QUIZ: NL East MVPs 1969-2017

[G-Fafif]

To complete the puzzle, we need David Wright's co-winner from 2012, the first year the Washington Nationals were big daddies of the NL East.

[Edgy MD]

2012: Adam LaRoche, Washington Nationals

[G-Fafif]

2012: Adam LaRoche, Washington Nationals

Adam LaRoche, who likely shared his co-MVP honor with his son, is correct. Maybe not correct dragging the kid around the league with him, but he is our final answer.

Thanks for playing, everybody!

1969: Tom Seaver
1970: Billy Williams
1971: Joe Torre (NL MVP)
1972: Billy Williams
1973: Willie Stargell
1974: Lou Brock
1975: Greg Luzinski
1976: Mike Schmidt
1977: Greg Luzinski
1978: Dave Parker (NL MVP)
1979: Willie Stargell and Keith Hernandez (Co-NL MVPs)
1980: Mike Schmidt (NL MVP)
1981: Mike Schmidt (NL MVP)
1982: Lonnie Smith
1983: Andre Dawson
1984: Ryne Sandberg (NL MVP)
1985: Willie McGee (NL MVP)
1986: Mike Schmidt (NL MVP)
1987: Andre Dawson (NL MVP)
1988: Darryl Strawberry
1989: Pedro Guerrero
1990: Barry Bonds (NL MVP)
1991: Barry Bonds
1992: Barry Bonds (NL MVP)
1993: Lenny Dykstra
1994: Moises Alou
1995: Greg Maddux
1996: Larry Jones
1997: Larry Jones
1998: Andres Galarraga
1999: Larry Jones (NL MVP)
2000: Mike Piazza
2001: Larry Jones
2002: Vladimir Guerrero
2003: Gary Sheffield
2004: J.D. Drew
2005: Andruw Jones
2006: Ryan Howard (NL MVP)
2007: Jimmy Rollins (NL MVP)
2008: Ryan Howard
2009: Hanley Ramirez
2010: Roy Halladay
2011: Roy Halladay
2012: David Wright and Adam LaRoche
2013: Freddie Freeman
2014: Giancarlo Stanton
2015: Bryce Harper (NL MVP)
2016: Daniel Murphy
2017: Giancarlo Stanton (NL MVP)

[batmagadanleadoff]

I never would've gotten David Wright for 2012. When I first checked into this thread, I saw that the 2012 answer wasn't solved yet and I figured if it was a Met, it had to logically be Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey. I can't even remember Wright being so good that recently. In my mind, he was scuffling with one setback or another (stadium or health related) ever since the Mets left Shea Stadium.

[G-Fafif]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: I never would've gotten David Wright for 2012. When I first checked into this thread, I saw that the 2012 answer wasn't solved yet and I figured if it was a Met, it had to logically be Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey. I can't even remember Wright being so good that recently. In my mind, he was scuffling with one setback or another (stadium or health related) ever since the Mets left Shea Stadium.

Wright had a hellacious start to 2012, batting over .400 in late May. That was the year the Giants hyped Pablo Sandoval into the starting All-Star berth at third base, and it was legit highway robbery of David's spot (he made the team as a reserve). Played in 156 games, finished second in WAR, which voters were cognizant of by then. Still, given the Mets' falloff in the second half and his own mid-course correction, I remember thinking by year's end that his traditional line of 21-93-.306 was the modern-day equivalent of Lee Mazzilli's 1979 (15-79-.303) and was surprised when David finished as high as he did for MVP, let alone NL East MVP.

Dickey finished 14th in NL MVP voting in 2012, fourth among NL Easterners, behind Wright, LaRoche and Craig Kimbrel. Both Washington and Atlanta made the playoffs.

[Edgy MD]

It seems kind of stinky that Lee Mazzilli didn't get any MVP votes in '79. It's a miserly complaint for a year when the co-winner shouldn't have even been in the picture, but it's kind of stinky.

[G-Fafif]

Years when no Mets received MVP votes; all of them involved losing recrods:

1962, 1963, 1965, 1966
1974, 1977*, 1978, 1979
1980, 1981, 1982
1992, 1993, 1995
2002, 2003, 2004, 2009
2013, 2017

*Tom Seaver received one point, approximately a third of which can be pro-rated to his pre-June 15 tenure if you are so inclined.

Twenty-eight National Leaguers recieved MVP votes in 1979, rendering Lee Mazzilli, at least in the eyes of the BBWAA, no more than the 29th most valuable player in the NL that year.

[Edgy MD]

And yet, he was probably more valuable than co-winner Willie Startrek.