MVP Profile: Pete Rose, 1973

Outfielder, Cincinnati Reds

Age:  32 (April 14)

11^th season with Reds

Bats – Both, Throws – Right

Height: 5’11” Weight: 192 

Prior to 1973:

A Cincinnati native, Rose excelled in football, as well as baseball, at Western Hills High School. He then played semipro baseball where he drew the notice of major league scouts and signed with the hometown Reds in 1960. Installed at second base with Geneva of the Class D New York-Pennsylvania League, Rose batted .277 in 85 games. He spent 1961 in the Class D Florida State League with Tampa and hit .331. Advancing to Macon of the Class A South Atlantic League in 1962 he batted .330 with 31 doubles, 17 triples, 9 home runs, and 71 RBIs. Invited to spring training with the Reds in 1963, he made the most of the opportunity with a strong enough performance to impress manager Fred Hutchinson and make the opening day lineup. Despite an 0-for-12 start at the plate, Rose went on to hit .273 with 101 runs scored, 25 doubles, 9 triples, 6 home runs, and 41 RBIs and received NL Rookie of the Year recognition. Brash and always hustling on the field, Rose picked up the nickname “Charley Hustle” from star Yankee pitcher Whitey Ford after he was observed running to first base after drawing a walk in a spring exhibition game, which became a signature feature of Rose’s style of play. He followed up his outstanding rookie season by batting .269 in 1964 and .312 in 1965, when he led the NL with 209 hits and was an All-Star for the first time. His play at second base also improved in addition to his hitting. Despite the improvement in fielding Rose was briefly switched to third base in 1966 to accommodate promising rookie second baseman Tommy Helms. The two traded positions and Rose hit .313 with 205 hits, 38 doubles, 5 triples, 16 home runs, and 70 RBIs. He was moved to left field in 1967 as Helms went to second base and Tony Perez to third. Rose’s hitting was not affected as he batted .301 with 32 doubles, 8 triples, 12 home runs, and 76 RBIs despite a shoulder injury that sidelined him for two weeks. A right fielder in 1968, “Charley Hustle” topped the NL with 210 hits and a .335 batting average. The hard-playing Rose won another batting title in 1969 while hitting .348 with 16 home runs and 82 RBIs and a league-high 120 runs scored. He also received a Gold Glove for his play in right field. In 1970 the Reds, under first-year manager Sparky Anderson, won the NL West and the league pennant and Rose contributed a league-leading 205 hits plus 37 doubles, 9 triples, 15 home runs, 52 RBIs, and a .316 batting average for the hard-hitting club dubbed “the Big Red Machine”. He also placed seventh in league MVP voting and was awarded another Gold Glove. The team dropped to fourth in 1971 but “Charley Hustle” remained productive by hitting .304 with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs. He was back in left field for the pennant-winning Reds in 1972 but his bat remained consistent as he led the NL with 198 hits while compiling a .307 average. In the fifth game of the seven-game World Series loss to Oakland, he led off by homering off ace RHP Jim “Catfish” Hunter, who he had publicly disparaged.

1973 Season Summary

Appeared in 160 games

LF – 159, PH – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 752 [1]

At Bats – 680 [1]

Runs – 115 [3]

Hits – 230 [1]

Doubles – 36 [3, tied with Ted Simmons & Rusty Staub]

Triples – 8 [5, tied with Lou Brock & Darrell Evans]

Home Runs – 5

RBI – 64

Bases on Balls – 65

Int. BB – 6

Strikeouts – 42

Stolen Bases – 10

Caught Stealing – 7 [15, tied with six others]

Average - .338 [1]

OBP - .401 [6]

Slugging Pct. - .437

Total Bases – 297 [6, tied with Tony Perez]

GDP – 14

Hit by Pitches – 6 [9, tied with five others]

Sac Hits – 1

Sac Flies – 0

League-leading plate appearances were +14 ahead of runner-up Bobby Bonds

League-leading at bats were +12 ahead of runner-up Ralph Garr

League-leading hits were +30 ahead of runner-up Ralph Garr

League-leading batting average was +.018 ahead of runner-up Cesar Cedeno

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 19, 3B – 5, HR – 2, RBI – 34, AVG - .324, OBP - .397

