Nippon Professional Baseball Most Valuable Player Award

Sadaharu Oh, nine-time winner—more wins than any other player

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award (最優秀選手, Saiyūshūsenshu^?) is an honor given annually in baseball to two outstanding players in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), one each for the Central League and Pacific League.

Each league's award is voted on by national baseball writers.^[1] Each voter places a vote for first, second, and third place among the players of each league. The formula used to calculate the final scores is a weighted sum of the votes.^[A] The player with the highest score in each league wins the award.^[2]

The first recipient of the award was Eiji Sawamura,^[3] and the most recent winners are Alex Ramírez, from the Central League, and Yu Darvish, from the Pacific League.^[4][5] In 1940, Victor Starffin became the first player to win the award consecutively and multiple times.^[3] Eiji Sawamura and Kazuhisa Inao are the youngest players to receive the awards in 1937 and 1957, respectively, at the ages of 20.^[6] In 1988, Hiromitsu Kadota became the oldest player to receive the award at the age of 40.^[7]

Key

Position players	RBIs	Runs batted in
	AVG	Batting average
Pitchers	Record	Record of decisions (tie games are omitted)
	Saves	Number of saves[B]
	ERA	Earned run average
(#)		Indicates number of times winning MVP Award (if multiple winner)
*		Elected to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame[8]

Winners

Japanese Baseball League (1937–1949)

Haruyasu Nakajima won one MVP award before NPB was formed in 1950.

Year	Player	Team	Position	Selected statistics	Notes
1937.1 !1937 (Spring)	Sawamura, EijiEiji Sawamura*	Tokyo Kyojingun	Pitcher	0.81 earned run average 196 strikeouts 24–4 record in 30 appearances (24 games started)	[9]
1937.2 !1937 (Fall)	McGalliard, HarrisHarris McGalliard	Korakuen Eagles	Catcher	.310 batting average 62 hits 24 RBIs	[10]
1938.1 !1938 (Spring)	Karita, HisanoriHisanori Karita*	Tokyo Senators	Second baseman	.299 batting average 40 hits 5 home runs	[11]
1938.2 !1938 (Fall)	Nakajima, HaruyasuHaruyasu Nakajima*	Tokyo Kyojingun	Outfielder	.361 batting average 10 home runs 38 RBIs	[12]
1939 !1939	Starffin, VictorVictor Starffin*	Tokyo Kyojingun	Pitcher	282 strikeouts 38 complete games 42–15 record in 68 appearances (41 games started)	[13]
1940 !1940	Starffin, VictorVictor Starffin* (2)	Tokyo Kyojingun	Pitcher	0.97 earned run average 16 shutouts 38–12 record in 55 appearances (42 games started)	[14]
1941 !1941	Kawakami, TetsuharuTetsuharu Kawakami*	Tokyo Kyojingun	First baseman	.310 batting average 105 hits 57 RBIs	[15]
1942 !1942	Mizuhara, ShigeruShigeru Mizuhara*	Tokyo Kyojingun	Third baseman	.225 batting average 58 hits 16 RBIs	[16]
1943 !1943	Go, ShoseiShosei Go*	Tokyo Kyojingun	Outfielder	.300 batting average 89 hits 54 stolen bases	[17]
1944 !1944	Wakabayashi, TadashiTadashi Wakabayashi*	Osaka Tigers	Pitcher	1.56 earned run average 24 complete games 22–4 record in 31 appearances	[18]
1945 !1945	Z Season canceled[C]	Z	Z	Z
1946 !1946	Yamamoto, KazutoKazuto Yamamoto*	Kinki Great Ring	Infielder	.314 batting average 122 hits 95 RBIs	[19]
1947 !1947	Wakabayashi, TadashiTadashi Wakabayashi* (2)	Osaka Tigers	Pitcher	2.09 earned run average 10 shutouts 26–12 record in 43 appearances	[20]
1948 !1948	Yamamoto, KazutoKazuto Yamamoto* (2)	Nankai Hawks	Infielder	.305 batting average 137 hits 68 RBIs	[21]
1949 !1949	Fujimura, FumioFumio Fujimura*	Osaka Tigers	Third baseman	.332 batting average 46 home runs 142 RBIs	[22]

Nippon Professional Baseball (1950–present)

Central League

Michihiro Ogasawara is one of only two players to win the award in the Central and Pacific Leagues.

