Frank Robinson AL MVP Award

Lore & Background

The first player to be named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of both the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), Robinson was named the NL MVP after leading the Cincinnati Reds to the pennant in 1961 and was named the AL MVP in 1966 with the Baltimore Orioles after winning the Triple Crown; Robinson's 49 home runs (HR) that year stood as a franchise record for 30 seasons. He helped lead the Orioles to the first two World Series titles in franchise history in 1966 and 1970, and was named the Series MVP in 1966 after leading the Orioles to a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Reader's Guide

A 14-time All-Star, Robinson batted .300 nine times, hit 30 home runs 11 times, and led his league in slugging four times and in runs scored three times. His 586 career home runs ranked fourth in major league history at the time of his retirement, and he ranked sixth in total bases (5,373) and extra-base hits (1,186), eighth in games played (2,808), and ninth in runs scored (1,829). His 2,943 career hits are the most since 1939 by any player who fell short of the 3,000-hit mark. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1982. After managing the Indians, Robinson went on to manage the San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, and Montreal Expos / Washington Nationals. For most of the last two decades of his life, Robinson served in various executive positions for Major League Baseball concluding his career as honorary president of the American League.

Did You Know?

• Robinson was born in Beaumont, Texas, and attended McClymonds High School in Oakland, where he was a basketball teammate of Bill Russell and a baseball teammate of Vada Pinson and Curt Flood.
• In 1953, Reds scout Bobby Mattick signed Robinson for $3,500; he made his professional debut for the Ogden Reds of the Class C Pioneer League.
• Robinson made his major league debut on April 17, 1956, at age 20, and tied the MLB rookie home run record with 38 homers that season.
• In 1966, Robinson won the Triple Crown with a .316 batting average, 49 home runs, and 122 RBIs, and was named AL MVP.