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Most hits, game – 5 (in 5 AB) vs. Atlanta 7/26

Longest hitting streak – 17 games

Most HR, game – 1 on five occasions

HR at home – 3

HR on road – 2

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 4 at Houston 9/4 – 10 innings

Pinch-hitting – 1 BB

Fielding

Chances – 361

Put Outs – 343

Assists – 15

Errors – 3

DP – 0

Pct. - .992

Postseason Batting: 5 G (NLCS vs. NY Mets)

PA – 23, AB – 21, R – 3, H – 8, 2B – 1,3B – 0, HR – 2, RBI – 2, BB – 2, IBB – 1, SO – 2, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .381, OBP - .435, SLG -.714, TB – 15, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 0

Awards & Honors:

NL MVP: BBWAA

All-Star (Started for NL in LF)

 

Top 5 in NL MVP Voting:

Pete Rose, Cin.: 274 pts. – 12 of 24 first place votes, 82% share

Willie Stargell, Pitt.: 250 pts. – 10 first place votes, 74% share

Bobby Bonds, SF: 104 pts.  – 1 first place vote, 52% share

Joe Morgan, Cin.: 102 pts. – 1 first place vote, 30% share

Mike Marshall, Mon.: 93 pts. – 28% share

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Reds went 99-63, to finish first in the NL Western Division by 3.5 games over the Los Angeles Dodgers while leading the league in stolen bases (148). 11 games behind the Dodgers at the end of June, “the Big Red Machine” swept a July 1 double header against LA to begin chipping away at the deficit. A 41-18 July and August record pulled the Reds to within three games of the Dodgers entering September, when a 19-8 tally to wrap up the season propelled them past LA to the NL West title. Lost NLCS to the New York Mets, 3 games to 2 in a series highlighted by the Game 3 fight between Rose and New York SS Bud Harrelson in a game that was ultimately a 9-2 win for the Mets.

Aftermath of ‘73:

Rose, who followed up by batting .284 with NL-leading totals of 110 runs scored and 45 doubles in 1974, stayed with the Reds through the 1978 season, remaining a consistent .300 hitter who also topped the NL in doubles in 1975, ’76, and ’78. Cincinnati won the World Series in 1975 and ’76. In 1978 he put together a NL-record 44-game hitting streak to add to his list of achievements in addition to reaching his 3000^th career hit. He also made a position change to third base in 1975, where he remained through ’78. In the 1978 offseason he became a free agent and signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, who won a spirited bidding war for his services at $3.2 million for four years. Installed at first base, where incumbent Richie Hebner was dealt away, “Charley Hustle” batted .331 with a league-best .418 on-base percentage for the injury-riddled Phillies, who finished in fourth place in the NL East. Rose appeared in every game and established himself as a team leader, which helped the club regain first in the division in 1980 on the way to winning the first World Series championship in franchise history. He contributed a .282 average and league-leading 42 doubles as well as solid defensive play. During the strike-interrupted 1981 season Rose batted .325 with a league-leading 140 hits. Along the way he passed Stan Musial’s NL record for career hits. 1982 proved to be the last season that the impressively durable Rose appeared in 162 games while hitting .271 at age 41. Joined by former Reds teammates Joe Morgan and Tony Perez in 1983, Rose split time between first base and right field for the first several weeks of the season before settling back at first. Not hitting well by the end of August, he spent most of September on the bench as Len Matuszek took over at first base down the stretch. The Phillies won the NL East and the league pennant and, with Matuszek ineligible for the postseason, Rose returned to the lineup and batted .344 in nine games that ended in World Series defeat. Released in the offseason, he signed with the Montreal Expos. He hit .259 in 95 games with the Expos before he was dealt back to the Reds, where he became player/manager. Remaining in the dual role in 1985 and appearing as a first baseman and pinch-hitter, Rose broke Ty Cobb’s career record for hits with his 4192^nd. For the year he hit .264 and Cincinnati finished second in the NL West. He was active as a player for one more season in 1986, following which he stayed on as manager until August of 1989 when he was banned from organized baseball by commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti for betting on baseball games during his managerial tenure. For his major league career, Rose appeared in a record 3562 games and batted .303 with the final record total of 4256 hits that included 746 doubles, 135 triples, and 160 home runs. He scored 2165 runs and compiled 1314 RBIs and set additional career records with 15,890 plate appearances and 14,053 at bats. With the Reds he batted .307 with 3358 hits, 601 doubles, 115 triples, 152 home runs, 1036 RBIs, and 1741 runs scored. Appearing in 67 postseason games, Rose hit .321 with 5 home runs and 22 RBIs. A 17-time All-Star, he remains ineligible for Hall of Fame consideration. His managerial record with the Reds was 412-373. The Reds retired his #14. Rose also spent five months in federal prison for income tax evasion, and there have been other allegations leveled against him regarding off-field behavior. His son Pete Jr. played briefly for the Reds in 1997.

