The 25 greatest MLB players to never win an MVP

With more than 3,400 career hits, Jeter's resume has it all. Etched in Cooperstown, his plaque touts 14 All-Star selections, five Gold Gloves, five Silver Sluggers, and five World Series trophies, including MVPs in both the World Series and All-Star. Yet, he never won the big one. His 2006 run saw him get the closest, finishing second behind Minnesota's Justin Morneau for MVP. He batted a career-high .343 with 97 RBI, 14 home runs, and 118 runs. 

Beltre twice finished inside the top three of MVP voting over his Hall of Fame career. A 3,000-hit club member, he won five Gold Gloves, four Silver Slugger awards, and picked up a pair of Platinum Gloves. He appeared prime for the honor in 2004 when he led the league with 48 home runs and knocked in 121 runs via a .334 average. The only problem for him was that he shared a league with Barry Bonds. 

His 2003 stats were video-game-like numbers. He led the league with a ridiculous 1.019 OPS while also leading the way with 145 RBI. He also bashed 42 home runs. He narrowly missed out on the MVP in one of the closest AL MVP races ever, as Alex Rodriguez just outpaced him in first-place votes. 

I had to double- and then triple-check that this was true. Tony Gwynn never won an MVP. He made 15 All-Star appearances, was an eight-time batting champ, won seven Silver Slugger awards, and picked up five Gold Glove awards along the way. He never finished higher than third in MVP voting, though. That year, he lost out to Ryne Sandberg for MVP despite a league-high .351 average and 213 hits. 

Eighteen All-Star nominations and 10 Glove Gloves highlight his Hall of Fame career. Yet, the longtime Detroit Tiger could never take home an MVP honor. He had three seasons with 100-plus RBI and a handful of seasons batting .310 or higher, including a stellar .340 average with 102 RBI in 1955. 

When talking about offensive catchers, Piazza's name is at the top of the list. He had it all, including a powerful bat that saw him hit a record 396 dingers. That's the most all-time by a catcher. Not only that, he was also consistent at the plate with an impressive .308 career average. His resume includes 12 All-Stars, with 10 of them coming consecutively. He was twice the MVP runner-up in 1996 and 1997. The Hall of Famer's dominance began right out of the gate with a Rookie of the Year campaign that saw him belt 35 homers and bring in 112 runs. 

They didn't call him "The Wizard" for nothing. Perhaps the greatest defensive shortstop the game has ever seen, Smith accomplished so much during his playing days despite never winning an MVP. He was a 15-time All-Star over his 19 seasons and won a World Series during his time. In 1987, he finished second in the MVP voting, though he did come away with a Silver Slugger that season. The defensive stalwart took home 13 straight Gold Gloves, a record for shortstops. 

The Hall of Fame slugger never finished higher than third in the MVP voting. That's downright laughable, as the 12-time All-Star led the National League in home runs six times in his career. He was the first player to hit 500 homers, finishing with 511 before retiring. The 1933 World Series champ was a career .304 hitter who had nine seasons with triple-digit RBI totals. 

The Flying Dutchman is more than just the face of the most expensive baseball card ever. Wagner thrived during the dead-ball era as an eight-time batting champ. He was the first to reach 3,000 career hits, yet he brought much more to the plate than just putting the bat on the ball. He led the National League in stolen bases five times while also topping the charts in slugging percentage in six seasons. The MVP didn't start being awarded until 1911, which was his 15th season (he did play seven more years). He was runner-up in 1912.

From the hot corner, Boggs provided not just a steady glove but a ferocious bat. He doesn't have an MVP honor under his name despite being the ALs batting champion five times en route to a 3,000-hit career. Between 1983 and 1989, Boggs never had less than 200 hits in a season, which remains an AL record. The 1996 World Series champ played with many legends in his era, oftentimes overshadowed by MVP winners like Don Mattingly, Rickey Henderson, George Brett, and Cal Ripken Jr, who beat him out for Rookie of the Year in 1982. 

A two-time MVP runner-up, Matthews' track record is unheralded. He’s a 12-time All-Star with multiple World Series titles. He hit a league-high in home runs twice, while also knocking in triple-digit runs on five occasions. He’s a member of the 500 Home Run Club.

The Hall of Famer frequently found himself atop the National League charts in multiple categories. He led the league three times in doubles, twice in runs, and even once in stolen bases. He was also durable, leading the NL in plate appearances five times. Despite all of that, he never won an MVP. Although he came closest in back-to-back seasons that saw him finish in the top five in voting. 

A demon in center field, Hunter‘s career saw him take home nine Gold Glovers and a pair of Silver Slugger awards. Despite his consistency with multiple .300 hitting seasons mixed with the occasional 100-RBI and 30-home run season, Hunter never truly asserted himself in the MVP discussion. His best chance was when he finished sixth in 2002. 

