A full list of active MLB players who have won a postseason MVP award

As teams fight for a spot in the 2026 postseason, players who make it there will have major opportunities to add to their legacies.

With anticipation for the 2026 MLB postseason starting to move to the forefront of the baseball world, players on playoff teams are looking to prepare to make a large impact in a big October moment.

While the postseason is known to test the strength and depth of an entire 26-man roster, there’s no question that October is a time for individual players to rise to the occasion and cement their legacies as performers on the sport’s biggest stage.

In an expanded playoff field that sees 12 of the league’s 30 teams qualify for the postseason, there’s now ample opportunity to at least get to the dance come early October, which begins with a best-of-three Wild Card that the top two teams in each league get a bye from.

Players that make it to the League Championship Series, MLB’s final four, get a further opportunity to etch their names into the record books, with MVP awards issued at the conclusion of every ALCS, NLCS and World Series.

With the postseason being as much of a time for unexpected heroes as it is for superstars, the history of recent winners speaks to this split that makes playoff baseball so unpredictable and enjoyable.

Take Steve Pearce for the 2018 Boston Red Sox, who emerged as the most impactful hitter in the World Series on a team that featured Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts in their prime – while sometimes, as Madison Bumgarner proved in 2014, the winner of the award is exactly who you expect it to be.

There are currently 21 active players who have won a postseason MVP award, with Michael Wacha’s win of the NLCS MVP in 2013 serving as the earliest win for an active player.

Here’s a look at players who have gotten into an MLB game in 2026 that have previously won a postseason MVP award:

1. Michael Wacha: 2013 NLCS MVP, St. Louis Cardinals
2. Salvador Perez: 2015 World Series MVP, Kansas City Royals
3. Javier Báez: 2016 NLCS Co-MVP, Chicago Cubs
4. Justin Verlander: 2017 ALCS MVP, Houston Astros
5. George Springer: 2017 World Series MVP, Houston Astros
6. Cody Bellinger: 2018 NLCS MVP, Los Angeles Dodgers
7. Jose Altuve: 2019 ALCS MVP, Houston Astros
8. Corey Seager: 2020 NLCS MVP, 2020 World Series MVP – Los Angeles Dodgers; 2023 World Series MVP, Texas Rangers
9. Randy Arozarena: 2020 ALCS MVP, Tampa Bay Rays
10. Yordan Alvarez: 2021 ALCS MVP, Houston Astros
11. Jorge Soler: 2021 World Series MVP, Atlanta Braves
12. Bryce Harper: 2022 NLCS MVP, Philadelphia Phillies
13. Jeremy Peña: 2022 ALCS MVP, 2022 World Series MVP – Houston Astros
14. Ketel Marte: 2023 NLCS MVP, Arizona Diamondbacks
15. Adolis García: 2023 ALCS MVP, Texas Rangers
16. Tommy Edman: 2024 NLCS MVP, Los Angeles Dodgers
17. Giancarlo Stanton: 2024 ALCS MVP, New York Yankees
18. Freddie Freeman: 2024 World Series MVP, Los Angeles Dodgers
19. Shohei Ohtani: 2025 NLCS MVP, Los Angeles Dodgers
20. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: 2025 ALCS MVP, Toronto Blue Jays
21. Yoshinobu Yamamoto: 2025 World Series MVP, Los Angeles Dodgers