Marty Marion
The Cardinals shortstop who won the 1944 MVP award hit just .267 that season with 6 home runs. Marion's selection over teammates Stan Musial and Walker Cooper remains one of baseball's most puzzling MVP choices, highlighting how defense and leadership once carried far more weight in voting.
Marion earned his reputation as baseball's premier defensive shortstop during the 1940s, anchoring four World Series teams in St. Louis. His eight All-Star selections came entirely on the strength of his glove work — his career .263 average and 36 home runs over 14 seasons made him one of the weakest offensive players ever to capture MVP honors.
The "Octopus" revolutionized shortstop play with his extraordinary range and sure hands, setting the template for the modern defensive specialist. His MVP trophy stands as a monument to baseball's bygone era when fielding prowess could trump offensive production at the game's highest individual honor.
Career · Batting
13 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | STL | 125 | 435 | 3 | 46 | .278 | — | — |
| 1941 | STL | 155 | 547 | 3 | 58 | .252 | — | — |
| 1942 | STL | 147 | 485 | 0 | 54 | .276 | — | — |
| 1943 | STL | 129 | 418 | 1 | 52 | .280 | — | — |
| 1944 | STL | 144 | 506 | 6 | 63 | .267 | — | — |
| 1945 | STL | 123 | 430 | 1 | 59 | .277 | — | — |
| 1946 | STL | 146 | 498 | 3 | 46 | .233 | — | — |
| 1947 | STL | 149 | 540 | 4 | 74 | .272 | — | — |
| 1948 | STL | 144 | 567 | 4 | 43 | .252 | — | — |
| 1949 | STL | 134 | 515 | 5 | 70 | .272 | — | — |
| 1950 | STL | 106 | 372 | 4 | 40 | .247 | — | — |
| 1952 | SLA | 67 | 186 | 2 | 19 | .247 | — | — |
| 1953 | SLA | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — |
| Career | 1572 | 5506 | 36 | 624 | .263 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.