St. Louis Cardinals award winners and league leaders completed decade since the League Award was given except in the 1950s. MLB baseball introduced this award in 1999 to recognize the top hitter in each league. The World Series Most Valuable Player has been awarded since 1955. Starting in 1977, MLB created the NLCS Most Valuable Player Award to recognize the top player of that season's NLCS. Introduced in 2011 by Rawlings, the Platinum Glove is fan-voted award conferred annually to single out the top-fielding player from all Gold Glove winners in each league." Hillerich & Bradsby, the manufacturer of Louisville Slugger baseball bats, first awarded the Silver Slugger
Hillerich & Bradsby becoming the first baseball player to officially endorse a bat. Frank Bradsby, a salesman, became a partner in , and the company's name changed to Hillerich and Bradsby. By , H&B was selling more bats than any other bat maker in the country, and legends like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were all using them. During World War II, the company produced wooden rifle stocks and billy clubs for the U.S. Army. In 1954, the company purchased Larimer and Norton, Inc., a Pennsylvania lumber company to ensure a supply of hardwood for their products. In 1976, the company