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MVP Profiles feature players in the National or American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award (1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present) as Most Valuable Player. 

 

Cy Young Profile: Tom Seaver, 1973

Pitcher, New York Mets

Age:  28

7^th season with Mets

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 195

Prior to 1973:

A native of Fresno, California, Seaver started in Little League at age 9 as a pitcher/outfielder. Performing well in high school, he moved on to Fresno City College, where he won 11 straight games in his second year and transferred to USC. In his first season at USC Seaver was 10-2 with 100 strikeouts in 100 innings pitched. He was selected by the Braves in the 1966 amateur draft. The Braves signed him while his college season was in progress, which was in violation of major league rules. Commissioner William Eckert voided the contract and allowed three teams, the Mets, Indians, and Phillies, to participate in a lottery for Seaver since they were willing to match the $51,500 offer made by the Braves. The Mets won the lottery. Seaver was assigned to the Jacksonville Suns of the Class AAA International League and compiled a 12-12 record with a 3.13 ERA and 188 strikeouts in 210 innings pitched in ‘66. Seaver advanced to the perennially-losing Mets in 1967. He posted a 16-13 record with a 2.76 ERA and received NL Rookie of the Year as well as All-Star recognition. Seaver followed up with another solid season in 1968, going 16-12 with a 2.20 ERA and again gaining All-Star recognition. With the Mets undergoing a transition that would pay dividends in another year, Seaver was joined in the pitching rotation by rookie LHP Jerry Koosman, to good effect. Seaver and the Mets prospered in 1969 as the club won the NL East in the first year of divisional play in the major leagues and went on to win the World Series over the Baltimore Orioles. Seaver contributed a 25-7 record with a 2.21 ERA and 208 strikeouts. In a July game against the Cubs, the chief division rival, Seaver took a perfect game into the ninth inning, only to end up with a one-hit shutout. The team’s primary leader and motivator, he added two more wins in the postseason and received the NL Cy Young Award in addition to placing second in league MVP voting. In 1970 Seaver tied the then-major league record with 19 strikeouts in a game against San Diego, the last 10 in succession. He went on to compile an 18-12 record while leading the NL in both ERA (2.82) and strikeouts (283). The Mets placed third in the NL East and Seaver finished seventh in voting for the NL Cy Young Award. He again led the NL with a 1.76 ERA and 289 strikeouts in 1971 while posting a 20-10 tally with the 83-79 Mets. The perfectionist pitcher known as “Tom Terrific” or “The Franchise”, with his excellent fastball and slider, continued to excel in 1972, going 21-12 with a 2.92 ERA and 249 strikeouts for an 83-73 club that finished last in NL team batting (.225). He tied for fifth in NL Cy Young voting.

