Babe Ruth won 1 Most Valuable Player award, receiving the American League MVP honor in 1923. That award was the league’s official MVP recognition of the period, not the modern Baseball Writers’ Association of America award created later.
Ruth’s 1923 season made the choice understandable. He led the American League with a .393 batting average, 41 home runs, 131 runs batted in, and a .764 slugging percentage. He also helped the New York Yankees win their first American League pennant and then defeat the New York Giants in the World Series.
The word “only” can cause confusion because Ruth was widely regarded as the best player in baseball for much of the 1920s. Formal award rules and eligibility conventions were different then, and the MVP system was not identical to today’s. Ruth also finished among the leading candidates in other seasons without receiving another official league MVP award.
His 1923 MVP season was especially significant because it combined extraordinary individual production with team success. It also came during the Yankees’ first season at Yankee Stadium, which quickly became known as “The House That Ruth Built.”