo Nomo Kintetsu Buffaloes P Did not bat 18 - 8 0 235.0 178 18 109 287 2.91
1991 CL Shinji Sasaoka Hiroshima Toyo Carp P 76 5 10 0 4 0 .132 .175 .132 17 - 9 0 240.0 186 20 69 213 2.44
PL Taigen Kaku Seibu Lions P Did not bat 15 - 6 1 184.1 162 17 30 108 2.59
1992 CL Jack Howell Yakult Swallows 3B 387 67 128 38 87 3 .331 .402 .685 Did not pitch
PL Takehiro Ishii Seibu Lions P 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 15 - 3 3 148.1 103 9 28 123 1.94
1993 CL Atsuya Furuta Yakult Swallows C 522 90 161 17 75 11 .308 .381 .462 Did not pitch
PL Kimiyasu Kudo Seibu Lions P Did not bat 15 - 3 0 170.0 129 10 65 130 2.06
1994 CL Masumi Kuwata Yomiuri Giants P 73 7 21 1 7 0 .288 .333 .356 14 - 11 1 207.1 175 16 51 185 2.52
PL Ichiro Suzuki Orix BlueWave OF 546 111 210 13 54 29 .385 .445 .549 Did not pitch
1995 CL Tom O'Malley Yakult Swallows 1B 421 83 127 31 87 6 .302 .429 .570 Did not pitch
PL Ichiro Suzuki Orix BlueWave OF 524 104 179 25 80 49 .342 .432 .544 Did not pitch
1996 CL Hideki Matsui Yomiuri Giants OF 487 97 153 38 99 7 .314 .401 .622 Did not pitch
PL Ichiro Suzuki Orix BlueWave OF 542 104 193 16 84 35 .356 .422 .504 Did not pitch
1997 CL Atsuya Furuta Yakult Swallows C 509 74 164 9 86 9 .322 .413 .446 Did not pitch
PL Fumiya Nishiguchi Seibu Lions P Did not bat 15 - 5 1 207.2 187 20 68 192 3.12
1998 CL Kazuhiro Sasaki Yokohama BayStars P 9 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 1 - 1 45 56.0 32 1 13 78 0.64
PL Kazuo Matsui Seibu Lions SS 575 92 179 9 58 43 .311 .370 .442 Did not pitch
1999 CL Shigeki Noguchi Chunichi Dragons P 65 5 9 0 5 0 .138 .186 .154 19 - 7 0 203.2 202 13 67 145 2.65
PL Kimiyasu Kudo Fukuoka Daiei Hawks P Did not bat 11 - 7 0 196.1 143 12 34 196 2.38
2000 CL Hideki Matsui Yomiuri Giants OF 474 116 150 42 108 5 .316 .438 .654 Did not pitch
PL Nobuhiko Matsunaka Fukuoka Daiei Hawks 1B 471 76 147 33 106 0 .312 .387 .582 Did not pitch
2001 CL Roberto Petagine Yakult Swallows 1B 463 93 149 39 127 4 .322 .466 .633 Did not pitch
PL Tuffy Rhodes Kintetsu Buffaloes OF 550 137 180 55 131 9 .327 .421 .662 Did not pitch
2002 CL Hideki Matsui Yomiuri Giants OF 500 112 167 50 107 3 .334 .461 .692 Did not pitch
PL Alex Cabrera Seibu Lions 1B 447 105 150 55 115 4 .336 .467 .756 Did not pitch
2003 CL Kei Igawa Hanshin Tigers P 62 5 8 0 5 0 .129 .194 .145 20 - 5 0 206.0 184 15 58 179 2.80
PL Kenji Johjima Daiei Hawks C 551 101 182 34 119 9 .330 .399 .593 Did not pitch
2004 CL Kenshin Kawakami Chunichi Dragons P 69 4 12 2 6 0 .174 .174 .304 17 - 7 0 192.1 173 27 38 176 3.32
PL Koji Mise Daiei Hawks P Did not bat 4 - 3 28 67.2 47 6 19 71 3.06
2005 CL Tomoaki Kanemoto Hanshin Tigers OF 559 120 183 40 125 3 .327 .429 .615 Did not pitch
PL Toshiya Sugiuchi Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks P 10 0 1 0 0 0 .100 .100 .100 18 - 4 0 196.2 150 14 43 218 2.11
2006 CL Kosuke Fukudome Chunichi Dragons OF 496 117 174 31 104 11 .351 .438 .653 Did not pitch
PL Michihiro Ogasawara Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters 1B 496 77 155 32 100 4 .312 .397 .573 Did not pitch
2007 CL Michihiro Ogasawara Yomiuri Giants IF 566 95 177 31 88 4 .313 .363 .539 Did not pitch
PL Yu Darvish Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters P 8 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 15 - 5 0 207.7 123 9 49 210 1.82
2008 CL Alex Ramirez Yomiuri Giants OF 548 84 175 45 125 1 .319 .373 .617 Did not pitch
