MLB Top 10: World Series MVP's in history

Every baseball fan’s favorite time of year is the World Series. During the fall classic, the best player in the series may dominate as expected, or the most obscure player imaginable might suddenly play the best baseball of his life.

In this article, I will rank my top 10 World Series MVPs of all time.

10. Freddie Freeman - 2024

Easily the weakest hitter on this list statistically, Freeman still dominated the Yankees in 2024. His heroics included a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning of Game 1, giving the Dodgers a massive momentum swing they never surrendered.

Over the five-game series, he went 6-20 (.300, 1.364 OPS) with four home runs and 12 RBIs. His championship win probability added (cWPA) was nearly three times that of the next-best offensive player, contributing a 28.88% swing in favor of the Dodgers.

9. Reggie Jackson - 1977

Reggie Jackson’s 1977 World Series performance is essentially 2024 Freeman on steroids. He went 9-20 (.450, 1.792 OPS) with five home runs and eight RBI.

The highlight of this series was Jackson’s three-home-run performance in game six, which clinched the championship for the Yankees. He accounted for over half of the team’s total bases in the game, leading to an 8-4 victory and the Yankees’ 21st World Series title.

8. Hideki Matsui - 2009

Coming in at No. 8 is the final Yankee on the list, Godzilla in 2009. Matsui followed a stellar regular season with one of the most dominant World Series performances ever by a position player.

Matsui dominated this series at the plate, going 8-13 (.615, 2.027 OPS) with three home runs and eight RBI. His power was the main reason the Yankees were able to defeat the defending champions and capture their 27th World Series title.

7. David Ortiz - 2013

Big Papi had a huge impact in this legendary 2013 series. In a year when Boston endured one of the most tragic events in its history, nobody carried the city on their back more than Ortiz. He was already one of the most feared hitters in the regular season, leading the league in intentional walks, but no one could have predicted the beast he would become in the World Series.

Ortiz went 11-16 (.688, 1.948 OPS) with two home runs, six RBIs and eight walks. He only went hitless in one game, the final one, but that 0-1 doesn’t matter because he walked four times in that game alone. He also scored twice in the Red Sox’s 6-1 win over the Cardinals, giving the city the celebration it needed.

6. Johnny Podres - 1955

​​Arguably the most unexpected player on this list, Podres singlehandedly led the Dodgers to their first World Series title in 1955. His 4.14 career ERA during the regular season meant little to the Dodgers, who let Podres take the mound against one of the best Yankees lineups of all time.

He went 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA over 18 innings against a Yankees lineup that included MVPs Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto, and several other stars. The 22-year-old Podres delivered a masterful performance.

5. George Springer - 2017

Cheater this, stealing signs that, I don't care.

George Springer’s 2017 World Series was nothing short of incredible. He went 11-29 (.379, 1.471 OPS) with five home runs and seven RBIs. While his stats might not match those of Ortiz or Matsui, this is a perfect example of situational success.

A two-run go-ahead home run in the top of the 11th inning of game two gave the Astros the win. Springer followed it up with another two-run go-ahead homer in game five, which the Astros held onto in their 5-1 clinching victory. He provided the decisive leads in two of their four wins, and if that isn’t legendary, I don’t know what is.

4. Sandy Koufax - 1965

You might think it doesn’t get much better than Podres, but there’s a reason he is in the No. 6 spot. Next up is Sandy Koufax and his legendary 1965 fall classic, widely regarded as one of the greatest performances by one of the best starting pitchers of all time.

This series is notable because the Dodgers wanted Koufax to start game one, but he refused since it fell on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. Instead, he shifted his starts to game two, game five and… game seven? On two days' rest?

Koufax pitched 24 innings, allowing only one run while striking out 29 batters and posting a 70.45% championship win probability added. This series perfectly exemplifies the legend Koufax remains to this day.

3. Yoshinobu Yamamoto - 2025

This is not recency bias.

The 2025 World Series is, in my opinion, one of the greatest of all time, and Yamamoto is the single biggest reason why. An inconsistent regular season left fans wondering how he would perform in the postseason.

He silenced the doubters, going 3-0 in the series while allowing just two earned runs over 17.2 innings pitched. He threw a complete game in game two, a six-inning gem in game six and immediately followed it with 2.2 innings of relief in game seven, allowing only two baserunners and helping the Dodgers secure the win in 11 innings. Absolute grit and dominance from the kid.

2. Jack Morris - 1991

Morris ever so slightly beats out Yamamoto, as he hit his apex at the end of the series rather than the beginning. In games one and four, Morris pitched 13 innings, allowing three earned runs. He won game one, but the bullpen blew game four with two outs in the ninth.

With all the pressure on him in game seven, Morris delivered a ten-inning complete game shutout, outdueling one of the best starts of Hall of Famer John Smoltz’s career. I believe this is the greatest single-game performance in World Series history, though it’s still not enough for the No. 1 spot overall.

1. Madison Bumgarner - 2014

The greatest. Simply put. Bumgarner threw 21 innings, allowing just one earned run while striking out 17. His WHIP of .476 is almost unimaginable if it weren’t right there on the stat sheet. Two starts of absolute destruction, followed by the save in a one-run Game 7. Pure dominance.

Jack Dobbins is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jwd5889@psu.edu