While manning the hot corner for the Mets, Wright was a perennial All-Star with seven seasons batting over .300 and five times driving in 100-plus RBI. He finished fourth in MVP voting in 2007 — his best shot at the award — after finishing with 30 homers, 107 RBI, and a career-high 34 stolen bases. 

Be it his quirky batting stance or his powerful bat, Sheffield was among the most feared hitters in his time. He's a 500 Home Run Club member while also being among the few in that group to also steal more than 250 bags. In addition, he routinely finished with high averages, leading the NL in 1992 with a .330 mark. He had three seasons finishing inside the top three of MVP voting, with his best shot coming in 2004 with the Yankees. 

The Hall of Fame outfielder-turned-designated hitter never earned the respect from MVP voters, with his highest finish being ninth in 1985. He never hit more than 30 home runs in a season nor ever surpassed 113 RBI in any given year, but he was always around those numbers. It's no wonder that this consistent superstar, who was overlooked during his playing days, took quite a while to earn a spot in Cooperstown in 2019 after being recognized by the Today's Game Era Committee to finally get him enshrined. 

Big Papi was what every team hopes their designated hitter is like. He thrived during a time when the DH rule only applied to AL teams, which hurt his MVP case despite eye-popping numbers. He finished in the top five in MVP voting in five straight seasons between 2003 and 2007, coming as close as runner-up in 2005. That season he led the AL with 148 RBI, bashed 47 homers, and finished with a .300 average. Where he lacked in MVP hardware, Ortiz made up for it with 10 All-Star bids, seven Silver Slugger awards, and both a World Series and ALCS MVP plaque. 

There may not be a more overlooked superstar in the modern game than the Cleveland third baseman. The switch-hitter joined the exclusive 30-30 club in 2018 with 39 dingers and 34 stolen bases. In his career, he's finished inside the top three for MVP voting three times and two more times within the top five. He's someone who does everything really well, but just happens to always be behind another superstar in any given category. He has never led the AL in average, home runs, or RBI despite consistently driving in 105-plus runs and flirting with 40 home runs on multiple occasions. 

The 21-year vet racked up over 3,000 hits and 500 steals. The seven-time All-Star led the league in hits, runs, and triples in 1991 but finished 11th that season in MVP voting. That epitomizes who he was as a player. He never had the flashy 120 RBI seasons and only reached 20 home runs once in his career, which kept him from that elusive MVP honor. He was runner-up in 1993 to Frank Thomas, a season that saw him bring in 111 runs and a career-high 22 homers. 

There has only ever been one catcher to win an MVP, so it's no surprising that so many all-timers at the position find themselves on the list. Molina is among those. The longtime St. Louis catcher has 10 All-Star selections to his credit along with nine Gold Gloves (and four Platinum Glove Awards). The closest he came was in 2013, finishing in third behind Andrew McCutchen and Paul Goldschmidt. He had career highs in batting average (.319) and doubles (44).  

The left-handed slugger had the capability of doing it all. At some point over his 19-year career, he had seasons in which he led the league in homers, RBI, on-base percentage, or batting average. He was a classic case of someone who dominated at a time when many others were also dominating. Seven straight years saw him finish inside the top 10 of MVP voting, including three times inside the top four. He and teammate David Ortiz (another great who never won an MVP) likely hurt one another when it came time to voting, since both always went together and it became difficult to separate the two's impact. 

There aren't many second basemen who achieved what Alomar did during his time. The Hall of Famer has double-digit Gold Gloves and All-Star nods, while also taking home four Silver Slugger awards. He fell just shy of 3,000 career hits, but still remains the Blue Jays' franchise leader in average (.307). While never winning a league MVP, he did earn the 1992 ALCS MVP with a heroic performance that jump-started the team's eventual World Series run. 

The Hall of Fame outfielder is a 3,000-hit club member and a six-time Silver Slugger winner. Oh, and he racked up seven Gold Glove trophies. Yet, he never could take home the MVP. His best shot at one came in 1979 with San Diego. That season saw him hit a league-high 118 RBI with a career-best 34 home runs. He also was intentionally walked a league-leading 24 times, showing just how feared he was. 

A dual-threat outfielder, Beltran is one of five players to amass 400 homers and 300 steals in their career. He asserted himself right from the jump with the 1999 AL Rookie of the Year award, but could never bring home an MVP. The postseason standout finished fourth in voting in 2006, losing out to Ryan Howard. His career saw him run up against MVP regulars like Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, and Alex Rodriguez as his career saw him spread out across both leagues. 

The shortstop-turned-third baseman is as dynamic a player as there is in the modern era. A seven-time All-Star, Machado was one of the quickest to reach 2,000 career hits and 350 home runs, becoming the 11th fastest to hit those marks at the age of 32. Despite a pair of Silver Sluggers and multiple All-MLB First Team honors, he's never taken home the MVP prize. He finished runner-up to Paul Goldschmidt in 2022.