Red Sox Mookie Betts, Angels Mike Trout on track for greatest MVP race
1941 AL MVP Race
MVP Winner: Joe Dimaggio
MVP Runner-Up: Ted Williams
| Name | PA | HR | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | wRC+ | Def | fWAR | bWAR |
| Joe Dimaggio | 621 | 30 | 4 | .357 | .440 | .643 | 181 | 7.1 | 9.8 | 9.1 |
| Ted Williams | 606 | 37 | 2 | .406 | .553 | .735 | 221 | -8.8 | 11 | 10.6 |
| Total | 1227 (13th) | 67 (11th) | 6 (13th) | .381 (1st) | .496 (2nd) | .688 (6th) | 201 (4th) | -1.7 (11th) | 20.8 (5th) | 19.7 (6th) |
Total Score: 34
1941 featured one of the most fascinating and memorable MVP races in baseball history. Joe Dimaggio had his record-shattering 56-game hitting streak and Ted Williams became the last player to ever bat .400 in a single season.
Looking back, it seems readily pretty apparent that Williams had the better season; Dimaggio had Williams on defense, but Williams posted an OPS 200 points higher than Dimaggio’s 1.083 mark and was 40% better compared to league average at the plate than Dimaggio was. But the Yankees won the World Series behind their young center fielder and Williams wasn’t especially loved by baseball writers, which constitute the MVP award voters, so Dimaggio took home the hardware.