2025-10-06 Players with a unanimous Rookie of the Year and a unanimous MVP—or missed with one of the awards by a single vote

MONDAY  — 06-Oct-2025

Q.  Which Hall of Famer hit a home run in his first at-bat as a player-manager?

Hint: #1  He was the last manager of the Montreal Expos.

Hint: #2  He is the only player to hit Opening Day home runs for four different major league teams.

A.  FRANK ROBINSON  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  On 08-Apr-1975, in his first of 2,241 games as a manger (He played DH.), he homered off NYY’s Doc Medich.  He was only a player/manager during the 1975 & 1976 seasons.

-  #1  He took the reins of the Expos in 2002 & stayed on as manager util their last year in Montreal, 2004, then stayed as they became the Washington Nationals in 2005.

-  #2  He homered on Opening Day with:

CIN      09-Apr-1959

            11-Apr-1961

            08-Apr-1963

BAL     12-Apr-1966

            08-Apr-1969

            07-Apr-1970

CAL     06-Apr-1973

CLE     08-Apr-1975

FCR -  Mike Haim, Buffalo

Incorrect guesses:  Felipe Alou

 

 

TUESDAY  — 07-Oct-2025

Q.  Who is the only player ever to record seven top-two finishes in his league’s MVP voting within an eight-season span?

Hint: #1  He became the youngest player in MLB history to reach both 100 career home runs and 100 career stolen bases.

Hint: #2  He proposed to his wife with skywriting.

A.  MIKE TROUT  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  In AL MVP voting 2012-2019, Trout was voted 2^nd, 2^nd, 1^st, 2^nd, 1^st, 4^th, 2^nd & 1^st.

-  #1  Reached both century marks at age 23.

-  #2  He had met Jessica Cox in Spanish class at Millville Senior HS.  When she looked up and saw the proposal, she said yes right away.

FCR -  John Wilson, Mesa, Arizona

Incorrect guesses:  Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 08-Oct-2025

Q.  Who has hit home runs off the most different pitchers?

Hint: #1  Only he has had a hit in each of four consecutive World Series innings.

Hint: #2  He has won more Fielding Bible Awards than any other player at his position.

A.  ALBERT PUJOLS  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  From 2001-2020, Pujols hit at least one home run off 458 different pitchers.

-  #1  In G3 of the 2011 WS, playing for STL, Pujols led off the 4^th with a single, led off the 5^th with a single then homered in both the 6^th & 7^th.Texas Ranger pitchers Matt Harrison, Scott Feldman, Alexi Ogando & Mike Gonzalez were his victims.

-  #2  The Fielding Bible Awards honor the best defensive player at each position in MLB, not broken down by league.  Pujols won at 1B in 2006*, 2007, 2008, 2009 & 2011.

*First year of FBA

FCR -  John Hetzler, Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan

Incorrect guesses:  Adrian Beltre

 

 

THURSDAY  — 09-Oct-2025

Q.  Which one-time Oakland A’s batter won the first Outstanding Designated Hitter Award?

Hint: #1  He was named Comeback Player of the Year the season he won the MVP.

Hint: #2  He helped his team win the first ever Western Division championship.

A.  ORLANDO CEPEDA  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Cepeda was the ODHA winner in 1973.  The award has been renamed in honor of Edgar Martinez.  Cepeda played for OAK in 1972. 

-  #1  NL CPY & MVP w/STL in 1967.

-  #2  MLB create divisions & a playoff system in 1969. Cepeda was a starter on ATL, who had moved east from Milwaukee to be in the west.  In 154 G at 1B he contributed a WAR of 3.2.

FCR -  Stephen Wright, Naperville, Illinois

Incorrect guesses:  Greg Luzinski, Jason Giambi, Billy Williams, Don Baylor, Dave Kingman, Tony Olivia, Rico Carty, Edgar Martinez, Andre Thornton

 

 

FRIDAY  — 10-Oct-2025

Q.  Who was the first player to be walked six times in a National League game?

Hint: #1  The day he hit his three hundredth thirty-sixth career home run, he added a single, a double and a triple.

Hint: #2  He donated his signed, game-used jersey, hat, bat & ball from a rehab assignment that became one of the most famous donations in his franchise’s history.

A.  JEFF BAGWELL  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Playing for HOU, Bagwell had 6 BB on 20-Aug-1999 vs. FLA.  Only the 5^th & 6^th passes were intentional.

-  #1  His cycle was on 18-Jul-2001.

