MLB All-Star Game: MVP winners, trophy, prizes

Baseball’s biggest stars gather annually for the Midsummer Classic, and one player always shines brighter than the rest.

The MLB All-Star Game dates back over 90 years, and the league began naming an MVP for the game in 1962. Since then, the award has been handed out 62 times, but it hasn’t always been as simple as handing out one award each year.

With the 2022 MLB All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium in the books, here’s a deep dive into the game’s MVP award:

Who is the MLB All-Star Game MVP trophy named after?

The award was originally called the Arch Ward Memorial Award. Arch Ward was a sports editor for The Chicago Tribune and is credited for creating the MLB All-Star Game.

The name changed to the Commissioner’s Trophy in 1970. That name only stuck through 1984, though, because the World Series trophy was renamed the Commissioner’s Trophy the following season. With the World Series taking the trophy’s name, the All-Star MVP honor went back to its original name.

The trophy underwent another name change in 2002, when it was switched to the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award, named after the Boston Red Sox slugger who died earlier that year. The name has been in use for the last 20 years.

What does the MLB All-Star Game MVP trophy look like?

Just like the name, the MLB All-Star Game trophy has changed over the years.

The physical award was once a conventional trophy. It switched in the late 1990s to a smaller, glass trophy.

These days, the All-Star MVP winner receives a glass bat engraved with their name.

How much do players earn for winning MLB All-Star Game MVP?

There is no set prize pool for the MLB All-Star Game MVP, though Mike Trout is a previous winner who put language in his contract to get a bonus for earning the award. Players on the winning team share a prize pool, which was listed at $640,000 in the previous collective bargaining agreement.

Along with a trophy, there has been a four-wheel prize on the line when it comes to All-Star Game MVP. Past winners got the chance to pick one of two vehicles from Chevrolet, the sponsor for the award. 

Who votes for MLB All-Star Game MVP?

Fans have a say in who wins MLB All-Star Game MVP, but not as much as the media.

The online fan ballot accounts for 20% of the vote. Voting for the 2022 award began in the sixth inning.

The other 80% of the MVP vote comes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and the announcers from the All-Star Game’s broadcast right holders, which is FOX.

Which player has won the most MLB All-Star Game MVPs?

Five players have ever earned multiple MLB All-Star Game MVP awards.

Willie Mays, Steve Garvey, Gary Carter, Cal Ripken Jr. and Trout all received hardware twice. Trout is the only player in league history to win the honor in consecutive seasons, doing so in 2014 and 2015.

Every MLB All-Star Game MVP

For the most part, each season has one All-Star Game MVP. In a few rare cases, the number was either zero or two.

In 1962, the second of two years in which there were two All-Star Games, two Los Angeles players took home the honor. There were also two MVPs in 1975, but those two players earned it in the same game.

The 2002 season had one of the strangest All-Star Game situations, period. The contest notoriously ended in a tie after 11 innings, so not only was there no winner, but the MLB ultimately decided not to name an MVP for the game at Miller Park.

Here are the players who took home MVP honors at every MLB All-Star Game:

1962: Maury Wills, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers

1962: Leon Wagner, OF, Los Angeles Angels

1963: Willie Mays, OF, San Francisco Giants

1964: Johnny Callison, OF, Philadelphia Phillies

1965: Juan Marichal, P, San Francisco Giants

1966: Brooks Robinson, 3B, Baltimore Orioles

1967: Tony Perez, 3B, Cincinnati Reds

1968: Willie Mays, OF, San Francisco Giants

1969: Willie McCovey, 1B, San Francisco Giants

1970: Carl Yastrzemski, OF, Boston Red Sox

1971: Frank Robinson, OF, Baltimore Orioles

1972: Joe Morgan, 2B, Cincinnati Reds

1973: Bobby Bonds, OF, San Francisco Giants

1974: Steve Garvey, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers

1975: Bill Madlock, 3B, Chicago Cubs/Jon Matlack, P, New York Mets

1976: George Foster, OF, Cincinnati Reds

1977: Don Sutton, P, Los Angeles Dodgers

1978: Steve Garvey, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers

1979: Dave Parker, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates

1980: Ken Griffey, OF, Cincinnati Reds

1981: Gary Carter, C, Montreal Expos

1982: Dave Concepcion, SS, Cincinnati Reds

1983: Fred Lynn, OF, California Angels

1984: Gary Carter, C, Montreal Expos

1985: La Marr Hoyt, P, San Diego Padres

1986: Roger Clemens, P, Boston Red Sox

1987: Tim Rainers, OF, Montreal Expos

1988: Terry Steinbach, C, Oakland Athletics

1989: Bo Jackson, OF, Kansas City Royals

1990: Julio Franco, 2B, Texas Rangers

1991: Cal Ripken Jr., SS, Baltimore Orioles

1992: Ken Griffey Jr., OF, Seattle Mariners

1993: Kirby Puckett, OF, Minnesota Twins

1994: Fred McGriff, 1B, Atlanta Braves

1995: Jeff Conine, OF, Florida Marlins

1996: Mike Piazza, C, Los Angeles Dodgers

1997: Sandy Alomar Jr., C, Cleveland Indians

1998: Roberto Alomar, 2B, Baltimore Orioles

1999: Pedro Martinez, P, Boston Red Sox

2000: Derek Jeter, SS, New York Yankees

2001: Cal Ripken Jr., SS, Baltimore Orioles

2002: No MVP named

2003: Garret Anderson, OF, Anaheim Angels

2004: Alfonso Soriano, 2B, Texas Rangers

2005: Miguel Tejada, SS, Baltimore Orioles

2006: Michael Young, 2B, Texas Rangers

2007: Ichiro Suzuki, OF, Seattle Mariners

2008: J.D. Drew, OF, Boston Red Sox

2009: Carl Crawford, OF, Tampa Bay Rays

2010: Brian McCann, C, Atlanta Braves

2011: Prince Fielder, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers

2012: Melky Cabrera, OF, San Francisco Giants

2013: Mariano Rivera, P, New York Yankees

2014: Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels

2015: Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels

2016: Eric Hosmer, 1B, Kansas City Royals

2017: Robinson Cano, 2B, Seattle Mariners

2018: Alex Bregman, 3B, Houston Astros

2019: Shane Bieber, P, Cleveland Indians

2020: No event held (COVID-19 pandemic)

2021: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Toronto Blue Jays

2022: Giancarlo Stanton, OF, New York Yankees