ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 23: Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves reacts during the second inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Truist Park on September 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Major League Baseball will give MVP awards for the League Championship Series and the World Series. They do not award an MVP for a Wild Card Series or a Division Series. I’m not sure why the earlier rounds don’t have their standout players honored. Let me understand this. After 162 games and 6 plus months of baseball, sets of three and five games aren’t that meaningful. Why are we playing them then? It’s almost as if it’s stupid for a team to win their division only to turn around and possibly play the second or third place team in their division en route to an additional three rounds to win the trophy. Or maybe have a sub-.500 team host one of these rounds is any better? Yeah, yeah I know. Money. Can’t you just sell another 20 games to Netflix and make up the difference?
Sorry for the aside. While I’m having my one-way argument against Rob Manfred, why not consider the difference makers of the Braves and who will come up big? Chris Sale could go a long way to putting a stranglehold on this coming series at home. I think Drake Baldwin might do something special. I have this feeling that Mike Yastrzemski might stay hot.
So who would win a theoretical NL Wild Card MVP? As long as a Brave is among the winners, anyone would be fine.