-  #2  His brief rehab assignment with the Corpus Christi Hooks made his eBay donation even more meaningful since the proceeds went to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina.

FCR -  Patrick Ray, Paradise Valley, Arizona

Incorrect guesses:  Barry Bonds, John Olerud Bryce Harper, Mike Schmidt, Mel Ott

 

 

SATURDAY  — 11-Oct-2025

Q.  Which Former Bulldog once led the Yankees in WAR for seven out his first eight full seasons with the team including winning the franchise’s imaginary Triple Crown in four of those years?

Hint: #1  He was drafted by his hometown team but chose school instead.

Hint: #2  He has much in common with Steve Jobs, John Lennon, Keegan-Michael Key, Colin Kaepernick and Nelson Mandela.

A.  AARON JUDGE  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Led NYY in WAR 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024 & 2025; NYY TC = 2021, 2022, 2024 & 2025.

-  #1  Judge grew up in Linden, California, located in a stronghold base of Oakland A’s fans.  His draft selection was only the 935^th of the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft, so he enrolled at nearby Cal State Fresno (the Bulldogs).

-  #2  All were adopted as children.

FCR -  Kyle Hiltbrand, Atascadero, California

Incorrect guesses:  Ron Guidry, Don Mattingly,

 

 

SUNDAY  — 12-Oct-2025

Q.  Which one-time San Francisco Giant was the first player ever documented to hit three home runs and two doubles in the same game?

Hint: #1  Having played on two teams with one hundred plus wins, he signed a seven-year contract with a franchise that has averaged fifty-eight wins a season since he joined them.

Hint: #2  In his college, his thirty-one home runs set a collegiate record.

A.  KRIS BRYANT  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Bryant’s otherworldly game w/16 TB came for CHC on 27-Jun-2016 vs. CIN.  Four additional MLB batters have since equaled his feat.  Bryant played for SFG in 2021.

-  #1  Bryant’s WS champion Cubs won 103 in 2016; he finished with the Giants in their record-setting 107-win season in 2021.  His Rockies have eked out an average of 58 wins each in the 4 years he has been with them, a 36% winning rate.  To be fair, injuries have limited his contribution.

-  #2  In 2013, Bryant won the Golden Spikes Award & the Dick Howser Trophy, both awarded to the top collegiate player in the nation.  Hus 31 HR was most home runs hit by a college player since the NCAA switched to a BBCOR composite bat in 2011.

FCR -  Stephen Wright, Naperville, Illinois

Incorrect guesses:  Willie McCovey, Stephen Strasberg, Jeff Kent, Barry Bonds

 

 

 

WEEK’S THEME – Players with a unanimous Rookie of the Year and a unanimous MVP—or missed with one of the awards by a single vote

 

Unanimous ROY                               +          Unanimous MVP

Year       Lge        Team                                                 Year       Lge        Team

 1956... NL...... CIN..... Robinson................... 1966... AL....... BAL

1958... NL...... SFG.... Cepeda...................... 1967... NL...... STL

2001... NL...... STL.... Pujols........................ 2009... NL...... STL

2012... AL....... LAA.... Trout.......................... 2014... AL....... LAA

2017... AL....... NYY... Judge......................... 2024... AL....... NYY

 

Unanimous -1 ROY                           +          Unanimous MVP

 1991... NL...... HOU... Bagwell..................... 1994... NL...... HOU

 

Unanimous ROY                               +          Unanimous -1 MVP

 2015... NL...... CHC... Bryant........................ 2016... NL...... CHC

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – Steve Berman, Wanaque, New Jersey (after Cepeda)

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

Tues    -  Players with 400 or more home runs, 200 or more stolen bases, and 86 or higher WAR

Thur     -  Cardinals first basemen

-   Rookies of the year who also won a MVP unanimously

 

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2025-09-29 Position players in the Cy Young Award era (1955- ) who would have won the MVP had pitchers not been MVP-eligible

MONDAY  — 29-Sep-2025

Q.  Who is the only switch-hitter with more career doubles than Carlos Beltran?

Hint: #1  He was the first Cincinnati Reds player to receive a salary of at least $75,000 per season.

Hint: #2  He was the last player-manager to collect a stolen base.

A.  PETE ROSE  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Rose has 746 doubles—2^nd all-time.  Beltran finished with 565.

-  #1  Rose made $85,000 in 1969; Frank Robinson had the previous highest at $68,000 in 1964.

