World Series 2022: MVP Predictions for Phillies vs. Astros
Predicting the World Series MVP is, at best, an educated-guessing game.
Sometimes, baseball's biggest stars take home the hardware. The list of previous winners includes: David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Derek Jeter, Roberto Clemente, Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax.
In other years, though, role players rise to the occasion and get their names etched alongside the all-time greats. Since 2010 alone, the list of winners includes Edgar Renteria, David Freese, Ben Zobrist, Jorge Soler and Steve Pearce.
That's a long-winded way of saying almost anyone would qualify as a reasonable choice here. But we're trusting that talent wins out, so the following three players seem like the strongest candidates.
3. Justin Verlander
By virtue of their limited workload alone, it's tough for pitchers to earn World Series MVP honors. It's not impossible, though.
Over the last 20 years, four starting pitchers have done it: Josh Beckett (2003), Cole Hamels (2008), Madison Bumgarner (2014) and Stephen Strasburg (2018). Verlander absolutely has the arsenal to join that club.
The 39-year-old was limited to a single start the past two seasons combined because of Tommy John surgery, and he somehow hasn't missed a beat. He went 18-4 this season while pacing the Majors with a 1.75 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP.
While the Mariners torched him in his first postseason start (10 hits and six runs in four innings), that outing was sandwiched between two gems. The first came against these same Phillies in his final regular-season start, when he had 10 strikeouts across five hitless, shutout innings. The other was the ALCS opener when he held the New York Yankees to three hits and one run while striking out 11 over six innings.
2. Yordan Alvarez
As deep as this Houston lineup runs, no one puts more fear in opposing pitchers than Alvarez.
He hasn't had a dominant postseason run so far, but he was the one who got everything pointed in the right direction. In the Astros' ALDS win over the Seattle Mariners, he launched a three-run, two-out, walk-off blast to win Game 1, then he turned the tide of Game 2 with a go-ahead, two-run shot that pushed Houston in front for good.
He has been strangely quiet since, managing just three hits, one RBI and zero homers across his last five games. Maybe that means he's slumping at the wrong time, but it feels more likely he's just due for another round of postseason heroics.
During the regular season, he hit .306 with 37 homers and 97 RBI. His hit tool speaks for itself, and it could well make the loudest MVP argument in this series.
1. Bryce Harper
Want to know what kind of groove Bryce Harper is in? He has Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, dubbed Mr. October for his legendary playoff performances, excited to see what he can do on this stage.
"This is different, this is when it counts," Jackson told reporters. "I'm looking forward to seeing him play. He's a special player."
Harper appeared en route to another monstrous season before thumb surgery robbed him of nearly two months. It took a while for his power to return. He had 15 homers between April and June, then just three more between his August return and the campaign closing in October.
Once the playoffs got going, though, everything immediately fell back into place. He reached base in all 11 of Philadelphia's postseason games, posting a ridiculous .419/.444/.907 slash line along the way. He's had 11 extra-base hits, including five home runs, 11 RBI and 10 runs. If he keeps this rolling, he could power Philly to a title and himself to perhaps the game's most coveted individual award.