Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award

In 1954 Sports Illustrated began naming an overall athlete of the year. The editors pick 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. The following baseball players have each won the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award for their performance during the season listed.

"I love to play this game of baseball - I love putting on this uniform." - Stan Musial (1957 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award Winner)
Sportsman of the Year Award
by Sports Illustrated

In Chronological Order

Year Name Team
1955

Johnny Podres

Brooklyn Dodgers

1957

Stan Musial

St. Louis Cardinals

1965

Sandy Koufax

Los Angeles Dodgers

1967

Carl Yastrzemski

Boston Red Sox

1969

Tom Seaver

New York Mets

1975

Pete Rose

Cincinnati Reds

1979

Willie Stargell

Pittsburgh Pirates

1987

Dale Murphy

Atlanta Braves

1988

Orel Hershiser

Los Angeles Dodgers

1995

Cal Ripken, Jr.

Baltimore Orioles

1996

Joe Torre

New York Yankees

1998

Mark McGwire

St. Louis Cardinals

Sammy Sosa

Chicago Cubs

2001

Randy Johnson

Arizona Diamondbacks

Curt Schilling

Arizona Diamondbacks

YearNameTeam

Sportsman of the Year Award



Did you know that not one baseball player or recipient has ever won the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award more than once?

Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa shared the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award during their fabulous home run seasons.

In 1967 Carl Yastrzemski, who besides winning the Sportsman of the Year Award, also hit for the Triple Crown. Do you remember his statistics for that particular season?