Masumi Kuwata, 1994 CL winner

Kei Igawa, 2003 CL winner

Kenshin Kawakami, 2004 CL winner

Kosuke Fukudome, 2006 CL winner

Year	Player	Team	Position	Selected statistics
1950	Kozuru, MakotoMakoto Kozuru*	Shochiku Robins	OF	.355 batting average 51 home runs 161 RBIs
1951	Kawakami, TetsuharuTetsuharu Kawakami* (2)	Yomiuri Giants	1B	.377 batting average 141 hits 81 RBIs
1952	Bessho, TakehikoTakehiko Bessho*	Yomiuri Giants	P	1.94 earned run average 3711⁄3 innings pitched 33–13 record in 52 appearances (41 games started)
1953	Otomo, TakumiTakumi Otomo	Yomiuri Giants	P	1.85 earned run average 22 complete games 27–6 record in 43 appearances (29 games started)
1954	Sugishita, ShigeruShigeru Sugishita*	Chunichi Dragons	P	1.39 earned run average 3951⁄3 innings pitched 32–12 record in 63 appearances
1955	Kawakami, TetsuharuTetsuharu Kawakami* (3)	Yomiuri Giants	1B	.338 batting average 147 hits 79 RBIs
1956	Bessho, TakehikoTakehiko Bessho* (2)	Yomiuri Giants	P	1.93 earned run average 26 complete games 27–15 record in 54 appearances (35 games started)
1957	Yonamine, WallyWally Yonamine*	Yomiuri Giants	OF	.343 batting average 160 hits 48 RBIs
1958	Fujita, MotoshiMotoshi Fujita*	Yomiuri Giants	P	1.53 earned run average 359 innings pitched 29–13 record in 58 appearances (36 games started)
1959	Fujita, MotoshiMotoshi Fujita* (2)	Yomiuri Giants	P	1.83 earned run average 330 innings pitched 27–11 record in 55 appearances (35 games started)
1960	Akiyama, NoboruNoboru Akiyama*	Taiyo Whales	P	1.75 earned run average 2621⁄3 innings pitched 21–10 record in 59 appearances
1961	Nagashima, ShigeoShigeo Nagashima*	Yomiuri Giants	3B	.353 batting average 158 hits 28 home runs
1962	Murayama, MinoruMinoru Murayama*	Osaka Tigers	P	1.20 earned run average 3661⁄3 innings pitched 25–14 record in 57 appearances
1963	Nagashima, ShigeoShigeo Nagashima* (2)	Yomiuri Giants	3B	.341 batting average 163 hits 112 RBIs
1964	Oh, SadaharuSadaharu Oh*	Yomiuri Giants	1B	.320 batting average 55 home runs 119 RBIs
1965	Oh, SadaharuSadaharu Oh* (2)	Yomiuri Giants	1B	.322 batting average 42 home runs 104 RBIs
1966	Nagashima, ShigeoShigeo Nagashima* (3)	Yomiuri Giants	3B	.344 batting average 163 hits 105 RBIs
1967	Oh, SadaharuSadaharu Oh* (3)	Yomiuri Giants	1B	.326 batting average 47 home runs 108 RBIs
1968	Nagashima, ShigeoShigeo Nagashima* (4)	Yomiuri Giants	3B	.318 batting average 157 hits 125 RBIs
1969	Oh, SadaharuSadaharu Oh* (4)	Yomiuri Giants	1B	.345 batting average 156 hits 44 home runs
1970	Oh, SadaharuSadaharu Oh* (5)	Yomiuri Giants	1B	.325 batting average 138 hits 47 home runs
1971	Shigeo Nagashima* (5)	Yomiuri Giants	3B	.320 batting average 155 hits 86 RBIs
1972	Horiuchi, TsuneoTsuneo Horiuchi*	Yomiuri Giants	P	2.91 earned run average 312 innings pitched 26–9 record in 48 appearances (34 games started)
1973	Oh, SadaharuSadaharu Oh* (6)	Yomiuri Giants	1B	.355 batting average 51 home runs 114 RBIs
1974	Oh, SadaharuSadaharu Oh* (7)	Yomiuri Giants	1B	.332 batting average 49 home runs 107 RBIs
1975	Yamamoto, KojiKoji Yamamoto*	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	OF	.319 batting average 144 hits 84 RBIs
1976	Oh, SadaharuSadaharu Oh* (8)	Yomiuri Giants	1B	.325 batting average 49 home runs 123 RBIs
1977	Oh, SadaharuSadaharu Oh* (9)	Yomiuri Giants	1B	.324 batting average 50 home runs 124 RBIs
1978	Wakamatsu, TsutomuTsutomu Wakamatsu*	Yakult Swallows	OF	.341 batting average 157 hits 71 RBIs
1979	Enatsu, YutakaYutaka Enatsu	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	P	2.66 earned run average 1042⁄3 innings pitched 22 saves