-  #2  Rose stole 2^nd in the game 06-Aug-1986, the last of his 1988 & at age 45.

FCR -  Dan McLaughlin, Floral Park, New York

Incorrect guesses:  Frank Robinson, Joe Morgan

 

 

TUESDAY  — 30-Sep-2025

Q.  Who was the first basketball player from Duke University to have his jersey number 10 retired?

Hint: #1  He was a crucial part of the franchise that won its first World Series in thirty-five years and then pat of another that won its first in eighteen years.

Hint: #2  He had a timely six-for-six day with three doubles.

A.  DICK GROAT  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  #10 hangs from the rafters of Cameron Indoor Stadium.

   #1  Groat was with PIT in their WS year of 1960 (PIT had last won in 1925.)  He played 161 games for STL in 1964 as the Cards ended that version of Yankee dynasty.  STL’s previous championship had been in 1946.

-  #2  On 13-May-1960 in Milwaukee, Groat overwhelmed Braves pitching with 6 hits, 2 runs & 9 TB in 9 innings.

FCR -  Matt Van Hoose, Springfield, Virginia

Incorrect guesses: 

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 01-Oct-2025

Q.  Which Gold Glove winning infielder won the Sporting News AL Player of the Year award three years straight?

Hint: #1  No Yankee hitter has ever had more hits in a single season.

Hint: #2 It was once determined that he was too barbate to compete.

A.  DON MATTINGLY  [SABR Biov]

-  Ans.  SN POY 1984, 1985, 1986.

-  #1  Mattingly’s 238 H in 1986 is the NYY best & 18^th all-time in MLB.

-  #2  Mattingly, appearing as himself in an episode of “The Simpsons”, was accused of having sideburns by team owner, that exceeded established standards.  The response is pure “Simpsons”.

FCR -  John Burbridge, Timonium, Maryland

Incorrect guesses:  Alex Rodriguez

 

 

THURSDAY  — 02-Oct-2025

Q.  The trade of which MVP slugger was decried by the local press as not anything fair, but a “liquidation of assets”?

Hint: #1  His career high in runs-batted-in, also the best in the majors in his MVP season, was tied this year by a player who also led the league in home runs.

Hint: #2  A graduate of Notre Dame, he would like to become the fifth member of the Hall of Fame—and the first on his team—to have his particular uniform number retired.

A.  GIANCARLO STANTON  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  Stanton had just won the NL MVP & his 2^nd Hank Aaron Award in 2017 when he was dealt to NYY for 3 Dominican infielders, only one of whom had any experience or promise.

-  #1  Stanton’s 132 RBI in 2017 for MIA were accompanied by 59 HR.  In 2025, PHI’s Kyle Schwarber matched his 132 RBI and led the NL w/56 HR.  Stanton is an alumnus of Notre Dame HS in Sherman Oaks, California.

-  #2  The only uniform number Stanton has worn in the majors is 27, matching the number worn by Hall of Famers Juan Marichal, Catfish Hunter & Carlton Fisk.

FCR -  Bill Deane, Cooperstown

Incorrect guesses: 

 

 

FRIDAY  — 03-Oct-2025

Q.  Which Minnesota Twins All-Star retired for good when the players went on strike, ending that season?

Hint: #1  He was the first rookie to hit as many as eight home runs in the calendar month of April.

Hint: #2  Which player had to miss the final week of the season one year when he sprained his ankle wrestling with the clubhouse attendant?

A. KENT HRBEK [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Hrbek’s last game in the majors was on 10-Aug-1994.  No further MLB games were played until 25-Apr-1995.  He was an AL All-Star in his rookie season, 1982.

-  #1  He hit 8 HR in April 1982.

-  #2  In 1990, Hrbek’s season ended 22-Sep.  The rest of the league ended on 03-Oct.

FCR -  Brian Barris, Oneida, New York

Incorrect guesses: 

 

 

SATURDAY  — 04-Oct-2025

Q.  Which All-Star, Gold Glove catcher played in fifteen seasons for exactly one major league team?

Hint: #1  He caught an All-Star game record fifteen innings in one mid-summer classic.

Hint: #2  He served as a color commentator for Seattle Mariners broadcasts following his playing days.

A.  BILL FREEHAN  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Freehan played 1961, 1963-1976 for DET.

-  #1  Freehan started and finished the 15-inning 1967 MLB ASG even through Andy Etchebarren & Paul Casanova were available.  It was Casanova’s sole ASG selection, Etchebarren’s 1 of 2 (1966) but neither man ever saw All-Star action.