PL Hisashi Iwakuma Rakuten Golden Eagles P 7 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 21 - 4 0 201.7 161 3 36 159 1.87
2009 CL Alex Ramirez Yomiuri Giants OF 577 66 186 31 103 4 .322 .347 .544 Did not pitch
PL Yu Darvish Nippon Ham Fighters P 5 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 15 - 5 0 182 118 9 45 167 1.73
2010 CL Kazuhiro Wada Chunichi Dragons OF 505 94 171 37 93 5 .339 .437 .624 Did not pitch
PL Tsuyoshi Wada Softbank Hawks P 5 0 1 0 0 0 .200 .200 .200 17 - 8 0 169 1/3 145 11 55 169 3.14
2011 CL Takuya Asao Chunichi Dragons P Did not bat 7 - 2 10 87 1/3 57 0 15 100 0.41
PL Seiichi Uchikawa Softbank Hawks OF 429 48 125 12 74 4 .338 .371 .485 Did not pitch
2012 CL Shinnosuke Abe Yomiuri Giants C 467 72 159 27 104 0 .340 .429 .565 Did not pitch
PL Mitsuo Yoshikawa Nippon Ham Fighters P 4 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 14 -5 0 173 2/3 108 6 45 158 1.71
2013 CL Wladimir Balentien Yakult Swallows OF 439 94 145 60 131 0 .330 .455 .779 Did not pitch
PL Masahiro Tanaka Rakuten Golden Eagles P 6 0 1 0 1 0 .167 .167 .333 24 - 0 1 212 168 6 32 183 1.27
2014 CL Tomoyuki Sugano Yomiuri Giants P 42 2 7 0 4 0 .167 .205 .167 12 - 5 0 158 2/3 138 12 36 122 2.33
PL Chihiro Kaneko Orix Buffaloes P 8 0 1 0 1 0 .125 .125 .250 16 - 5 0 191 157 7 42 199 1.98
2015 CL Tetsuto Yamada Yakult Swallows 2B 646 119 183 38 100 34 .329 .416 .610 Did not pitch
PL Yuki Yanagita Softbank Hawks OF 502 110 182 34 99 32 .363 .469 .631 Did not pitch
2016 CL Takahiro Arai Hiroshima Carp 1B 454 66 136 19 101 0 .300 .372 .485 Did not pitch
PL Shohei Otani Nippon Ham Fighters P/DH 323 65 104 22 67 7 .322 .416 .588 10 - 4 0 140 89 4 45 174 1.86
2017 CL Yoshihiro Maru Hiroshima Carp OF 556 109 171 23 92 13 .308 .398 .505 Did not pitch
PL Dennis Sarfate Softbank Hawks P Did not bat 2 - 2 54 66 34 3 10 102 1.09
2018 CL Yoshihiro Maru Hiroshima Carp OF 432 109 132 39 97 10 .306 .468 .627 Did not pitch
PL Hotaka Yamakawa Seibu Lions 1B 541 115 152 47 124 0 .281 .396 .590 Did not pitch
2019 CL Hayato Sakamoto Yomiuri Giants SS 555 103 173 40 94 5 .312 .396 .575 Did not pitch
PL Tomoya Mori Seibu Lions C 492 96 162 23 105 3 .329 .413 .547 Did not pitch
2020 CL Tomoyuki Sugano Yomiuri Giants P 44 3 4 0 3 0 .091 .111 .159 14 - 2 0 137 1/3 97 8 25 131 1.97
PL Yuki Yanagita Softbank Hawks OF 427 90 146 29 86 7 .342 .449 .623 Did not pitch
2021 CL Munetaka Murakami Yakult Swallows 3B 500 82 139 39 112 12 .278 .408 .566 Did not pitch
PL Yoshinobu Yamamoto Orix Buffaloes P 3 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 18-5 0 193 2/3 124 7 40 206 1.39
2022 CL Munetaka Murakami Yakult Swallows 3B 487 114 155 56 134 12 .318 .458 .711 Did not pitch
PL Yoshinobu Yamamoto Orix Buffaloes P 2 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 15-5 0 193 137 6 42 205 1.68
2023 CL Shoki Murakami Hanshin Tigers P Did not bat 10-6 0 144 1/3 92 9 15 137 1.75
PL Yoshinobu Yamamoto Orix Buffaloes P Did not bat 16-6 0 164 117 2 28 169 1.21
2024 CL Tomoyuki Sugano Yomiuri Giants P 45 1 4 0 0 0 .089 .128 .089 15-3 0 156 2/3 132 6 16 111 1.67
PL Kensuke Kondo Softbank Hawks OF 436 66 137 19 72 11 .314 .439 .521 Did not pitch
2025 CL Teruaki Sato Yomiuri Giants 3B 458 83 149 40 102 10 .277 .345 .579 Did not pitch
PL Liván Moinelo Softbank Hawks P Did not bat 12-3 0 167 112 10 42 172 1.46
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