1980	Yamamoto, KojiKoji Yamamoto* (2)	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	OF	.336 batting average 44 home runs 112 RBIs
1981	Egawa, SuguruSuguru Egawa	Yomiuri Giants	P	000 !—	.000 !—	20 !20–6	00 !0	2.28
1982	Nakao, TakayoshiTakayoshi Nakao	Chunichi Dragons	C	047 !47	.282	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1983	Hara, TatsunoriTatsunori Hara	Yomiuri Giants	3B	103 !103	.302	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1984	Kinugasa, SachioSachio Kinugasa*	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	3B	102 !102	.329	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1985	Bass, RandyRandy Bass	Hanshin Tigers	1B	134 !134	.350	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1986	Kitabeppu, ManabuManabu Kitabeppu	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	P	000 !—	.000 !—	18 !18–4	00 !0	2.43
1987	Yamakura, KazuhiroKazuhiro Yamakura	Yomiuri Giants	C	066 !66	.273	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1988	Kaku, GenjiGenji Kaku	Chunichi Dragons	P	000 !—	.000 !—	000.5 !—	37	1.95
1989	Cromartie, WarrenWarren Cromartie	Yomiuri Giants	OF	072 !72	.378	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1990	Saito, MasakiMasaki Saito	Yomiuri Giants	P	000 !—	.000 !—	20.1 !20–5	00 !0	2.17
1991	Sasaoka, ShinjiShinji Sasaoka	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	P	000 !—	.000 !—	17.1 !17–9	00 !0	2.44
1992	Howell, JackJack Howell	Yakult Swallows	3B	087 !87	.331	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1993	Furuta, AtsuyaAtsuya Furuta	Yakult Swallows	C	075 !75	.308	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1994	Kuwata, MasumiMasumi Kuwata	Yomiuri Giants	P	000 !—	.000 !—	14 !14–11	01 !1	2.52
1995	O'Malley, TomTom O'Malley	Yakult Swallows	1B	087 !87	.302	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1996	Matsui, HidekiHideki Matsui	Yomiuri Giants	OF	099 !99	.314	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1997	Furuta, AtsuyaAtsuya Furuta (2)	Yakult Swallows	C	086 !86	.322	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1998	Sasaki, KazuhiroKazuhiro Sasaki	Yokohama BayStars	P	000 !—	.000 !—	01 !1–1	45	0.44
1999	Noguchi, ShigekiShigeki Noguchi	Chunichi Dragons	P	000 !—	.000 !—	19 !19–7	00 !0	2.65
2000	Matsui, HidekiHideki Matsui (2)	Yomiuri Giants	OF	108 !108	.316	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
2001	Petagine, RobertoRoberto Petagine	Yakult Swallows	1B	127 !127	.322	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
2002	Matsui, HidekiHideki Matsui (3)	Yomiuri Giants	OF	107 !107	.334	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
2003	Igawa, KeiKei Igawa	Hanshin Tigers	P	000 !—	.000 !—	20.1 !20–5	00 !0	2.80
2004	Kawakami, KenshinKenshin Kawakami	Chunichi Dragons	P	000 !—	.000 !—	17.2 !17–7	00 !0	3.32
2005	Kanemoto, TomoakiTomoaki Kanemoto	Hanshin Tigers	OF	125 !125	.327	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
2006	Fukudome, KosukeKosuke Fukudome	Chunichi Dragons	OF	104 !104	.351	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
2007	Ogasawara, MichihiroMichihiro Ogasawara (2)	Yomiuri Giants	3B	088 !88	.313	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
2008	Ramírez, AlexAlex Ramírez	Yomiuri Giants	OF	.319 batting average 175 hits 125 RBIs
2009	Ramírez, AlexAlex Ramírez (2)	Yomiuri Giants	OF	.322 batting average 186 hits 103 RBIs
2010	Wada, KazuhiroKazuhiro Wada	Chunichi Dragons	OF	.339 batting average 171 hits 93 RBIs

