The Brooklyn Dodgers won another pennant, and lost another World Series to the New York Yankees. The Dodgers had numerous good MVP candidates, including their legendary second baseman, Jackie Robinson. But the BBWAA chose Hank Sauer instead. Sauer was a slugger with the Cubs who won the home run and RBI titles.

        Despite the difference in RBI, I have no doubt that Stan Musial was a much better hitter than Sauer. Musial's numbers were better across the board, he led the league in OPS and he produced more runs than Sauer. Musial was also a better defensive player and baserunner, and his team (St. Louis) finished well ahead of Sauer's (Chicago).
        Hank Sauer played his first game in 1941, but he didn't start playing on a regular basis until 1948, when he was 31 years old. His skills were limited; he was slow, was an awful fielder, and he pulled everything. When he hit the ball in the air, it usually went a long, long way — but every spring, Reds manager Bill McKechnie decided that he didn't hit enough long flies to make up for his other weaknesses.
        In 1947, Sauer spent the year at Syracuse, and hit 50 home runs. McKechnie left the Reds, who had a losing season. Sauer was given a job in the spring of 1948, and the made the most of the opportunity, going on a hot streak early in the year. He cooled down later in the season, but still hit 35 homers.
        Sauer remained a streak hitter the rest of his career. He slumped terribly in 1949, batting .237 with four homers when the Reds traded him to the Cubs. After landing in Chicago, Sauer won the hearts of Cubs fans by going on a blazing hot streak for several weeks. He finished that season with 31 homers, followed by 32 in 1950, and 30 in 1951.
        So, how did Sauer win an MVP Award? This season, he began the year on one of his patented hot streaks, and in mid-June was batting over .350 with 18 homers. The Cubs, who had finished last the year before, started winning. In the past, teams had employed the "Sauer-shift", moving all the fielders except the first baseman to the left side of the field. This year, Sauer began crossing them up, hitting balls to the opposite field and landing more hits.
        Sauer then went on one of his patented cold streaks during the summer; his batting average eventually wound up at .270. But he led the league in homers and RBI, which when combined with the excitement he generated early in the season was enough to give him the MVP. He struggled with injuries in 1953, then in 1954 (at age 37) swatted 41 home runs, his best total. He hung on for several more seasons, hitting 26 homers at age 40.
        Despite his late start, Sauer was a productive hitter for about a decade, and swatted 288 home runs in a 15-year career. He was the prototypical slow-footed slugger; he even looked like a gorilla, using his 6'4" frame to wield a 40-ounce bat, and was famous for his massive schnoz. He was a good hitter, not a great one, and his defense and baserunning never got better. But he could always wow the fans with his prodigious home run drives.
        Jackie Robinson and Musial were the two most difficult outs in the league, compiling on-base percentages of .440 and .432 respectively. On defense, Robinson led the league in double plays for the fourth straight year. It is a tough call; Stan carried the biggest stick in the league, but Robinson was also a terrific hitter, and could also run and field, and his team won the pennant. I will vote for Robinson as MVP.
        Robinson was not the only Hall Of Fame infielder who had a big year. His Brooklyn teammates, Roy Campanella and Pee Wee Reese, were both sensational. Roy Campanella was the only catcher in the league with big offensive numbers. He was also regarded as the NL's best defensive catcher at the time. Another player who had a big year was Red Schoendienst of Cincinnati; Red was one of the top defensive infielders in the league, and had one of his better years with the bat.