Editor’s Note: All my graphics going forward will come directly from Stat Soldier. Go check it out by clicking here.
First and foremost, this is not an “MVP” award for the regular season. What I am trying to do is give one player from every playoff team some kudos for their postseason performance. Sure, some teams only played a couple of games, but these 12 teams made the playoffs, and I want to acknowledge some of the players who shined while the pressure is on!
So here is my MVP from every playoff team!
American League
Tampa Bay Rays:
The Situation - Tampa Bay is a juggernaut, plain and simple. This team was built for October baseball, and they are executing at an elite level. The Rays just took down the Yankees like they were mince meat. It was not even close, and a large reason was that Drew Rasmussen set the tone in Game 1 with an elite playoff performance. Look for Tampa to take down Cleveland in the American League Championship Series.
Postseason MVP - Drew Rasmussen
Postseason Stats - 1 GS | 8 IP | 10 K | 1 H | 0.00 ERA | 0.38 WHIP | 1 W
Cleveland Guardians:
The Situation - The Guardians find themselves deep in the American League playoff bracket yet again. I’d argue this is one of their more complete team over the past decade. The one thing that has been constant is their future Hall of Famer, who I am giving the MVP nod to. Jose Ramirez has been spectacular this postseason, and few players deserve a World Series title more than this man.
Postseason MVP - Jose Ramirez
Postseason Stats - 18 AB | 6 R | 5 H | 2 HR | 14 TB | .278 AVG | 1.187 OPS
Houston Astros (ELIMINATED):
The Situation - The Astros are by far the worst team to make the playoffs this season. Swept in the Wild Card Series by the Chicago White Sox, the Astros did not show much this postseason. To be honest, there were not many players to choose from here. The pitching allowed 11 earned runs across 2 games. I would have placed a massive bet on Yordan Alvarez, but sadly the American League MVP favorite got only one hit in 8 at-bats. Houston is in trouble from my perspective for the near future. One of the lone bright spots is their 29-year-old shortstop, who performed while the lights were brightest this season.
Postseason MVP - Jeremy Pena
Postseason Stats - 8 AB | 2 R | 3 H | 1 HR | 6 TB | .375 AVG | 1.125 OPS
New York Yankees (ELIMINATED):
The Situation - The Yankees feel short again to advance to the American League Championship Series. They were missing their star player, Aaron Judge, but this team has talent up and down the roster, so there are no excuses. They ran into a freight train in the Tampa Bay Rays and were completely overmatched. The good news is they should have a healthy Aaron Judge next season, to pair with a talented core returning to the mix in Cody Bellinger, Ben Rice, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, and Cam Schlittler.
Postseason MVP - Ben Rice
Postseason Stats - 19 AB | 5 R | 8 H | 4 HR | 21 TB | .421 AVG | 1.605 OPS
Boston Red Sox (ELIMINATED):
The Situation - Listen, I respect Boston. They have a lot of interesting pieces for the near future. I think Boston will be really good for the next 3-5 years. They have a talented young core, money to spend, and a prospering farm system. They do need to make some adjustments both with coaching and some of the roster, but things could be way worse. I mean, they did make the playoffs. 2026 was simply not their year, and without a miraculous 21-4 July, who knows what this team looks like come season’s end. Look for Boston to build off of the star-studded pitching staff it has assembled.
Postseason MVP - Willson Contreras
Postseason Stats - 6 AB | 1 R | 2 H | 1 HR | 5 TB | .333 AVG | 1.333 OPS
Chicago White Sox (ELIMINATED):
The Situation - No one, and I mean no one, foresaw the White Sox having the season that they just finished. This team won 41 games in 2024 and, in under two years, turned it around to win 84 games and advance to the American League Division Series. This team has a young core and an array of intriguing arms heading into 2027. With some maturity and development, expect this team to add via free agency and be right in the middle of the American League playoff discussion next year (if there is no lockout!).
Postseason MVP - Chase Meidroth
Postseason Stats - 26 AB | 5 R | 8 H | 1 HR | 13 TB | .308 AVG | .857 OPS
National League
Milwaukee Brewers:
The Situation - This team is a wagon. How could I not go with Chourio after that walk-off against Mason Miller? I mean, that was insane. This one was actually very tough, as I could have gone with Abner Uribe, Christian Yelich, or the entire bullpen, to be honest. The Brewers are up 1-0 in the NLCS as I write this blog, and are up 2 runs on Los Angeles. Fingers crossed they can get the job done and slay the dragon!
Postseason MVP - Jackson Chourio
Postseason Stats - 20 AB | 1 R | 5 H | 1 HR | 8 TB | .250 AVG | .704 OPS
Los Angeles Dodgers:
The Situation - Very hard to believe that Tucker is the Dodgers’ choice. I could just as easily have gone with Tarik Skubal or Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but Tucker needs some support for the regular season he had this year.
Postseason MVP - Kyle Tucker
Postseason Stats - 17 AB | 1 R | 5 H | 1 HR | 8 TB | .294 AVG | .871 OPS
Atlanta Braves (ELIMINATED)":
The Situation - This might have been the easiest pick across all 12 teams. Michael Harris II dominated. The Braves need to add to their rotation and bench for 2027.
Postseason MVP - Michael Harris
Postseason Stats - 27 AB | 5 R | 11 H | 1 HR | 18 TB | .407 AVG | 1.115 OPS
San Diego Padres (ELIMINATED):
The Situation - San Diego seems to go “all-in” every season, and again they were just a few pieces short. San Diego was outmatched and outclassed by Milwaukee. San Diego was a hot “dark horse” pick to win the World Series, but ran into a buzzsaw. Even with a disappointing end to the season, Manny Machado still stood out. The leader of this team led by example with his 7 hits and 5 walks this postseason.
Postseason MVP - Manny Machado
Postseason Stats - 20 AB | 3 R | 7 H | 1 HR | 12 TB | .350 AVG | 1.080 OPS | 5 BB
Chicago Cubs (ELIMINATED):
The Situation - The Cubs were doomed from the start. They never had a complete rotation this season, even with the additions from the deadline. Pete Crow-Armstrong was a monster and will win the MVP award in the National League for the regular season, but not so much for the Cubs’ postseason play. That will go to Nico Hoerner for hitting .500 in the Cubs 2 postseason games.
Postseason MVP - Nico Hoerner
Postseason Stats - 8 AB | 0 R | 4 H | 1 RBI | 5 TB | .500 AVG | 1.125 OPS
Philadelphia Phillies (ELIMINATED):
The Situation - “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. This is what it feels like in Philadelphia right now. For some reason, Philly just keeps coming up short during the Bryce Harper era. They clearly need a new manager, but I think they really need to shake some things up heading into 2027.
Postseason MVP - Alec Bohm
Postseason Stats - 12 AB | 1 R | 4 H | 1 HR | 8 TB | .333 AVG | 1.051 OPS
Verdict:
Fantastic news to see veterans like Jose Ramirez, Manny Machado, and Kyle Tucker putting up numbers in the postseason in the year 2026. Even better to see budding stars like Jackson Chourio and Ben Rice leading their teams in October.