Complete List of the World Series MVPs Since 1955

So, you're wondering who all of the World Series MVPs are? We have you covered!

As a professional athlete, it's one thing to have a successful regular season, but its a whole ‘nother ball game (pun-intended) to continue that success into the postseason, where the stakes are much higher. Sure, getting your team into the position to make the playoffs is no small feat, but when the lights get a little brighter in the postseason, we get to separate the great players from the elite stars.

Related: The Biggest Comebacks in MLB History

It's no secret that baseball fans can be their team's biggest critics when things go wrong. The World Series chase tends to bring out the harshest moments as the pennant gets closer and closer into reach. For this reason, to excel in the World Series is an achievement that should be met with great respect.

Here are all the World Series MVPs since the award was instituted in 1955.

2022: Jeremy Peña

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• Team: Houston Astros

• Position: Shortstop

Jeremy Peña had an insanely successful season in 2022 - which also happened to be his rookie season. He was selected by the Astros in 2018, and upon being added to the 40 man-roster in 2021, he earned his spot as the starting shortstop just in time for opening day. As a shortstop, Peña ranked second in the American League in Defensive Wins Above Replacement (dWAR) and earned a Gold Glove, which made him the first rookie to ever win the award at shortstop in MLB history. As a hitter, Peña tied Carlos Correa (who was his predecessor at shortstop for the Astros) for the franchise record for home runs by a shortstop.

The Astros won the World Series in six games, taking the final 3 games in a row after going down 2-1 against the Phillies. Peña batted .400 during the series and had a .428 on-base percentage, ultimately earning him MVP, and making him the first position player to earn this award as a rookie.

2021: Jorge Soler

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• Team: Atlanta Braves

• Position: Outfielder/Designated Hitter

2021 was Jorge Soler’s first and only year on the Braves, and it was a very successful year for the power hitter and his team. He was traded to the Braves from the Kansas City Royals halfway through the season (on July 30, 2021) and batted .269 with Atlanta. Between his time on the Royals and Braves he hit 27 home runs and 70 RBIs in the 2021 season.

Soler made Major League history when he hit a leadoff home run in his first plate appearance in the 2021 World Series. The Braves defeated the Houston Astros in 6 games with Soler batting .300 in the series and hitting 3 go-ahead home runs, which gave the Braves leads that they never gave up.

2020: Corey Seager

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• Team: Los Angeles Dodgers

• Position: Shortstop

Corey Seager was selected by the Dodgers in the 2012 Draft, and he made his Major League debut with the team in 2015, winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2016. The shortstop had a successful career with the Dodgers before being traded to the Texas Rangers in 2022. In the shortened 2020 season, he hit .307/.358/.585.

Seager helped lead the Dodgers to their first World Series win since 1988. Due to COVID-19, the entire series was played at the neutral site of Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers, and tickets were limited to fill the stadium at a 25% capacity. The Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays in six games. Seager batted .400 in the series and hit two home runs, five RBIs, and had a .556 on-base percentage.

2019: Stephen Strasburg

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• Team: Washington Nationals

• Position: Pitcher

Stephen Strasburg ended the 2019 regular season with a 3.32 ERA and a 18-6 record, both of which were career highs. He led the NL in wins and had the second most strikeouts in the league.

Strasburg earned two wins in the World Series which helped propel the Nationals to beat the Astros in seven games, giving the franchise its first title. In his Game 2 win, he pitched six innings and left with his team up six runs. He also started Game 6, another win for the Nationals which evened out the series at three games each. Strasburg pitched all the way into the ninth inning and held the Astros to two runs and five hits with seven strikeouts recorded.

2018: Steve Pearce

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• Team: Boston Red Sox

• Position: Outfield/First Base

Steve Pearce played for seven total teams during his career, but his most successful season was with the Red Sox in 2018. He was traded to Boston in June of the 2018 season, where he went on to bat .279, ultimately proving himself as a great acquisition for the team.

Pearce had several big hits in the 2018 World Series which Boston won in five games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning of Game 4, which tied the game, and in the next inning, he hit a bases-clearing double that put the Red Sox up four runs. In Game 5, Pearce hit a massive go-ahead two-run shot in the eighth inning, leading the Red Sox to victory.

2017: George Springer

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• Team: Houston Astros

• Position: Outfield

George Springer had several All Star seasons during his 6-year stint with the Astros, averaging .283 on the season and hitting 34 home runs and 85 RBIs. The Astros finished 101-61, clinching the AL West.

They faced the Dodgers in the 2017 World Series, which went to seven games with Houston eventually coming out on top. Springer had a disappointing Game 1 in which he struck out four times, but in Game 2, he hit a home run which helped the Astros edge out a tight game. He went on to hit five home runs–tying a World Series Record–including one in a record breaking four consecutive games. He also set a World Series record for extra base hits (8).

2016: Ben Zobrist

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• Team: Chicago Cubs

• Position: Second Base/Outfield

Ben Zobrist’s 2016 season was his first with the Chicago Cubs. He batted .272 with a .386 on-base percentage. In 2015 and 2016, Zobrist won back-to-back World Series titles after coming to Chicago from the reigning 2015 champion Kansas City Royals.