1973 Season Summary

Appeared in 39 games

P – 36, PR – 3

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 36

Games Started – 36 [7, tied with Dave Roberts, Ross Grimsley & Rick Reuschel]

Complete Games – 18 [1, tied with Steve Carlton]

Wins – 19 [2, tied with Jack Billingham]

Losses – 10

PCT - .655 [4, tied with Jack Billingham]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 3 [7, tied with seventeen others]

Innings Pitched – 290 [3]

Hits – 219 [16, tied with Bob Moose]

Runs – 74

Earned Runs – 67

Home Runs – 23 [14, tied with Ron Bryant]

Bases on Balls – 64

Strikeouts – 251 [1]

ERA – 2.08 [1]

Hit Batters – 4 [20, tied with nineteen others]

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 5

League-leading strikeouts were +28 ahead of runner-up Steve Carlton

League-leading ERA was -0.34 lower than runner-up Don Sutton

Midseason Snapshot: 11-5, 2.02 ERA, SO – 147 in 169.2 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 16 (in 9 IP) at San Francisco 5/29

10+ strikeout games – 6

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 9 IP) at Pittsburgh 5/12, (in 9 IP) at San Diego 8/15

Batting

PA – 109, AB – 93, R – 9, H – 15, 2B – 2, 3B – 1, HR – 1, RBI – 5, BB – 7, SO – 34, SB – 1, CS – 0, AVG - .161, GDP – 3, HBP – 0, SH – 9, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 66

Put Outs – 26

Assists – 35

Errors – 5

DP – 1

Pct. - .924

Postseason Pitching: G – 4 (NLCS vs. Cincinnati – 2 G; World Series vs. Oakland – 2 G)

GS – 4, CG – 1, Record – 1-2, PCT – .333, SV – 0, ShO – 0, IP – 31.2, H – 26, R – 8, ER – 7, HR – 2, BB – 8, SO – 35, HB – 1, BLK – 0, WP – 2, ERA – 1.99

Awards & Honors:

NL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

NL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

All-Star

8^th in NL MVP voting (57 points, 17% share)

NL Cy Young Voting (Top 5):

Tom Seaver, NYM.: 71 pts. – 10 of 24 first place votes, 59% share

Mike Marshall, Mon.: 54 pts. – 9 first place votes, 45% share

Ron Bryant, SF: 50 pts. – 3 first place votes, 42% share

Jack Billingham, Cin.: 30 pts. – 2 first place votes, 25% share

Don Sutton, LAD: 7 pts. – 6% share

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Mets went 82-79 to finish first in the NL Eastern Division by 1.5 games over the St. Louis Cardinals. The pitching staff led the league in strikeouts (1027). In a down year for the NL East, the Mets were in last place at the end of August before finishing the season with a 20-8 run to narrowly take the division. Won NLCS over the Cincinnati Reds, 3 games to 2, in a series highlighted by the Game 3 fight between SS Bud Harrelson and Cincinnati LF Pete Rose in a game that was ultimately a 9-2 win for the Mets. Lost World Series to the Oakland Athletics, 4 games to 3.

Aftermath of ‘73:

