Boog Powell AL MVP Award
The 1970 AL MVP who anchored first base for the Orioles dynasty.
John Wesley "Boog" Powell (born August 17, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder, most prominently as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dynasty that won four American League pennants and two World Series championships between 1966 and 1971. The four-time All-Star led the American League in 1964 with a .606 slugging percentage and won the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 1970.
- Year
- 1970
- Team
- Baltimore Orioles
- Position
- First Base
- League
- American League
- Award
- Most Valuable Player
Lore & Background
Powell was the third Oriole to win the AL MVP award, after Brooks Robinson (1964) and Frank Robinson (1966). He wore jersey number 26 for most of his Orioles career (1961–1974) and switched to number 27 only in his final season with the team (1974).
In Their Own Story
The air inside Memorial Stadium hummed with anticipation on a humid September afternoon in 1970. Boog Powell stepped into the batter's box, the weight of the season resting on his shoulders. As he connected with the pitch, sending it deep into the right-field stands, the roar from the crowd was deafening. It was another step toward history, a moment where the city and its player seemed to breathe as one.
Reader's Guide
Powell signed with the Orioles as an amateur free agent in 1959 after a coin flip between the Orioles and Cardinals. He played in the Little League World Series in 1954. He hit three home runs in a game three times and stands third behind Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr. on the Orioles' all-time home run list. He was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame in 1979.
Did You Know?
- Powell received the nickname 'Boog' from his father, who shortened it from 'bugger' (pronounced 'booger').
- Powell did not play in the Little League World Series, so the claim that he and Jim Barbieri were the first players to have played in both the Little League World Series and the MLB World Series is incorrect.
- In 1983, Powell received five votes (1.3%) for the Hall of Fame in his only appearance on the ballot.
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