The first two rounds of the 2024 MLB postseason are complete and four teams are still standing. Three of them -- Cleveland Guardians, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees -- had a Wild Card Series bye, so we can stop pretending skipping a round is a bad thing. The New York Mets, who had the best record in baseball after June 1, are the fourth team still playing.
The National League Championship Series begins Sunday and it's a big market matchup between the Dodgers and Mets. In the American League, it's the high priced Yankees and the budget Guardians. This is the fourth Guardians vs. Yankees postseason series since 2017 (the Yankees won the previous three). The Dodgers and Mets last met in the postseason in 2015.
MLB hands out two (really three) awards each the postseason: World Series MVP plus one MVP for each of the two Championship Series. There is nothing to recognize the best player in the Wild Card Series or Division Series though, and we're here to right that wrong. Here are our hypothetical Wild Card Series MVPs and now here are our Division Series MVPs.
Dodgers vs. Padres: Evan Phillips
This was a bit of an odd series in that the best starting pitcher (Yu Darvish) and best offensive performer (Fernando Tatis Jr.) were on the losing team. Teoscar Hernández hit two homers and drove in seven runs in the five games, but his biggest blow, the Game 3 grand slam, came in a loss. Shohei Ohtani hit a loud three-run homer in Game 1 and didn't do much else.
So, we'll give our hypothetical NLDS MVP to Phillips, who appeared in three games (all Dodgers wins), got at least four outs each time, and retired all 13 batters he faced. Furthermore, he faced the top of San Diego's lineup each time. Phillips retired Tatis three times and Luis Arraez, Manny Machado, and Jurickson Profar twice each.
Phillips got the biggest outs in all three Dodgers wins and led all players in the series in championship probability added. He didn't get a start or a save, but he retired the heart of the Padres' order in every appearance, and did not allow a baserunner. That is Grade-A fireman work. It takes a lot for a middle reliever to win series MVP, and Phillips did enough for me.
Guardians vs. Tigers: Lane Thomas
As recently as last Friday, Thomas was a disappointing trade deadline pickup. He hit .209/.267/.390 in 53 games after coming over from the Nationals, and there were stretches he wasn't even an everyday player. In the ALDS though, Thomas was a monster, clubbing a three-run homer in Game 1 and a grand slam in the win-or-go-home Game 5.
Thomas also had two hits and drove in a run in Game 4, which Cleveland had to win to force Game 5. He went 6 for 20 (.300) with two homers and drove in nine of Cleveland's 17 runs in the five-game series. Thomas more than made up for an underwhelming first impression after the trade.
The Tigers could not get Steven Kwan out in the ALDS. He went 11 for 21 (.524) with three consecutive three-hit games from Game 3-5. I strongly considered Kwan for our not at all real ALDS MVP award, but in the end, I went with Thomas, who had two of the three biggest hits in the series, including the dagger against Tarik Skubal in Game 5.
David Fry's Game 4 performance -- go-ahead two-run homer (the other biggest hit) and a squeeze bunt to drive in what proved to be the game-winning run -- deserves a mention here. So does Cade Smith. The rookie righty appeared in all five ALDS games and retired 19 of the 22 batters he faced.
Mets vs. Phillies: Francisco Lindor
Pete Alonso and especially Mark Vientos had better overall numbers, for sure, but Lindor gets the nod here because he had the single biggest moment of the NLDS, and was excellent throughout. That single biggest moment is of course Lindor's go-ahead grand slam in the series-clinching Game 4 win. A superstar player making a superstar play:
By championship probability added, Lindor's grand slam is the third most impactful play of the 2024 season, trailing only Alonso's go-ahead three-run homer against Devin Williams in the Wild Card Series and Fry's go-ahead homer in Game 4 of the ALDS. Also, let's not forgot Lindor went from an 0-2 count to a walk against Jeff Hoffman to put the wheels for the Game 1 comeback in motion. That's on top of his superlative defense.
Lindor went 5 for 18 (.278) with two doubles and the grand slam in the NLDS. Alonso hit two homers and Vientos had a whale of a series, going 9 for 16 (.563) with two doubles and two homers. The two homers came in New York's loss though, plus Vientos muffed a few weak ground balls that led directly to runs crossing the plate.
Ultimately, when we look back at the NLDS, I think we'll remember Lindor's grand slam, not Vientos hitting a game-tying ninth inning homer in the Game 2 loss. That's enough to give Lindor our hypothetical NLDS MVP. If you disagree, you're thinking too hard.
Royals vs. Yankees: Giancarlo Stanton
There's a case to be made the MVP of this series was New York's bullpen. Their bullpen allowed one unearned run in 15 2/3 innings and the Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, Luke Weaver end-game trio held the Royals to five singles and two walks in 12 2/3 innings. Kansas City's bullpen walked 15 batters in 17 1/3 innings and largely struggles. New York's was stout.
Giving ALDS MVP to entire bullpen is sort of lame though. The single best player in the ALDS was Stanton, who 6 for 16 (.375) with two doubles and a homer in the four games. He had more extra-base hits (three) than strikeouts (two). In Game 3, Stanton hit what proved to be the game-winning home run in the top of the eighth:
Stanton opened the scoring with a double earlier in Game 3 and also drove in an insurance run in the Game 4 series-clincher. The Royals intentionally walked him in his first at-bat of the series, an acknowledgement of his offensive dominance. Stanton led the ALDS in championship probability added.
Gerrit Cole is the runner-up here. He was marvelous in the Game 4, throwing seven innings of one-run ball, and he had the two best starting pitching performances in the ALDS. Cole was the only starting pitcher in the series to get an out after the fifth inning. Heck, only one other starter (Seth Lugo in Game 3) managed to complete five innings. Everyone else went 4 2/3 innings or fewer.