-  #2  Behind the mic for SEA 1979-1980 alongside Mariner favorites Dave Niehaus and Ken Wilson.

FCR -  Chris Betch, Albany, Indiana

Incorrect guesses:  Joe Mauer, Kirby Puckett, Dan Wilson, Johnny Bench, Jason Varitek, Dave Valle

 

 

SUNDAY  — 05-Oct-2025

Q.  Who hit ten home runs in Spring Training in “The Year of the Pitcher”?

Hint: #1  On the team he belonged to for his first eleven years in the majors, he ranks highest in WAR of any non-Hall of Famer.

Hint: #2  He was captain of his team when they won five straight division titles.

A.  SAL BANDO  [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  In the team’s first year as the Oakland A’s, Bando had a great preseason but came back to earth, nevertheless helping the them achieve a winning record in 1968 for the first time since Bobby Shantz won the MVP in 1952.

-  #1  Bando’s 52.1 WAR rating, places him just behind Eddie Collins, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove, Rickey Henderson & Eddie Plank.

-  #2  The A’s won the AL West 1971-1975, winning the World series 1972-1974.

FCR -  Jim Conrey, Chesterton, Indiana

Incorrect guesses:  Matty Alou, Jim Wynn, Bert Campaneris

 

 

WEEK’S FINALE  — 05-Oct-2025

Q.  Who was the first Boston Red Sox player to join the thirty-thirty ‘club’?

Hint: #1   No one else this century has stolen more bases in one season in the American League.

Hint: #2  He ended his playing days as the single season and career record holder for reaching base via catcher’s interference.

A.  JACOBY ELLSBURY  [B-R Bio]

-  Ans.  In 2011, Ellsbury hit 32 HR (A career high by 2 X) & stole 39 bases.  In 2018 BOS player Mookie Betts joined him.

-  #1  Ellsbury stole 70 bases in 2009 for BOS.

-  #2  In 2016, he reached base because of catcher’s interference an MLB record 12 times.  He passed Pete Rose and now holds the career record at 30.

FCR -   Andrew Jett, Waxahachie, Texas

Incorrect guesses: 

 

 WEEK’S THEME – Position players in the Cy Young Award era (1955- ) who would have won the MVP had pitchers not been MVP-eligible. 

Suggested by Mark O'Keefe, Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – One reader came close, but failed to mention the critical CYA angle.

Year    Lg     Pitcher          WAR   Runner-up                WAR

1963    NL    Koufax........... 10.7     Groat............................ 7.1

1968    AL     McLain............ 7.4     Freehan....................... 6.9

1968    NL    Gibson.......... 11.2     Rose............................. 5.5

1971    AL     Blue................. 9.0     Bando.......................... 6.4

1984    AL     Hernandez...... 4.8     Hrbek........................... 5.6

1986    AL     Clemens.......... 8.8     Mattingly...................... 7.2

2011    AL     Verlander........ 8.6     Ellsbury....................... 8.3

2014    NL    Kershaw.......... 8.2     Stanton........................ 6.8

 

Those who also qualify for this theme, but became all of  FmERAHallHall of Famers, so… less sympathy:

1956    NL    Newcombe...... 4.5     Henry Aaron................. 5.6

1981    AL     Fingers............ 4.2     Rickey Henderson........ 6.7

1992    AL     Eckersley........ 4.5     Kirby Puckett................ 7.1

Groat, Rose & Stanton all won MVP’s in other years.

 

 Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Tues    -  Position players who hit the fewest HR in their MVP seasons

            -  Position players who hit 5 HR in their one MVP seasons

 

Wed     -  Players who finished first and second in MVP voting once each

            -  MVP's who had a final season with a negative WAR

            -  MVP winners who also had at least one 200+ hit season and led the league in double

            -  Batting champions who struck out less than 50 times in a season

 

Thu      -  MVPs who are not in the Hall of Fame

If you know someone who would enjoy receiving daily Horsehide Trivia questions, have them click here:  Horsehide Trivia or do it on their behalf.

 

Click here => THIS WEEK’s quiz, compete with questions, answers and even the incorrect guesses.

 

Scroll back to see previous Horsehide Trivia posts as far back as 2010.  Quizzes before that may also be available upon request.

 

 

Horsehide Trivia encourages independent research.  ⚾️

 

MVP    Runner up