The Giants won the pennant; the league MVP was their star pitcher, Carl Hubbell, who is one of only two pitchers to win the award twice. The runner-up was another pitcher, Dizzy Dean. The top player in the vote was second baseman Billy Herman, who led the Cubs to a second place tie with the Cardinals.

        Herman and Arky Vaughan both played in almost every game; Arky was a little better with the bat, while Herman was a better defensive player. The Cubs had a good year, so I think I can justify putting Herman ahead of Vaughan.
        Dick Bartell was probably the best defensive shortstop in the league, and he had one of his best hitting years as well. He also helped the Giants win the pennant. Bartell was nicknamed "Rowdy Richard" because he loved to pick fights with whomever was willing. He even wrote a book about it. Though Bartell was very good this year, Vaughan was clearly the much better hitter, and I doubt that Bartell's defence was strong enough to make up the difference.
        Mel Ott usually did poorly in the MVP voting; this year, he finished behind Herman, Paul Waner and Joe Medwick, despite being the league's best hitter and leading the Giants to the pennant.
        I'm not exactly sure why Ott got so little support over the years in the MVP vote. He was, by all accounts, a popular and respected player. He was also good. Ott played for 22 years, all with the Giants. He began his career when he was 17 years old, and hit .383 in 35 games. At age 19, Ott was already a great hitter who hit for average and power, drew lots of walks and rarely struck out. He hit 42 home runs when he was 20 years old, a career high. When he retired, Ott had mashed over 511 home runs; he was also a career .304 hitter who had over 2800 hits and 1800 RBI. He retired with National League records for home runs, walks and RBI. In 16 World Series game, Ott hit .295 with four home runs.
        I suspect that many of the voters thought that his stats were enhanced by his home park, the Polo Grounds. They were partly right. Ott hit 511 home runs in his career; 323 of his homers were hit at home, only 188 were hit on the road. A left-handed hitter, Ott took advantage of the Polo Grounds' right-field foul pole, which was only 257 feet from home plate. Ott was famous for a high leg kick that may have helped him pull the ball; a lot of left-handed sluggers played in the Polo Grounds, and they didn't all hit home runs like Ott did.
        When playing on the road, Ott seemed to change his approach. He hit for a higher batting average on the road than he did at home, and also hit almost twice as many doubles when on the road. What to make of him, then? He may not have hit 500 home runs in most other parks, but he was clearly a great player. He had outstanding plate discipline, and when he hit the ball, he hit the ball hard, often resulting in either a double or a home run, depending on whether or not a fence got in the way of the ball's path. He was the greatest National League player of the decade, one in which his team won three pennants.
        Ott never won an MVP, but I've given him three, including this year's. I believe that, even in another park, Ott would still have been a better hitter this year than either Waner or Medwick. Dolph Camilli was also a formidable hitter, but his numbers were boosted by the Baker Bowl in Philly (which had even shorter fences than the Polo Grounds did), and his team finished in last place.