Pacific League

Hiromitsu Ochiai, two-time PL winner

Nobuhiko Matsunaka, two-time PL winner

Hideo Nomo, 1990 PL winner

Kenji Johjima, 2003 PL winner

Yu Darvish, 2007 PL winner

Year	Player	Team	Position	RBIs	AVG	Record	Saves	ERA
1950	Betto, KaoruKaoru Betto*	Mainichi Orions	OF	105 !105	.335	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1951	Yamamoto, KazutoKazuto Yamamoto*	Nankai Hawks	2B	058 !58	.311	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1952	Yuki, SusumuSusumu Yuki	Nankai Hawks	P	000 !—	.000 !—	19 !19–7	00 !—	1.91
1953	Okamoto, IsamiIsami Okamoto	Nankai Hawks	2B	077 !77	.318	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1954	Oshita, HiroshiHiroshi Oshita*	Nishitetsu Lions	OF	088 !88	.321	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1955	Iida, TokujiTokuji Iida*	Nankai Hawks	OF	075 !75	.310	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1956	Nakanishi, FutoshiFutoshi Nakanishi*	Nishitetsu Lions	3B	095 !95	.325	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1957	Inao, KazuhisaKazuhisa Inao*	Nishitetsu Lions	P	000 !—	.000 !—	35 !35–6	00 !—	1.37
1958	Inao, KazuhisaKazuhisa Inao* (2)	Nishitetsu Lions	P	000 !—	.000 !—	33 !33–10	00 !—	1.42
1959	Sugiura, TadashiTadashi Sugiura*	Nankai Hawks	P	000 !—	.000 !—	38 !38–4	00 !—	1.40
1960	Yamauchi, KazuhiroKazuhiro Yamauchi*	Mainichi Daimai Orions	OF	103 !103	.313	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1961	Nomura, KatsuyaKatsuya Nomura*	Nankai Hawks	C	089 !89	.296	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1962	Harimoto, IsaoIsao Harimoto*	Toei Flyers	OF	099 !99	.333	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1963	Nomura, KatsuyaKatsuya Nomura* (2)	Nankai Hawks	C	135 !135	.291	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1964	Stanka, JoeJoe Stanka	Nankai Hawks	P	000 !—	.000 !—	26 !26–7	00 !—	2.40
1965	Nomura, KatsuyaKatsuya Nomura* (3)	Nankai Hawks	C	110 !110	.320	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1966	Nomura, KatsuyaKatsuya Nomura* (4)	Nankai Hawks	C	097 !97	.312	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1967	Adachi, MitsuhiroMitsuhiro Adachi	Hankyu Braves	P	000 !—	.000 !—	20 !20–10	00 !—	1.75
1968	Yoneda, TetsuyaTetsuya Yoneda*	Hankyu Braves	P	000 !—	.000 !—	29 !29–13	00 !—	2.79
1969	Nagaike, TokujiTokuji Nagaike	Hankyu Braves	OF	101 !101	.316	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1970	Kitaru, MasaakiMasaaki Kitaru	Lotte Orions	P	000 !—	.000 !—	21.1 !21–10	00 !—	2.53
1971	Nagaike, TokujiTokuji Nagaike (2)	Hankyu Braves	OF	114 !114	.317	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1972	Fukumoto, YutakaYutaka Fukumoto*	Hankyu Braves	OF	040 !40	.301	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1973	Nomura, KatsuyaKatsuya Nomura* (5)	Nankai Hawks	C	096 !96	.309	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1974	Kaneda, TomehiroTomehiro Kaneda	Lotte Orions	P	000 !—	.000 !—	16.2 !16–7	00 !0	2.90
1975	Kato, HidejiHideji Kato	Hankyu Braves	1B	097 !97	.309	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1976	Yamada, HisashiHisashi Yamada*	Hankyu Braves	P	000 !—	.000 !—	26 !26–7	05 !5	2.39
1977	Yamada, HisashiHisashi Yamada* (2)	Hankyu Braves	P	000 !—	.000 !—	16.1 !16–10	07 !7	2.28
1978	Yamada, HisashiHisashi Yamada* (3)	Hankyu Braves	P	000 !—	.000 !—	18.3 !18–4	04 !4	2.66
1979	Manuel, CharlieCharlie Manuel	Kintetsu Buffaloes	OF	094 !94	.324	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1980	Kida, IsamuIsamu Kida	Nippon Ham Fighters	P	000 !—	.000 !—	22 !22–8	04 !4	2.28