Seaver was rewarded in the offseason with a $172,000 contract that made him the highest-paid pitcher at the time but was dogged by shoulder and hip pain in 1974 and dropped to an 11-11 record with a 3.20 ERA and 201 strikeouts over 236 innings pitched. He missed being an All-Star for the first time in his career but came back strong in 1975 with a 22-9 tally and 2.38 ERA, leading the NL with 243 strikeouts. For his performance he won his third Cy Young Award. In a September game he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Cubs in Chicago, gave up a hit, and the scoreless contest went into extra innings with the Mets losing in the eleventh (Seaver pitched 10 shutout innings, surrendering three hits in all in his second no-hit near-miss against the Cubs). 1976 was a relative down year for Seaver in which he produced a 14-11 record for the light-hitting Mets with a respectable 2.59 ERA and NL-leading 235 strikeouts. Seaver became embroiled in a contract dispute with board chairman M. Donald Grant that became highly publicized in the media and led to his being traded to the Cincinnati Reds for four players in the so-called “Midnight Massacre” in June of 1977. Seaver was 7-3 with a 3.00 ERA at the time of the deal and finished up the year with a 21-6 record and 2.58 ERA and 196 strikeouts, tying for third in NL Cy Young balloting. He followed up with a 16-14 tally in 1978 with a 2.88 ERA and 226 strikeouts. Battling injuries in 1979 Seaver went 16-6 with a 3.14 ERA and 131 strikeouts for the division-topping Reds. Arm trouble limited him to 168 innings in 1980 and a 10-8 record with a 3.64 ERA and 101 strikeouts. He bounced back to 14-2 with a 2.54 ERA in the strike-interrupted 1981 season and placed second in NL Cy Young Award voting. Suffering from a respiratory infection during spring training in 1982, Seaver’s record dropped to a dismal 5-13 with a 5.50 ERA for the last-place Reds, with a sore shoulder finishing his season in August. In the offseason, the 38-year-old fading star was traded back to the Mets. The result was a 9-14 mark in 1983 with a 3.55 ERA and 135 strikeouts in 231 innings pitched. He changed teams again in the ensuing offseason when the Chicago White Sox took him as a free agent compensation selection. He spent two ordinary years with the White Sox, producing a 15-11 record with a 3.95 ERA in 1984 and going 16-11, including his 300^th career win, in ‘85 with a 3.17 ERA. During the 1986 season he was dealt to the Boston Red Sox, who were on the way to their first pennant since 1975, where his long career came to an end.  Overall for his major league career, Seaver compiled a 311-205 record with a 2.86 ERA and 3640 strikeouts in 4783 innings pitched. He pitched over 250 innings ten times and reached 200 strikeouts also on ten occasions, leading the NL five times. With the Mets Seaver was 198-124 with a 2.57 ERA and 2541 strikeouts. He was a 12-time All-Star (9 with the Mets) and won three Cy Young Awards (all with the Mets). In the postseason Seaver was 3-3 with a 2.77 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 61.2 innings pitched. The Mets retired his #41 and he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992 by receiving 98.84 % of votes cast (a record at the time).

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Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major league. 

Rookie of the Year: Gary Matthews, 1973

Outfielder, San Francisco Giants

Age:  23 (July 5)

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’2”    Weight: 185

Prior to 1973:

A native of San Fernando, California Matthews performed well on the high school baseball team, drawing praise for his speed, hitting, character, and work ethic. Selected by the Giants in the first round of the 1968 amateur draft (17^th overall), the 18-year-old was first assigned to Decatur of the Class A Midwest League in 1969 where over the course of 53 games he batted .322 with 8 home runs and 30 RBIs and was named to the league’s All-Star team. In 1970 he moved on to Fresno of the Class A California League where he hit .279 with 23 home runs and 79 RBIs and defensively compiled 15 outfield assists. Advancing to Amarillo of the Class AA Dixie Association in 1971, Matthews batted .280 with 15 home runs and 86 RBIs. With Phoenix of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 1972 he hit .313 with 21 home runs and 108 RBIs to earn not only league All-Star recognition but a September call-up to the Giants where he hit .290 in 20 games. Initially platooning in left field with Gary Thomasson in 1973, Matthews had the position to himself by May and was part of the NL’s fastest starting outfield along with Garry Maddox in center and Bobby Bonds in right.

1973 Season Summary

Appeared in 148 games

LF – 144, RF – 1, PH – 1, PR – 2

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 605

At Bats – 540

Runs – 74

Hits – 162

Doubles – 22

Triples – 10 [2, tied with Garry Maddox]

Home Runs – 12

RBI – 58

Bases on Balls – 58

Int. BB – 7

Strikeouts – 83

Stolen Bases – 17 [11, tied with Willie Davis]

Caught Stealing – 5

Average - .300 [9]

OBP - .367 [20]

Slugging Pct. - .444

Total Bases – 240

GDP – 12

Hit By Pitches – 1

Sac Hits – 3

Sac Flies – 3

Midseason snapshot: 3B – 8, HR - 6, RBI – 38, AVG – .316, OBP - .391

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Most hits, game – 3 on ten occasions

