MLB All-Star Game MVPs

It’s not quite the same as hitting a walk-off homer in the seventh game of the World Series, but being named Most Valuable Player in the All-Star Game isn’t exactly a bad way to spend a mid-July evening.

Sometimes, the winning candidate is obvious. Often, the recipient identifies himself late in the game with a stage-seizing moment. One year (2002), no one was named MVP, because no one won the game. (That was the year of the embarrassing tie in Milwaukee.)

Who has walked away with a cool statue and the admiration of his peers?

Here’s the list:

2009 — Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay

2008 — J.D. Drew, Boston

2007 — Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle

2006 — Michael Young, Texas

2005 — Miguel Tejada, Baltimore

2004 — Alfonso Soriano, Texas

2003 — Garret Anderson, Anaheim

2002 — (Award not given)

2001 – Cal Ripken, Jr., Baltimore

2000 — Derek Jeter, New York Yankees

1999 — Pedro Martinez, Boston

1998 — Roberto Alomar, Baltimore

1997 — Sandy Alomar, Jr., Cleveland

1996 — Mike Piazza, Los Angeles Dodgers

1995 – Jeff Conine, Florida

1994 — Fred McGriff, Atlanta

1993 — Kirby Puckett, Minnesota

1992 — Ken Griffey, Jr., Seattle

1991 — Cal Ripken, Jr., Baltimore

1990 — Julio Franco, Texas

1989 — Bo Jackson, Kansas City

1988 — Terry Steinbach, Oakland

1987 – Tim Raynes, Montreal

1986 — Roger Clemens, Boston

1985 — LaMarr Hoyt, San Diego

1984 — Gary Carter, Montreal

1983 — Fred Lynn, California

1982 — Dave Concepcion, Cincinnati

1981 — Gary Carter, Montreal

1980 — Ken Griffey, Sr., Cincinnati

1979 — Dave Parker, Pittsburgh

1978 — Steve Garvey, Los Angeles Dodgers

1977 — Don Sutton, Los Angeles Dodgers

1976 — George Foster, Cincinnati

1975 — Bill Madlock, Chicago Cubs; and Jon Matlack, New York Mets

1974 — Steve Garvey, Los Angeles Dodgers

1973 — Bobby Bonds, San Francisco

1972 — Joe Morgan, Cincinnati

1971 — Frank Robinson, Baltimore

1970 — Carl Yastrzemski, Boston

1969 — Willie McCovey, San Francisco

1968 — Willie Mays, San Francisco

1967 — Tony Perez, Cincinnati

1966 — Brooks Robinson, Baltimore

1965 — Juan Marichal, San Francisco

1964 — Johnny Callison, Philadelphia

1963 — Willie Mays, San Francisco

1962 — * Maury Wills, Los Angeles Dodgers

1962 — * Leon Wagner, Los Angeles Angels

* Two games were played in 1962

Source: MLB.com