MLB LDS MVP: Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki, Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and other second-round stars
The first two rounds of the 2025 MLB playoffs are complete and four teams are still in the running. It will be the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS, guaranteeing the end of a very long pennant drought. In the NLCS, the Los Angeles Dodgers will face the Milwaukee Brewers as they look to become baseball’s first repeat champion since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000.
MLB awards two (really three) awards each in the postseason: World Series MVP and one MVP for each of the two Championship Series. However, there is nothing to recognize the best player in the Wild Card Series or Division Series, and we are here to right that wrong. Here are our hypothetical Wild Card Series MVPs and now, here are our Division Series MVPs.
Poor Ernie Clement. He went 9 for 14 (.643) and was barely considered for our hypothetical ALDS MVP. Depending on who won the series, it would be either Vlad Jr. or Aaron Judge, therefore Guerrero. He tormented the Yankees, going 9-for-17 (.529) with three home runs and 9 RBIs in four games. Guerrero’s Game 2 grand slam will go down as an iconic moment of Toronto’s playoff run.
How good was Vlad Jr.’s ALDS? He entered this year as a career .136/.240/.182 hitter through six playoff games. It’s now up to .308/.378/.564 in 10 playoff games. Guerrero led all players in the series in championship probability added (by a lot) and also win probability added (by less). The Blue Jays gave him $500 million to do just that. He was a monster in the ALDS.
“It means a lot to me,” Guerrero said after the decisive Game 4 win. “We’re going to the next round, the Championship Series, and that’s my goal, and it means a lot.”
The very first Brewers vs. Cubs playoff series was shockingly compelling. Chicago forced a Game 5 after dropping Games 1 and 2, and there were plenty of heroes. Jackson Chourio had three points in each Game 1 And 2. Jacob Misiorowski allowed one run in seven innings in his two appearances. Rookie Chad Patrick got big takedowns in high-leverage situations throughout the series.
We’re going to give the NLDS MVP to Vaughn because I dig home runs and he hit two big ones in the NLDS. His three-pointer in the first inning of Game 2 was a huge, underrated moment. The Brewers were down 3-0 early and Vaughn immediately fought back. Create one and this game – and the series – could have played out very differently. Vaughn also hit the home run in Game 5.
Overall, Vaughn went 4 for 14 (.286) with the two home runs in the NLDS, which might have been the two biggest hits of the series. He probably led everyone in the series to championships and not by a little, either. The Brewers obtained him from the White Sox in a minor trade in June. A few months later, Vaughn made an impact in the playoffs. Baseball, man.
“It’s just being where my feet are,” Vaughn said before Game 5 of his success with the Brewers. “Life can be crazy. Baseball as a profession can be crazy, but you just have to take it down to one pitch at a time, be exactly where my feet are and enjoy every moment of it.”
This series will forever be remembered as Orion Kerkering’s series of errors, which is a shame because it was four great matches between two fairly even teams. Teoscar Hernández has a strong argument for NLDS MVP thanks to his game-changing three-run homer in Game 1. Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell as well given their dominant performances.
The pick here has to be Sasaki though. He became a game-changing force as a reliever. Sasaki saved the first game, came in with runners on the corners and a one-run lead to save the second game, then pitched three perfect innings in the game four victory. He faced 14 batters in his three appearances and allowed just one baserunner, all in extremely high-leverage situations.
What was Sasaki’s impact in the NLDS? He led all players in the series in championship probability added by a healthy margin despite playing only 4 ⅓ innings. The 13 outs he recorded were so important to the outcome of the series. After a rough, injury-interrupted start to his MLB career earlier this year, he has become a difference-making weapon for the Dodgers.
“You’re talking about one of the greatest appearances of all time that I can remember,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Game 4. “Certainly given where he started this year, what he is as a starting pitcher, to go out there and not just play one inning, two innings and then three innings, and doing what he did gave us a huge boost. I can’t speak highly enough of his growth and his contribution to this club. We’re starting to see something really special in him.”
You could make a pretty good argument that, even in defeat, Kerry Carpenter deserves the ALDS MVP award. He hit two very important home runs and was clearly THE the guy the Mariners were most afraid to face. As good as Carpenter was, I don’t think he was “MVP despite being on the losing team” so we have to go with someone else. That someone else is Raleigh.
Seattle’s backstop of 60 homers went 8-for-21 (.381) with one homer and four walks in the ALDS, representing an on-base percentage of .480. He drove in three runs in the crucial Game 3 win, which gave Seattle a 2-1 series lead and room to continue playing after the Game 4 loss. Additionally, Raleigh caught 15 innings in Game 5. I’m sure he felt it in his legs the next day.
Andrés Muñoz also deserves a mention here. He pitched four times in the five games, allowed no hits and struck out 15 of the 17 batters he faced. Additionally, Muñoz made his first two-inning appearance since 2019 in Game 1 and had four outs in Game 5. In fact, the entire Mariners pitching staff should win ALDS MVP. They had a 3.29 ERA in 52 innings.
“You need everyone in a game like this,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said after the 15-inning victory in Game 5. “…We’ve been talking about the fight all year. To go 15 rounds tonight, 15 rounds, so to speak, and come out on top, it feels good.”