1981	Enatsu, YutakaYutaka Enatsu (2)	Nippon Ham Fighters	P	000 !—	.000 !—	03 !3–6	25 !25	2.82
1982	Ochiai, HiromitsuHiromitsu Ochiai	Lotte Orions	2B	099 !99	.325	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1983	Higashio, OsamuOsamu Higashio	Seibu Lions	P	000 !—	.000 !—	18.1 !18–9	02 !2	2.92
1984	Wells, GregGreg Wells	Hankyu Braves	1B	130 !130	.355	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1985	Ochiai, HiromitsuHiromitsu Ochiai (2)	Lotte Orions	3B	146 !146	.367	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1986	Ishige, HiromichiHiromichi Ishige	Seibu Lions	SS	089 !89	.329	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1987	Higashio, OsamuOsamu Higashio (2)	Seibu Lions	P	000 !—	.000 !—	15.1 !15–9	00 !0	2.59
1988	Kadota, HiromitsuHiromitsu Kadota*	Nankai Hawks	OF	125 !125	.311	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1989	Bryant, RalphRalph Bryant	Kintetsu Buffaloes	OF	121 !121	.283	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1990	Nomo, HideoHideo Nomo	Kintetsu Buffaloes	P	000 !—	.000 !—	18.2 !18–8	00 !0	2.91
1991	Kaku, TaigenTaigen Kaku	Seibu Lions	P	000 !—	.000 !—	15.2 !15–6	01 !1	2.59
1992	Ishii, TakehiroTakehiro Ishii	Seibu Lions	P	000 !—	.000 !—	15.4 !15–3	03 !3	1.94
1993	Kudoh, KimiyasuKimiyasu Kudoh	Seibu Lions	P	000 !—	.000 !—	15.4 !15–3	00 !0	2.06
1994	Suzuki, IchiroIchiro Suzuki	Orix BlueWave	OF	054 !54	.385	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1995	Suzuki, IchiroIchiro Suzuki (2)	Orix BlueWave	OF	080 !80	.342	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1996	Suzuki, IchiroIchiro Suzuki (3)	Orix BlueWave	OF	084 !84	.356	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1997	Nishiguchi, FumiyaFumiya Nishiguchi	Seibu Lions	P	000 !—	.000 !—	15.3 !15–5	01 !1	3.12
1998	Matsui, KazuoKazuo Matsui	Seibu Lions	SS	058 !58	.311	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
1999	Kudoh, KimiyasuKimiyasu Kudoh (2)	Fukuoka Daiei Hawks	P	000 !—	.000 !—	11 !11–7	00 !0	2.38
2000	Matsunaka, NobuhikoNobuhiko Matsunaka	Fukuoka Daiei Hawks	1B	106 !106	.312	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
2001	Rhodes, TuffyTuffy Rhodes	Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes	OF	131 !131	.327	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
2002	Cabrera, AlexAlex Cabrera	Seibu Lions	1B	115 !115	.336	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
2003	Johjima, KenjiKenji Johjima	Fukuoka Daiei Hawks	C	119 !119	.330	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
2004	Matsunaka, NobuhikoNobuhiko Matsunaka (2)	Fukuoka Daiei Hawks	1B	120 !120	.358	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
2005	Sugiuchi, ToshiyaToshiya Sugiuchi	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	P	000 !—	.000 !—	18.3 !18–4	00 !0	2.11
2006	Ogasawara, MichihiroMichihiro Ogasawara	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters	1B	100 !100	.312	000 !—	00 !—	000 !—
2007	Darvish, YuYu Darvish	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters	P	000 !—	.000 !—	15.3 !15–5	00 !0	1.82
2008	Iwakuma, HisashiHisashi Iwakuma	Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles	P	000 !—	.000 !—	21.2 !21–4	00 !0	1.87
2009	Darvish, YuYu Darvish (2)	Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters	P	000 !—	.000 !—	15.3 !15–5	00 !0	1.73
2010	Wada, TsuyoshiTsuyoshi Wada	Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks	P	000 !—	.000 !—	17.8 !17–8	00 !0	3.14

