Associated Press Athlete of the Year Award by Baseball Almanac

Associated Press Athlete of the Year Award

In 1931, the Associated Press began naming an overall athlete of the year. The writers picked their selections, male and female, from EVERY sport and based it on the athletes contributions to the game, their performance within their chosen sport and their off field activities. Since 1931 the following baseball players, which are listed in chronological order, have received the prestigious Associated Press Athlete of the Year Award.

"I figured that pitchers had a better chance of getting drafted than fielders, so I decided I should be a pitcher." - Dwight Gooden

Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press ©
Year	Name	Team
1931	Pepper Martin	St. Louis Cardinals
1933	Carl Hubbell	New York Giants
1934	Dizzy Dean	St. Louis Cardinals
1941	Joe DiMaggio	New York Yankees
1948	Lou Boudreau	Cleveland Indians
1950	Jim Konstanty	Philadelphia Phillies
1954	Willie Mays	New York Giants
1956	Mickey Mantle	New York Yankees
1957	Ted Williams	Boston Red Sox
1961	Roger Maris	New York Yankees
1962	Maury Wills	Los Angeles Dodgers
1963	Sandy Koufax	Los Angeles Dodgers
1965	Sandy Koufax	Los Angeles Dodgers
1966	Frank Robinson	Baltimore Orioles
1967	Carl Yastrzemski	Boston Red Sox
1968	Denny McLain	Detroit Tigers
1969	Tom Seaver	New York Mets
1975	Fred Lynn	Boston Red Sox
1978	Ron Guidry	New York Yankees
1979	Willie Stargell	Pittsburgh Pirates
1985	Dwight Gooden	New York Mets
1988	Orel Hershiser	Los Angeles Dodgers
1995	Cal Ripken, Jr.	Baltimore Orioles
2001	Barry Bonds	San Francisco Giants
2002	Award Discontinued	--
Year	Name	Team
Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press

Sandy Koufax is the only two time recipient and Fred Lynn is the only rookie baseball player to win the Associated Press Athlete of the Year Award.

Roger Maris won the Associated Press Athlete of the Year Award during his historic sixty-one home run season.

Did you know that Joe DiMaggio won his Associated Press Athlete of the Year Award during his historic "streak" season?

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