The Cubs World Series victory was memorable, as it was their first title since 1908, and they won in dramatic fashion. Zobrists’ RBI double in the 10th inning of Game 7 helped push the Cubs past the Indians to win the series and bring the pennant home to Wrigley. He ended the series having batted .357 including a .419 on-base percentage, including a hit in six out of the seven games.

2015: Salvador Perez

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• Team: Kansas City Royals

• Position: Catcher

Salvador Perez’s All Star campaign in 2015 earned him a Gold Glove for his third consecutive season. He batted .260/.280/.426, and was a consistent hitter that helped his team reach their second consecutive World Series.

The Royals beat the Mets in the World Series in five games, with Perez batting .364. He had several clutch hits in the Game 5 clincher, which went to 12 innings, including the go-ahead run. Perez was the first catcher to win the WS MVP since 1992.

2014: Madison Bumgarner

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• Team: San Francisco Giants

• Position: Pitcher

Madison Bumgarner is an exceptionally decorated pitcher who is a three-time World Series Champion, four time All Star, Babe Ruth Award winner, Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year, and the AP Athlete of the Year. He got off to a hot start in 2014, going 5-0 in his first six games. He also hit two grand slams in 2014, tying the record for grand slams in a single season by a pitcher.

The Giants faced the Kansas City Royals in the World Series with Bumgarner starting Game 1 and making it through seven innings, only giving up one run in a win. In Game 5, "Mad Bum" pitched his second career postseason complete game shutout. The series went on to seven games, and after only two days' rest, Bumgarner came in as a reliever for five scoreless innings, propelling the Giants to their third title in five seasons. He ended the series with a 0.43 ERA.

2013: David Ortiz

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• Team: Boston Red Sox

• Position: Designated Hitter/ First Base

David “Big Papi” Ortiz is a beloved personality in Major League Baseball and particularly so for the Boston Red Sox. He’s a ten-time All-Star and seven-time Silver Slugger with three World Series titles to his name. In 2013, which was 16 years into his already historic career, Ortiz was rebounding from an injury, but that did not deter him from leading the Red Sox to finishing first in the AL East. Big Papi hit his 500th career double and 2000th career hit during the 2013 season.

The 2013 World Series was an emotional moment for Boston fans as the Boston Marathon bombing had just tragically occurred in April 2013. Going into the World Series, Ortiz had already hit five home runs and 13 RBIs in the postseason. The Red Sox were up against the St. Louis Cardinals in the Series, and Ortiz was a hitting machine. Ortiz set a World Series record by reaching base in nine consecutive plate appearances. He batted a whopping .688 throughout the six-game series, which Boston won in four games to two.

2012: Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants

2011: David Freese, St. Louis Cardinals

2010: Edgar Renteria, San Francisco Giants

2009: Hideki Matsui, New York Yankees

2008: Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies

2007: Mike Lowell, Boston Red Sox

2006: David Eckstein, St. Louis Cardinals

2005: Jermaine Dye, Chicago White Sox

2004: Manny Rameirez, Boston Red Sox

2002: Josh Beckett, Florida Marlins

2001: Curt Schilling, Arizona Diamondbacks; Randy Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks

2000: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees

1999: Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees

1998: Scott Brosuis, New York Yankees

1997: Livan Hernandez, Florida Marlins

1996: John Wetteland, New York Yankees

1995: Tom Glavine, Atlanta Braves

1993: Paul Molitor, Toronto Blue Jays

1992: Pat Borders, Toronto Blue Jays

1991: Jack Morris, Minnesota Twins

1990: Jose Riso, Cincinnati Reds

1989: Dave Stewart, Oakland Athletics

1988: Orel Hershiser, Los Angeles Dodgers

1987: Frank Viola, Minnesota Twins

1986: Ray Knight, New York Mets

1985: Bret Saberhagen, Kansas City Royals

1984: Alan Trammell, Detroit Tigers

1983: Rick Dempsey, Baltimore Orioles

1982: Darrell Porter, St. Louis Cardinals

1981: Ron Cey, Los Angeles Dodgers

1980: Mike Schmidt, Philadelphia Phillies

1979: Willie Stargell, Pittsburgh Pirates

1978: Bucky Dent, New York Yankees

1977: Reggie Jackson, New York Yankees

1976: Johnny Bench, Cincinnati Reds

1975: Pete Rose, Cincinnati Reds

1974: Rollie Fingers, Oakland Athletics

1973: Reggie Jackson, Oakland Athletics

1972: Gene Tenace, Oakland Athletics

1971: Roberto Clemente, Pittsburgh Pirates

1970: Brooks Robinson, Baltimore Orioles

1969: Donn Clendenon, New York Mets

1968: Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers

1967: Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals

1966: Frank Robinson, Baltimore Orioles

1965: Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles Dodgers

1964: Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals

1963: Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles Dodgers

1962: Ralph Terry, New York Yankees

1961: Whitey Ford, New York Yankees

1960: Bobby Richardson, New York Yankees

1959: Larry Sherry, Los Angeles Dodgers

1958: Bob Turley, New York Yankees

1957: Lew Burdette, Milwaukee Braves

1956: Don Larsen, New York Yankees

1955: Johnny Podres, Brooklyn Dodgers