Nippon Professional Baseball Most Valuable Player Award

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award (最優秀選手, Saiyūshūsenshu) is an annual Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) award given to two outstanding players, one each for the Central League (CL) and Pacific League (PL).

[3] Eiji Sawamura and Kazuhisa Inao are the youngest players to receive the awards in 1937 and 1957, respectively, at the ages of 20.

These include 2 of Oh's MVP seasons in 1964 and 1974, Wladimir Balentien in 2013, Hisashi Iwakuma in 2008, and Hiromitsu Kadota in 1988.

Hisashi Yamada (1976–1978) and Ichiro Suzuki (1994–1996) share the record for the most consecutive awards won.

Alex Ramírez is the only non-Japanese player receive the award multiple times after the formation of two league system.

Sadaharu Oh standing wearing a Japan national baseball team uniform during the 2006 World Baseball Classic
Sadaharu Oh , nine-time winner—more wins than any other player
Eiji Sawamaru in baseball hat and uniform, with his arm hanging down in front of him
Eiji Sawamura won the first Japanese Baseball League MVP award before NPB was formed in 1950.
Victor Starffin in baseball hat and uniform, looking at the viewer
Victor Starffin was the first player to win multiple MVP awards.
Tetsuharu Kawakami in baseball hat and uniform, holding a bat and in a batting stance in front of a stadium crowd
Tetsuharu Kawakami was one of only two players to win the award before and after the formation of NPB.
Michihiro Ogasawara is one of only two players to win the award in the Central and Pacific Leagues .
Masumi Kuwata , 1994 CL winner
Kei Igawa , 2003 CL winner
Kosuke Fukudome , 2006 CL winner
Hiromitsu Ochiai , two-time PL winner
Nobuhiko Matsunaka , two-time PL winner
Hideo Nomo , 1990 PL winner
Kenji Johjima , 2003 PL winner
Yu Darvish , 2007 PL winner
Shohei Ohtani , 2016 PL winner
Ichiro Suzuki fielding a ball in the outfield as a Seattle Mariner
Ichiro Suzuki , three-time consecutive winner
A man in a grey baseball uniform and blue batting helmet swings a baseball bat standing at home plate.
Hideki Matsui , three-time winner