| Award |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Ashby | Junior Caminero | William Contreras | Jacob Misiorowski | Jackson Chourio |
The history of World Series MVPs is littered with legends: Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 2025, Stephen Strasburg in 2019, Manny Ramirez in 2004 and as far back as Don Larsen in 1956. Bob Gibson won after throwing three complete-game shutouts in 1967. Reggie Jackson hit five home runs in 1977, including three in Game 6. David Freese hit the game-tying triple in the ninth and the walk-off home run in the 11th in Game 6 in 2011.
This year, the Fall Classic's hero will come from either the Milwaukee Brewers or the Tampa Bay Rays, two franchises vying for their first World Series title. The names are just as talented, though perhaps not as famous: aces like Jacob Misiorowski and Drew Rasmussen, sluggers like Jackson Chourio and Junior Caminero. Will one of them join the vaunted list? Or will someone else step up and shine under the brightest lights of October?
Here are your CBS Sports MLB experts' predictions for World Series MVP, plus odds.
Mike Axisa: Aaron Ashby had a case for NLCS MVP. He threw 6 ⅔ scoreless innings in three appearances during the four-game sweep of the Dodgers. Brewers manager Pat Murphy leans on Ashby so much -- SO MUCH -- that I can see him throwing something like nine innings in the World Series, which would be an enormous workload for a reliever. Ashby is so good and he's going to be asked to get the biggest outs of the game multiple times in the series. A reliever has not been named World Series MVP since Mariano Rivera in 1999. The stars are aligned for Ashby to end that drought this year.
Kate Feldman: If the Rays are going to win this thing, they're going to do it on the back of Junior Caminero and, well, that's usually the guy who wins MVP. The 23-year-old star is not just one of the most fun players to watch in MLB -- he's also one of the best. He's hitting just .273/.351/.455 in the playoffs this year, but he heated up in the back end of the ALCS: 4 for 12 with a double, a home run and 3 RBI. Every time he comes up, it feels like he can change the game with a swing. Because he can. And I think he's going to.
Julian McWilliams: There was a legitimate argument to be made that William Contreras deserved NLCS MVP honors, but who cares about that now? Why settle for an NLCS MVP when you can win a World Series and have the MVP trophy as a nice side dish? Set aside his elite defense and game-calling ability for a moment. Contreras has been on an absolute tear at the plate this postseason, batting .367 with three home runs, five RBIs and a 1.157 OPS. He's been the heartbeat of Milwaukee's lineup, and I don't see him slowing down now.
2026 World Series predictions: Expert picks for Brewers vs. Rays with MLB's Fall Classic set
Mike Axisa
Dayn Perry: Jacob Misiorowski was the most dominant starting pitcher in baseball during the regular season, but he hasn't looked like that of late. I'll say that changes in the World Series and that he shoves in two starts against the Rays. Yes, the Rays are much better against right-handers like Misiorowski, but I think the downtime -- assuming he starts Game 1 on Friday, he'll be coming off 11 days of rest between starts -- will be the refresher he needs, and I think we'll see him in something much closer to vintage form in this series.
Matt Snyder: It's time. Jackson Chourio has all five tools. He's got the swagger. He has a nose for the big moments. Hitting leadoff every game, he'll have plenty of opportunities to make an impact on the series both in the box and on the basepaths. I still believe he's a future MVP and I shouldn't even be saying "still" when he's 22 years old with 1,735 regular-season plate appearances. This'll be one of his early career-defining moments.
World Series MVP odds
Odds via DraftKings
- Jackson Chourio +600
- William Contreras +650
- Junior Caminero +750
- Jacob Misiorowski +800
- Brice Turang +900
- Yandy Díaz +1000
- Jonathan Aranda +1200
- Jake Bauers +1300
- Drew Rasmussen +2000
