Dodgers World Series MVP Candidates

The entire MLB community got what they wanted last night when the Dodgers beat the Astros to force a winner-take-all game 7.

Last night was a great team win for the Dodgers. They kept their sense of normalcy and remained calm to force the pressure back on the Astros. The win was a collective team effort.

Dave Roberts continued to use the formula that got the Dodgers to the World Series. Rich Hill did not pitch a third time through the Astros lineup. The core-four of the Dodgers bullpen took over in the 5th and did not allow a single run. Morrow, Watson, Maeda, and Jansen combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings while only allowing three baserunners.

The offense was produced by unlikely heroes, again as Joc Pederson delivered his third home run of the World Series. Chris Taylor is quickly becoming a superstar in his own right and got the Dodgers on the board in the 6th, and that chased Verlander out of the game.

We’ve seen it all season long. Every game someone different steps up for this team. I keep referencing back to Joe Davis’ call at the end of a game in August where Puig hit a walk-off double:

“It’s not a matter of it, it’s a matter of who and when.”

Nothing has changed for the Dodgers in the postseason. We saw Justin Turner deliver in game 2 of the NLDS. Kike Hernandez delivered in game 5 of the NLCS. And now we’ve seen Joc Pederson deliver in game 2, 4, and 6 of the World Series. With such a collective team effort to get the Dodgers in this game-clinching position, who should be the World Series MVP?

Joc Pederson

A tale of two hitters Pederson has been. Joc had a great resurgence this postseason, and it’s an excellent testament to the hard work he put in this season.

Pederson struggled during the regular season, hitting in the low .200s with a career-low 11 home runs. His performance resulted in not only losing his starting job but a demotion to the minor leagues. Joc did not make the NLDS roster, and it seemed likely that the Dodgers were moving on from him as a core player. Until the NLCS.

Joc was given a chance in the NLCS when Corey Seager was not on the roster due to a lingering back issue. Joc was given one start in the NLCS and homered off Kyle Hendricks to help the Dodgers secure a 6-1 win. That homer along with Curtis Granderson’s lack of production led to Roberts giving him the final roster spot in the World Series. And boy has that paid off.

Joc is having himself a World Series to remember. Joc’s slash line is .357/.438/1.143 with a team-high 3 home runs and 5 RBI (tied with Bellinger). He has 5 hits in 14 at-bats, and all 5 of those hits have been for extra bases (3 HR, 2 2B).

Joc has started 4 games this series and has had an impact in each of those starts. He had a solo homer off Verlander in game 2 to break up a no-hitter. He hit a 3-run homer to break open game 4 off Musgrove. And last night he had another solo homer to extend the Dodgers lead to 3-1. The Dodgers have won 3 of the 4 games he has started. He’s certainly making a case for WS MVP if the Dodgers win the championship.

Chris Taylor

Already the NLCS co-MVP with Justin Turner, Chris Taylor could continue to add hardware to his shelves with another MVP award. Taylor could run away with the award with a big performance tonight. Taylor’s numbers aren’t spectacular by any means, but the moments in which he’s come up big puts him in the conversation.

Taylor is tied with Corey Seager and Pederson with 5 hits to lead the Dodgers. He has 4 RBI, which is third behind Joc and Bellinger (5). He has one homer in the World Series but is third on the team in OPS (on-base + slugging). Overall, his slash line is .227/.370/.409 with an even 1:1 strikeout to walk ratio. As I said, those numbers don’t scream out clear MVP. But his hits have been timely for the Dodgers.

Starting with game 1 when he drove Dallas Keuchel’s first pitch of the game halfway up the left-field pavilion at Dodgers Stadium. He continued his key at-bats in game 2 by drawing a 2-out walk to extend the inning in the bottom of the 6th. Corey Seager followed up that walk with a 2-run home run to knock out Verlander out of the game.

Taylor continued his clutch at-bats in Game 5 when he got a 2-out, 2-strikes single to drive in Austin Barnes and send the wild game 5 into extra innings. Last night Taylor opened the scoring for the Dodgers with an RBI double to score Barnes to tie the game at 1, again signaling the end of Verlander’s night

Taylor is a 3-hit or 3 RBI game 7 away from running away with the MVP. He’s been crucial to setting the table for the Dodgers’ offense, and an MVP would put a bow on his fantastic season.

This team is made up of multiple commodities that leads to the team’s success. Unlike the Astros, the Dodgers have different hitters step up in big-time situations to get their offense going. The Astros have been highly dependent on Springer, Bregman, Altuve, and Correa. Fortunately, the Dodgers have other players stepping up while Turner, Bellinger, and Puig have yet to get going. But here are some other names that could find themselves in the conversation with a big game 7 performance.

Logan Forsythe – Forsythe has been a reliable bat for Dave Roberts in the bottom of the order. He has a .267/.389/.333 slash line and has 4 hits and is responsible for 6 runs for the club. He regained the starting job from Chase Utley against right-handers and has had solid at-bats all series.

Alex Wood – Alex Wood is a big reason why the Dodgers were able to force game 7. Let’s not forget that he took the mound with the Dodgers trailing 2 games to 1 on the road and pitched into the 6th inning. Wood threw 5 2/3 innings and allowed one solo home run while picking up a no decision. Wood figures to be a big part of the bullpen in game 7. If he can throw 2 or more scoreless innings, he deserves credit for helping the Dodgers win the series.

Kenta Maeda – Ironically enough Maeda has matched Alex Wood’s numbers to the dot. Maeda also has only allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings but has done so out of relief. Maeda has pitched in 4 games this series and has gotten big outs for Dave Roberts. Including last night getting Altuve to ground out to end the inning with runners in scoring position. If it weren’t for a 3-run shot he gave up to Gurriel, he’d be perfect.

Tony Watson – Watson is one of the four key relievers for Roberts. He has the best numbers of all four, going 2-0 with 3 2/3 scoreless innings pitched. Whether he wins the award or not he was a great addition at the deadline and has done a fantastic job this postseason.

Next: Game 7 Pitching Matchup

This series is not over. Anyone of these guys can jump up and take the MVP award. If the Dodgers would have won the series in six, I think the award goes to Taylor. There’s still another ballgame left to be played and plenty of time for other guys to step up. It’s incredible that I wrote this article without mentioning Turner, Bellinger, Seager, or Kershaw. They’ve been streaky up until this point, but all will be forgotten with a big game tonight.