The Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays are facing off in the World Series, pitting a Hollywood dynasty against a formidable contender from north of the border. There are stars on both sides, not to mention all the under-the-radar talent that is about to step into the spotlight. One of those players will win World Series MVP, so it’s time to take a look at who could earn the distinction this October.
Freddie Freeman won it in 2024, thanks in large part to his walk-off home run in extra innings of Game 1. Here’s a quick breakdown of who might take home the honors in 2025, based on updated odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, plus some historical precedent.
World Series MVP Odds 2025
- DH/SP Shohei Ohtani (LAD), +160
- 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR), +600
- OF George Springer (TOR), +1100
- 1B Freddie Freeman (LAD), +1400
- SS Mookie Betts (LAD), +1500
- OF Teoscar Hernandez (LAD), +1800
- SP Blake Snell (LAD), +1900
- SS Bo Bichette (TOR), +2500
- 3B Max Muncy (LAD), +2500
- SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD), +2800
Find more World Series MVP odds here.
Can history point to this year’s winner?
Well, for one, the World Series MVP has come from the winning team 71 out of 72 times. The lone exception is Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson, who earned the honor with 11 hits and 12 RBIs despite the Pirates winning the 1960 World Series in seven games. So with the Dodgers boasting -215 odds to claim the title, the safest play would be picking someone from Los Angeles.
All five World Series MVPs of the 2020s so far have been position players – no pitchers and no primary designated hitters. The last pitcher to win was Stephen Strasburg in 2019. 10 of the previous 26 winners were pitchers, however. At designated hitter, David Ortiz and Hideki Matsui won in 2013 and 2009, respectively, preceded only by the Blue Jays’ Paul Molitor in 1993.
Historically, pitchers lead the way with 29 World Series MVPs. Third basemen and outfielders have claimed 10 apiece, followed by shortstops at eight, catchers at seven, first basemen at four, designated hitters at three and second basemen at one.
Only four players have won World Series MVP multiple times in their career: Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Reggie Jackson and Corey Seager. Koufax and Gibson are the only ones to do so with the same club, and that was six decades ago. Even then, nobody has ever won World Series MVP in back-to-back years. That suggests Freddie Freeman will be fighting an uphill battle on that front. As for George Springer, who won it with the Astros against the Dodgers in 2017, no player has ever won multiple World Series MVPs facing the same opponent.
Nine World Series MVP winners won LCS MVP earlier in the same postseason, which is the situation Ohtani and Guerrero are working out of. Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña did so in 2022, as did Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager in 2020, Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner in 2014, Cardinals third baseman David Freese in 2011 and Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels in 2008. Put simply, it has happened five times in the last 17 years – roughly once every three years on average.
World Series MVP Pick, Prediction
Pick: Shohei Ohtani, +160
As boring of a prediction as it is, Ohtani is the heavy favorite for a reason. Not only does he boast elite power at the plate and speed on the basepaths, but he is also dominant on the mound. Pitchers, after all, are the most common winners historically, even if that trend hasn’t continued into the pitch clock era. Ohtani will probably only make one start in the Fall Classic, since Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow are all healthy. Starting one game and closing out another – like he did in the 2023 World Baseball Classic – could be enough to supplement whatever Ohtani does on offense, as was the case when he won NLCS MVP.
Ohtani hit .417 with a 1.795 OPS over the final three contests of the NLCS last week, culminating in his three-homer performance in Game 4. His 60 total home runs in 2025 are already tied for the 12th-most in a single calendar year. And although he hit .105 with a .385 OPS in last year’s World Series, playing through a shoulder injury certainly played a part in those lackluster numbers. Ohtani also owns a 1.14 ERA, 0.726 WHIP and strikeouts per nine innings over his last six outings, dating back to August 27.
Basically, if pitchers and designated hitters have each won World Series MVP before, it seems very likely that a player filling both roles could achieve the feat too. Ohtani’s offensive prowess makes him more likely to win World Series MVP than any other pitcher – a position that won 43.3% of the time pre-2020.
One thing standing in Ohtani’s way is the fact that no regular season MVP has doubled up and won World Series MVP in the same year since Mike Schmidt in 1980.
Dark Horse: Mookie Betts, +1500
Three of the last five and two of the last three World Series MVPs have been shortstops, like Betts. While he has never won the award in any of his previous three World Series runs, the potential storyline of Betts finally breaking through could help him win out a tight battle with other close competitors.
Across 16 career World Series games with the Red Sox and Dodgers, Betts has hit .254 with a .772 OPS. Betts was batting .236 with a .669 OPS through August 4 this year. He then closed out the regular season batting .317 with an .892 OPS, then hit .293 with an .809 OPS between the NL Wild Card Series, NLDS and NLCS. If he can stay hot, get the monkey off his back and add in a signature moment or two, there is certainly a path for Betts to win World Series MVP.
