Who makes the all-time World Series MVP team?

Who makes the all-time World Series MVP team?

October 23rd, 2024

The World Series MVP can come from anywhere on a team's roster. He can be a familiar name or a relative unknown, a dominant reliever or an All-Star slugger, a standout rookie or a veteran utility man.

For some players, the spotlight of the Fall Classic just seems to enhance their already strong abilities. For others, it seems to up their game to levels previously unseen. Every position on the field has been represented at least once since the award was first handed out in 1955. All winners have been worthy, but some performances have drawn particular attention.

Here's our All-World Series MVP team.

C: Johnny Bench (Reds), 1976
Bench was just as good in the postseason as he was during the rest of his Hall of Fame career. In 10 postseason series from 1970 to 1979, Bench hit 10 homers and had an .862 OPS. But his MVP performance in the 1976 World Series was the clear standout. In the Reds' four-game sweep of the Yankees, Bench hit .533 across 15 plate appearances with two homers, a double and a triple for an OPS of 1.667. The two homers both came in the decisive Game 4, when Bench drove in five runs as Cincinnati won the title.

1B: (Pirates), 1979
Stargell was the heart and soul of the "We Are Family" Pirates, so it was only fitting that the team rode his bat to overcome a 3-1 series deficit against the Orioles. After also winning the MVP Award in the NLCS, Stargell continued to come up big in the World Series, batting .400 with three homers, four doubles and seven RBIs. Stargell's two-run go-ahead homer in the sixth inning of Game 7 secured Pittsburgh's championship.

2B: (Yankees), 1960
Richardson's performance in the 1960 World Series was strong enough that he was named MVP despite being on the losing team – the only time that's happened in the history of the Fall Classic. In the seven-game series between the Yankees and Pirates, the second baseman hit .367 with 11 hits, including a homer, two doubles, two triples and 12 RBIs, which led both teams.

3B: (Orioles), 1970
Robinson did enough with his bat to take MVP honors in the 1970 World Series, but his performance with the glove took things over the top. Along with hitting .429 with two homers and a 1.238 OPS to lead the Orioles to a title over the Reds in five games, Robinson turned in defensive gems throughout the series, keeping Reds hitters off base with the elite defense for which he was known. "He caught everything but a cold," Cincinnati's Pete Rose said afterward.

SS: (Dodgers, Rangers), 2020, 2023
Seager is one of four players to win more than one World Series MVP, and one of just two to win the award with multiple teams. His big performance for the Dodgers in the 2020 World Series against the Rays came just a few days after his MVP showing in the NLCS, when he slugged an incredible .897 against the Braves. Then in the World Series, Seager hit .400 with two homers and a 1.256 OPS across six games. In 2023 with the Rangers, he again took World Series MVP honors after he hit three homers in five games and drove in six runs as Texas beat the D-backs in five games.

OF: (Astros), 2017
Choosing Springer as the MVP of the 2017 World Series was an easy call. The Astros' center fielder tied the all-time record with five homers in the series, including three on the road in Dodger Stadium as Houston won its first title in franchise history. Overall, he hit .379 with 11 hits across seven games with a 1.471 OPS and a series-best seven RBIs. Springer recorded multiple hits in four of the seven games, including a 3-for-5 performance in Game 2.

OF: (A's, Yankees), 1973, 1977
Jackson is another of the few to win multiple World Series MVP awards and, along with Seager, is the only other player to win it with more than one team. While Jackson's postseason exploits were already well-known by the mid-'70s (he had a .941 OPS in the '73 World Series to win the MVP), it wasn't until 1977 that he truly earned the Mr. October moniker. Jackson became the first player in MLB history to club five homers in a single World Series, highlighted by his three homers on three consecutive swings in the decisive Game 6 as the Yankees bested the Dodgers to win the title. Jackson hit .450 in that series, with a series-best eight RBIs and 1.792 OPS.

OF: (Pirates), 1971
Clemente was the clear standout of the 1971 World Series between the Pirates and Orioles, and he had no real competition for MVP. He led all regulars in average (.414), hits (12), on-base percentage (.452), slugging (.759) and total bases (22). He also hit two homers, tied for most in the series, which included a key go-ahead long ball in Game 7 as Pittsburgh beat Baltimore for the championship.

DH: (Red Sox), 2013
Big Papi's 2013 World Series numbers border on astonishing. In the six-game series in which the Red Sox beat the Cardinals to capture their third title in 10 seasons, Ortiz hit .688 across 25 plate appearances with 11 hits, including two homers, two doubles and a series-best six RBIs. He also had eight walks in the series, which brought his on-base percentage to a gawdy .760. It all added up to an OPS of 1.948, the second-highest World Series OPS of all time for a player with at least 20 plate appearances.

RHSP: (Cardinals), 1964, 1967
Gibson is another of the four players to win multiple World Series MVP awards, so it's kind of a no-brainer that you'd want him on the mound for your All-World Series MVP team. But it's his 1967 Fall Classic performance that deserves special attention. Gibson went 3-0 in the series with three complete games, including a shutout, and a 1.00 ERA across those 27 innings as the Cardinals beat the Red Sox in seven games. He even hit a homer in Game 7.

LHSP: (Dodgers), 1963, 1965
Koufax is the final player on this list to win two World Series MVP Awards, and he sure did earn them. While the lefty's 1963 showing was certainly impressive (2-0, 1.50 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 18 innings), his 1965 performance took things up a notch. Koufax went 2-1 with TWO shutouts – including one in Game 7 on two days' rest – and carried an 0.38 ERA for the series. He also fanned 29 batters in 24 innings, including 10 punchouts in Game 7, as the Dodgers beat the Twins to win it all.

RHRP: (Yankees), 1999
Only three primary relievers have won a World Series MVP. But when one of them also happens to be the greatest reliever in MLB history, he gets the nod for our hypothetical team. Rivera's performance in the 1999 World Series against the Braves was fairly ho-hum by his standards. But it was also prime Rivera. He finished three games, pitched 4 2/3 innings and recorded a win and two saves without allowing a run as the Yankees swept Atlanta to close out the '90s – and the 1900s – with their 25th championship.

LHRP: (Giants), 2014
We admit to taking some liberty here. Though Bumgarner was never a primary reliever, none of the relievers who have won a World Series MVP are left-handed. But Bumgarner's postseason pedigree is undisputed, in large part because of the five scoreless innings he pitched in relief to save Game 7 of the 2014 World Series against the Royals. This came after Bumgarner made two starts in the series for the Giants and picked up two wins. Overall, his series ERA was just 0.43. That's lockdown stuff, no matter the role.

On the bench: Derek Jeter (2000), Alan Trammell (1984), Manny Ramirez (2004)
In the bullpen: Randy Johnson (2001), Orel Hershiser (1988), Rollie Fingers (1974)