Tip O'Neill Award | Baseball Almanac

CANADIAN BASEBALL PLAYER WITH HIGHEST IDEALS

The Tip O'Neill Award is presented annually by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame to the Canadian-born ballplayer judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to baseball's highest ideals.

The Tip O'Neill Award was created by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and first presented in 1984. It is named after James Tip O'Neill, one of the first Canadian super stars in Major League Baseball. Winners of the Tip O'Neill Award appear below in chronological order. Research by Baseball Almanac.

"Our philosophy is simply that we do what we do for the team — the 'me' part doesn't enter the equation. That being said, I'm more than happy to receive this honor and anytime you put my name next to Larry Walker's you go right ahead." - Morneau, Justin. Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Press Release. 15 December 2006.

Justin Mourneau, the 2006 recipient, said, "I used to pretend I was Larry Walker batting whiffle balls around my backyard, versus getting into mischief or wasting my time doing other dumb things. If I can influence some Canadian kids to do something wholesome like that by being a role model, that would be the best thing about winning this award."

A Tip O'Neill Award breakdown of recipients by positions played: eleven pitchers, eleven right fielders, fifteen first basemen, six left fielders, one center fielder, one designated hitter, one third baseman, and one catcher.

Did you know that the award itself is named after outfielder Tip O'Neill — a 19th century star who finished his Major League career with a .335 batting average and hit .485 in 1887?