As the initial two stages of the 2026 Major League Baseball playoffs draw to a close, three clubs have already secured their spots in the League Championship Series. A rematch is set for the NLCS as the Milwaukee Brewers take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Meanwhile, over in the ALCS, the Tampa Bay Rays are watching closely to see whether the Cleveland Guardians or the Chicago White Sox will advance, given that their Division Series is currently deadlocked at two games apiece.
During every postseason, Major League Baseball officially bestows two—or more accurately, three—individual honors: the World Series Most Valuable Player along with an MVP for both the ALCS and NLCS. However, no formal awards exist to honor top performers in the Wild Card or Division Series rounds, prompting us to fill that gap. Following our selections for the Wild Card Series MVPs, we now present our picks for three of the four Division Series MVPs.
Guardians vs. White Sox: TBA
This AL Division Series contest remains up in the air. Sitting even at 2-2, the five-game showdown will culminate this Saturday with a decisive Game 5 hosted in Cleveland. The White Sox are aiming to clinch their first ALCS appearance in over two decades (since 2005), whereas the Guardians hope to perform the first 0-2 comeback in an ALDS since 2017—when Cleveland itself surrendered a 2-0 advantage. Be sure to return to see our unofficial ALDS MVP choice once the final out is recorded.
Rays vs. Yankees: Drew Rasmussen
Although Tampa Bay completed a sweep against New York, the matchup was far more competitive than the result suggests. The Rays pulled off two victories by a single run alongside a three-run win, benefiting heavily from sloppy defensive errors by New York in Game 2. In fact, three of Tampa’s five runs during that contest were unearned. Throughout the three-game sweep, Tampa Bay produced a slash line of just .208/.255/.344—hardly an overwhelming display at the plate.
Jonathan Aranda certainly made a compelling argument for the ALDS honor, recording four hits in twelve at-bats across the series, including the decisive solo home run that secured a 1-0 victory in Game 1. Nevertheless, the award ultimately belongs to Drew Rasmussen. Rasmussen validated Aranda’s solitary blast by carrying a no-hit performance all the way into the eighth frame, fanning ten batters in a truly dominant outing.
“I believe he possesses rare talent and brings intense focus almost every outing,” commented Tampa Bay skipper Kevin Cash. “Watching the scoreboard round after round and seeing zero after zero in the hit column really underlines the feat. That New York order is formidable, packed with high-caliber hitters who generate solid contact and tough plate appearances. Silencing them to that extent highlights just how phenomenal he performed.”
Rasmussen posted the highest numbers among all participants in both Win Probability Added and Championship Probability Added for the series, outpacing the competition by a wide margin. Throughout his time in the majors, he has routinely baffled New York (compiling a 1.81 ERA over 11 starts against them), and he once again neutralized their offense during Game 1.
Brewers vs. Padres: Jackson Chourio
Remarkably, Jackson Chourio managed just three hits across 16 at-bats (.188 average) during the four-game NLDS, yet those three base hits carried such immense weight that he stands out as the clear NLDS MVP over teammates William Contreras (who went 6-for-16 with a pair of home runs) and Christian Yelich (5-for-14). Additionally, reliever Aaron Ashby gained recognition after delivering three hitless frames to seal the series in Game 4.
Yet Chourio’s clutch contributions make his case irresistible. In Game 1, he delivered a game-tying two-run blast, and in Game 2, facing Mason Miller with two outs and two strikes, he brought home two runs with a game-ending single that turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 walk-off triumph. That dramatic hit altered the entire momentum of the series, placing Milwaukee firmly ahead 2-0.
“Reflecting back on my initial season in the big leagues, I remember a matchup against Seattle where I registered the final out, striking out against (Andrés) Muñoz,” Chourio remarked following Game 2. “That moment marked a pivotal shift for me. I vowed never again to be the final out of a game, resolving to compete with everything I had for my teammates to avoid reliving that disappointment.”
In terms of Championship Probability Added, Chourio’s walk-off base hit represents the single most critical play of the 2026 postseason so far, adding +6.94%. That surpasses Austin Riley’s go-ahead three-run shot from Game 1 of the Wild Card Series (+3.97%). Even with a modest .188 batting average during the NLDS, Chourio unquestionably delivered the most high-stakes damage of anyone in the series.
Dodgers vs. Braves: Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Andy Pages earned serious thought for the honor as well. He collected multi-hit performances in both Games 3 and 4, highlighted by a go-ahead two-run single in the seventh frame of Game 4 that ultimately clinched the series. It marked a dramatic comeback story for Pages, who struggled so severely during the prior postseason that he was benched for Games 6 and 7 of the World Series.
Ultimately, Yoshinobu Yamamoto proved once again to be the paramount performer on the postseason stage. He mowed down ten batters over seven dominant innings while surrendering just a single run in Game 3, propelling Los Angeles to a 2-1 series advantage. Currently without equal when the stakes are highest, Yamamoto set the table for the Dodgers to move forward thanks to his incredible Game 3 start.
“Unbelievable outing,” stated Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “During the fifth inning, things got a bit tense, but he navigated through the pressure and kept the opponent from breaking it open. Following that up with two additional full frames was outstanding… Eating up seven innings placed our relief corps in fantastic shape heading into Game 4. Words fall short of describing how great Yoshinobu was.”
Across his three campaigns in the majors, Yamamoto has compiled an extraordinary 2.14 ERA across 63 playoff innings, covering ten starts alongside a memorable relief outing. While cumulative playoff metrics aren’t considered for this specific NLDS award, his Game 3 performance was simply another chapter in his ongoing dominance. Yamamoto was magnificent.
