Section 215
Fansided

Philadelphia Phillies MVP seasons ranked from the good to the greatest

By Tim Boyle

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 02: Ryan Howard #6 of the Philadelphia Phillies accepts a replica plaque from Mike Schmidt, commemorating his franchise single season high, 58th home run hit in the 2006 season during a pre game ceremony in his honor before a game a game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on October 2, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 02: Ryan Howard #6 of the Philadelphia Phillies accepts a replica plaque from Mike Schmidt, commemorating his franchise single season high, 58th home run hit in the 2006 season during a pre game ceremony in his honor before a game a game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on October 2, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 8
Next
Philadelphia Phillies
(Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

5) Philadelphia Phillies MVP Mike Schmidt in 1986

The last of three MVP Awards Mike Schmidt would win took place in 1986. The 36-year-old third baseman was approaching the end but for the final time in his illustrious career, he would lead the league in the same areas he typically did in his heyday. Maybe it’s because the “heyday” wasn’t over quite yet.

Schmidt slugged a National League-leading 37 home runs and added 119 RBI—another league-best total. His .547 slugging percentage and .937 OPS also sat atop as the best among his peers.

After two straight years of hitting .277, Schmidt lifted up his career batting average a few more points. He would slash .290/390/.547 this year all while winning his final Gold Glove.

Although this wasn’t the official end of Schmidt (he’d hit .293/.388/.548 with 35 home runs and 113 RBI the following season), this year marked his final with real MVP consideration. It’s just unfortunate that the Phillies weren’t a very good team at this point in his career. Fortunately, it wasn’t enough for the voters to look elsewhere when filling out their ballots. Schmidt would receive 15 of the first-place votes with Glenn Davis finishing a distant second with six.

Few players had the amount of raw power and ability to steal runs with his glove like Schmidt. The 1986 season reminded everyone just how one-of-a-kind he was.

Home/Philadelphia Phillies