Multiple winners

Ichiro Suzuki, three-time consecutive winner

Hideki Matsui, three-time winner

There have been 22 players who have won the award multiple times. Sadaharu Oh currently holds the record for the most awards won, with nine. Hisashi Yamada (1976–1978) and Ichiro Suzuki (1994–1996) share the record for the most consecutive awards won. Yutaka Enatsu and Michihiro Ogasawara are the only players to have won the award in both the Central League and Pacific League. Alex Ramírez is the only non-Japanese player receive the award multiple times after the formation of two league system.

Player	League	# of Awards	Years
Oh, SadaharuSadaharu Oh*	Central	9	1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977
Nomura, KatsuyaKatsuya Nomura*	Pacific	5	1961, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1973
Nagashima, ShigeoShigeo Nagashima*	Central	5	1961, 1963, 1966, 1968, 1971
Kawakami, TetsuharuTetsuharu Kawakami*	Central[D]	3	1941, 1951, 1955
Yamada, HisashiHisashi Yamada*	Pacific	3	1976, 1977, 1978
Suzuki, IchiroIchiro Suzuki	Pacific	3	1994, 1995, 1996
Matsui, HidekiHideki Matsui	Central	3	1996, 2000, 2002
Starffin, VictorVictor Starffin*	Pre-NPB	2	1939, 1940
Wakabayashi, TadashiTadashi Wakabayashi*	Pre-NPB	2	1944, 1947
Yamamoto, KazutoKazuto Yamamoto*	Pre-NPB	2	1946, 1948
Bessho, TakehikoTakehiko Bessho*	Central	2	1952, 1956
Inao, KazuhisaKazuhisa Inao*	Pacific	2	1957, 1958
Fujita, MotoshiMotoshi Fujita*	Central	2	1958, 1959
Nagaike, TokujiTokuji Nagaike	Pacific	2	1969, 1971
Yamamoto, KojiKoji Yamamoto*	Central	2	1975, 1980
Enatsu, YutakaYutaka Enatsu	Both	2	1979, 1981
Ochiai, HiromitsuHiromitsu Ochiai	Pacific	2	1982, 1985
Higashio, OsamuOsamu Higashio	Pacific	2	1983, 1987
Furuta, AtsuyaAtsuya Furuta	Central	2	1993, 1997
Kudoh, KimiyasuKimiyasu Kudoh	Pacific	2	1993, 1999
Matsunaka, NobuhikoNobuhiko Matsunaka	Pacific	2	2000, 2004
Ogasawara, MichihiroMichihiro Ogasawara	Both	2	2006, 2007
Darvish, YuYu Darvish	Pacific	2	2007, 2009
Ramírez, AlexAlex Ramírez	Central	2	2008, 2009

Notes

• ^A The formula is: Score = 5F + 3S + T, where F is the number of first place votes, S is second place votes, and T is third place votes.^[2]
• ^B The save statistic was not formally recorded in the NPB until the 1974 season.^[23]
• ^C The 1945 Japanese Baseball League season was cancelled due to World War II.^[24]
• ^D Tetsuharu Kawakami received his first MVP award in 1941, nine years before the formation of Nippon Professional Baseball.

See also

• Nippon Professional Baseball#Awards
• Baseball awards#Japan
• List of Nippon Professional Baseball ERA champions
• Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize
• Athlete of the Year
• Most valuable player
• Player of the year award

References

General

• "１リーグ 最優秀選手" (in Japanese). Sports Hochi. http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/contents/baseball/record/1_mvp.htm. Retrieved August 2, 2009. 
• "セ・リーグ 最優秀選手" (in Japanese). Sports Hochi. http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/contents/baseball/record/ce_mvp.htm. Retrieved August 2, 2009. 
• "パ・リーグ 最優秀選手" (in Japanese). Sports Hochi. http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/contents/baseball/record/pa_mvp.htm. Retrieved August 2, 2009. 

Specific

1. ^ Nagatsuka, Kaz (November 15, 2006). "Ogasawara, Fukudome given MVP awards for 2006 season". The Japan Times. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sb20061115j1.html. Retrieved September 6, 2009. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "2008年度 表彰選手　投票結果（最優秀選手）" (in Japanese). NPB. http://www.npb.or.jp/award/2008voting_mvp.html. Retrieved September 6, 2009. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "１リーグ 最優秀選手" (in Japanese). Sports Hochi. http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/contents/baseball/record/1_mvp.htm. Retrieved September 6, 2009. 
4. ^ "セ・リーグ 最優秀選手" (in Japanese). Sports Hochi. http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/contents/baseball/record/ce_mvp.htm. Retrieved September 6, 2009. 
5. ^ "パ・リーグ 最優秀選手" (in Japanese). Sports Hochi. http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/contents/baseball/record/pa_mvp.htm. Retrieved September 6, 2009. 
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24. ^ Fitts, Robert K. (September 2008). Wally Yonamine: The Man Who Changed Japanese Baseball. University of Nebraska Press. p. 3. ISBN 0-803-21381-6.