Wikipedia

Southern Association Most Valuable Player Award

The Southern Association Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) was an annual award given to the best player in Minor League Baseball's Southern Association based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league sportswriters.[1] Early iterations of the honor were voted on by league managers.[2] Though the league was established in 1901,[3] the award was not created until 1936.[4] It continued to be issued through the 1961 season,[1] after which the league disbanded.[3]

Southern Association
Most Valuable Player Award
SportBaseball
LeagueSouthern Association
Awarded forRegular-season most valuable player of the Southern Association
CountryUnited States
Presented bySouthern Association
History
First awardRed Nonnenkamp (1936)
Final awardHowie Koplitz (1961)
Most winsTed Cieslak (2)
Stan Palys (2)

Two players won the award twice: Ted Cieslak, who won back-to-back in 1945 and 1946, and Stan Palys, the winner in 1957 and 1960.

Eleven outfielders won the MVP Award, the most of any position. Catchers and first basemen, each with three winners, won the most among infielders, followed by second baseman and third baseman (2). Six pitchers also won the award.

Eight players from the Nashville Vols were selected for the MVP Award, more than any other team in the league, followed by the Atlanta Crackers (4); the Birmingham Barons, Little Rock Travelers, Memphis Chicks, and Mobile Bears (3); and the Chattanooga Lookouts, Knoxville Smokies, and New Orleans Pelicans (1).

Four players from the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball (MLB) organization won the MVP Award, more than any other, followed by the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers organizations (3); the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Pirates organizations (2); the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Browns, and Washington Senators organizations (1). Five players were from teams unaffiliated with any MLB organization.

Winners

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Red Nonnenkamp won the first MVP Award in 1936 with the Little Rock Travelers.
 
Bob Lennon, the 1954 MVP, was one of nine Nashville Vols to win the award.
Key
Position Indicates the player's primary position
(#) Number of wins by players who have won the award multiple times
^ Indicates multiple award winners in the same year
Winners
Year Winner Team Organization Position Ref.
1936 Red Nonnenkamp Little Rock Travelers Boston Red Sox Outfielder [5]
1937 Coaker Triplett Memphis Chicks Unaffiliated [6]
1938 Red Evans New Orleans Pelicans Cleveland Indians Pitcher [7]
1939 Babe Young Knoxville Smokies Pittsburgh Pirates First baseman [8]
1940^ Greek George Nashville Vols Brooklyn Dodgers Catcher [9]
1940^ Emil Mailho Atlanta Crackers Unaffiliated Outfielder [10]
1941 Les Burge Pittsburgh Pirates First baseman [11]
1942 Roy Schalk Little Rock Travelers Unaffiliated Second baseman [12]
1943 Ed Sauer Nashville Vols Chicago Cubs Outfielder [13]
1944 Pete Gray Memphis Chicks St. Louis Browns [14]
1945 Ted Cieslak (1) Atlanta Crackers Unaffiliated Third baseman [15]
1946 Ted Cieslak (2) [15]
1947 Cliff Dapper Mobile Bears Brooklyn Dodgers Catcher [16]
1948 Chuck Workman Nashville Vols Chicago Cubs Outfielder [17]
1949 Carl Sawatski Catcher [18]
1950 Bob Schultz Pitcher [19]
1951 Halbert Simpson Little Rock Travelers Detroit Tigers Outfielder [20]
1952 Ellis Clary Chattanooga Lookouts Washington Senators Second baseman [21]
1953 Jack Harshman Nashville Vols New York Giants Pitcher [22]
1954 Bob Lennon Outfielder [23]
1955 Ed White Memphis Chicks Chicago White Sox [24]
1956 Gene Lary Mobile Bears Cleveland Indians Pitcher [25]
1957 Stan Palys (1) Nashville Vols Cincinnati Reds Outfielder [4][26]
1958 Bill Harrington Birmingham Barons Detroit Tigers Pitcher [27][28]
1959 Gordy Coleman Mobile Bears Cleveland Indians First baseman [29][30]
1960 Stan Palys (2) Birmingham Barons Detroit Tigers Outfielder [31][26]
1961 Howie Koplitz Pitcher [1][32]

Wins by team

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Team Award(s) Year(s)
Nashville Vols 8 1940, 1943, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1954, 1957
Atlanta Crackers 4 1940, 1941, 1945, 1946
Birmingham Barons 3 1958, 1960, 1961
Little Rock Travelers 1936, 1942, 1951
Memphis Chicks 1937, 1944, 1955
Mobile Bears 1947, 1956, 1959
Chattanooga Lookouts 1 1952
Knoxville Smokies 1939
New Orleans Pelicans 1939

Wins by organization

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Organization Award(s) Year(s)
Chicago Cubs 4 1943, 1948, 1949, 1950
Detroit Tigers 1951, 1958, 1960, 1961
Cleveland Indians 3 1938, 1956, 1959
Brooklyn Dodgers 2 1940, 1947
New York Giants 1953, 1954
Pittsburgh Pirates 1939, 1941
Boston Red Sox 1 1936
Chicago White Sox 1955
Cincinnati Reds 1957
St. Louis Browns 1944
Washington Senators 1952

References

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Specific
  1. ^ a b c "Barons' Koplitz Selected Southern's Most Valuable". The Nashville Tennessean. Nashville. August 31, 1961. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "All-Star Team Selected Today for Southern". The Jackson Sun. Jackson. Associated Press. September 1, 1937. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Southern Association (AA) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Palys Eighth Vol to Get Southern's MVP Accolade". The Nashville Banner. Nashville. January 23, 1958. p. 31 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Red Nonnenkamp Minor League Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  6. ^ "Coaker Triplett Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  7. ^ "Red Evans Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  8. ^ "Babe Young Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  9. ^ "Greek George Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  10. ^ "Emil Mailho Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "Lester Burge Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  12. ^ "Roy Schalk Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  13. ^ "Ed Sauer Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  14. ^ "Pete Gray Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Ted Cieslak Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  16. ^ "Cliff Dapper Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  17. ^ "Chuck Workman Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  18. ^ "Carl Sawatski Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  19. ^ "Bob Schultz Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  20. ^ "Halbert Simpson Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  21. ^ "Ellis Clary Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  22. ^ "Jack Harshman Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  23. ^ "Bob Lennon Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  24. ^ "Ed White Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  25. ^ "Gene Lary Minor League Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  26. ^ a b "Stan Palys Minor & Japanese Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  27. ^ "Barons' Pitcher is Most Valuable". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis. April 17, 1959. p. 64 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Bill Harrington Minor League Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  29. ^ Logue, John (September 4, 1959). "Bear's Coleman Southern's MVP". The Atlanta Journal. Atlanta. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Gordy Coleman Minor League Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  31. ^ "Palys Selected Most Valuable Southern Player". The Nashville Tennessean. Nashville. September 2, 1960. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "Howie Koplitz Minor League Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
General
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