Phillies History: Taking a Look Back on Phillies MVP Winners
By John Town
Three-Time MVP Winner Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt is the undisputed best third baseman in Phillies history and likely their best player overall. Schmidt racked up ten Gold Gloves, six Silver Sluggers, 12 All-Star Game appearances, and three Most Valuable Player awards.
Schmidt’s first MVP award came the same year the Phillies won their first World Series in 1980. With Steve Carlton winning the Cy Young award that year as well, the Phillies racked up the trophies.
In 1980, Schmidt led the league with 48 home runs, 121 RBI, a .624 slugging percentage and 1.004 OPS. He was the unanimous MVP as he also won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger that year.
Schmidt didn’t let a strike hamper his performance the next year. In 102 games, Schmidt led the league in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, and OPS. He also led the National League with 73 walks, including 18 intentional walks as pitchers recognized his potency at the plate. This helped Schmidt post a career-high .435 on-base percentage.
Schmidt secured 21 of 24 first-place votes in 1981 as he appeared on 96% of all the ballots. Schmidt led all positions players in the National League in Baseball Reference WAR with 7.7.
After a “down'” season in 1985, Schmidt took home one more MVP award before he wrapped up his career. The slugger once again led the league with 37 home runs. Pitchers still felt threatened by Schmidt, intentionally walking him 25 times that year. Schmidt appeared on 85% of the ballots as he took home his final MVP award.
Schmidt was a near-unanimous pick for the Hall of Fame in 1995, his first season on the ballot. Schmidt’s Hall of Fame Standard of 56 and Monitor of 250 are both well above the average Hall of Famer. JAWS ranks him as the best third baseman of all time. It’s safe to say Schmidt deserved every award he received.