Longest hitting streak – 9 games

Most HR, game – 1 on twelve occasions

HR at home – 5

HR on road – 7

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 3 at Atlanta 7/2, at St. Louis 7/18, at Philadelphia 8/27

Pinch-hitting – 1 of 1 (1.000)

Fielding

Chances – 293

Put Outs – 277

Assists – 11

Errors – 5

DP - 0

Pct. - .983

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

NL ROY Voting (Top 5):

Gary Matthews, SF: 11 of 23 first place votes, 46% share

Steve Rogers, Mon.: 3 votes, 13% share

Bob Boone, Phila.: 2 votes, 8% share

Dan Driessen, Cin.: 2 votes, 8% share

Elias Sosa, SF: 2 votes, 8% share

(1 vote apiece for Ron Cey, LAD; Johnny Grubb, SD & Dave Lopes, LAD, who tied for sixth)

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Giants went 88-74 to finish third in the NL Western Division, 11 games behind the division-winning Cincinnati Reds while leading the league in triples (52).

Aftermath of ‘73:

Matthews followed up with another solid season in 1974, batting .287 with 16 home runs and 82 RBIs. He was limited to 116 games in 1975 due to a broken thumb suffered when shadow boxing with a teammate, although he still hit .280, but with 12 home runs and 58 RBIs. Matthews rebounded in 1976 by batting .279 with 20 home runs and 84 RBIs. In the offseason he fled the financially strapped Giants for the Atlanta Braves as a free agent, in a transaction which led to tampering charges against Atlanta owner Ted Turner. Despite injury problems, Matthews was productive for the last-place Braves in 1977, hitting .283 with 17 home runs and 64 RBIs. Sidelined for five weeks with a shoulder separation in 1978, he batted .285 in 129 games with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs. Matthews was an All-Star in 1979 on his way to batting .304 with 27 home runs and 90 RBIs. Overcoming a slow start in 1980 he ended up hitting .278 with 19 home runs and 75 RBIs. During spring training in 1981 Matthews was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for RHP Bob Walk and, in the strike-interrupted season, hit .301 with 9 home runs and 67 RBIs. He also saw his first postseason action, batting .400 in the five-game first round loss to Montreal. Matthews followed up with another solid year in 1982, batting .281 with 19 home runs and 83 RBIs. The Phillies won the NL East in 1983 and Matthews contributed just 10 home runs and 50 RBIs along with a .258 average, but in the NLCS victory over the Dodgers he was MVP after batting .429 with 3 home runs and 8 RBIs in the four games. In another spring training trade Matthews was dealt to the Chicago Cubs in 1984. In addition to hard-nosed leadership, the player known as “Sarge” brought a potent bat to his new club, hitting .291 with 14 home runs and 82 RBIs, while drawing a league-high 103 walks. The Cubs won the NL East but lost to San Diego in the NLCS, where Matthews added two more home runs and five RBIs. A knee injury that required surgery limited him to 97 games in 1985 and his production dropped to .235 with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs. With his fielding ability also dropping off in 1986 Matthews became a part-time player, batting .259 with a club-leading 21 home runs plus 46 RBIs. He was dealt to Seattle midway through the 1987 season and was primarily utilized as a Designated Hitter. For his last year he hit a combined .242 with three home runs and 23 RBIs. Overall in the major leagues Matthews batted .281 with 2011 hits that included 319 doubles, 51 triples, and 234 home runs. He further scored 1083 runs and compiled 978 RBIs and 183 stolen bases. With the Giants he batted .287 with 624 hits, 100 doubles, 24 triples, 64 home runs, 296 RBIs, 53 stolen bases, and 318 runs scored. Appearing in 19 postseason games, he hit .323 with 7 home runs and 15 RBIs. Matthews was an All-Star on one occasion and received MVP votes following four seasons, finishing as high as fifth once. After his playing career “Sarge” spent some time as a coach and went into broadcasting. His son Gary Jr. was an outfielder with seven major league teams.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league.