Ranking Top 10 Potential 2023 World Series MVP Winners from Diamondbacks vs. Rangers
The 2023 World Series matchup is officially set after the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers both came out on top in Game 7 of their respective League Championship Series showdowns.
The D-backs were led by rookie Corbin Carroll and second baseman Ketel Marte offensively this season, while the one-two punch of Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly anchored a young pitching staff.
The Rangers had one of baseball's best offenses with Corey Seager putting together an MVP-caliber season and outfielder Adolis García leading the team in home runs (39) and RBI (107). Veterans Nathan Eovaldi and Jordan Montgomery have been tasked with leading the rotation in the postseason.
Before the first pitch of Game 1 is thrown on Friday night, we've ranked the top 10 candidates to win World Series MVP honors this year.
10. C Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks
1 of 10
2023 Season: 380 PA, .284/.339/.408, 27 XBH (7 HR), 50 RBI, 33 R
2023 Postseason: 47 PA, .279/.340/.512, 4 XBH (3 HR), 9 RBI, 3 R
The deal to acquire Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Daulton Varsho this past offseason has paid huge dividends for the D-backs this year.
Moreno homered once in the Wild Card Series and twice in the NLDS before going 8-for-27 in the NLCS, and he has been the starting catcher for every game during Arizona's playoff run to the World Series.
The 23-year-old is controllable through the 2028 season and looks like a foundational building block for the D-backs going forward.
9. RHP Merrill Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks
2 of 10
2023 Season: 30 GS, 12-8, 3.29 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 187 K, 177.2 IP
2023 Postseason: 3 GS, 2-1, 2.65 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 19 K, 17.0 IP
Is there a more underrated starting pitcher in the game today than Merrill Kelly?
The veteran right-hander first made a name for himself in the KBO before returning stateside in 2019 and making his MLB debut at the age of 30. The 35-year-old took an unexpected step forward last season when he went 13-8 with a 3.37 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 200.1 innings, and he was once again one of the better No. 2 starters in baseball this year, slotted behind ace Zac Gallen.
He tossed 6.1 scoreless innings in his postseason debut in Game 1 of the NLDS, and he was the winning pitcher in Game 6 of the NLCS with five innings of three-hit, one-run ball.
8. LHP Jordan Montgomery, Texas Rangers
3 of 10
2023 Season: 32 GS, 10-11, 3.20 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 166 K, 188.2 IP
2023 Postseason: 5/4 G/GS, 3-0, 2.16 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 17 K, 25.0 IP
Left-hander Jordan Montgomery made as big of an impact as any player acquired at this year's trade deadline, posting a 2.79 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 67.2 innings over 11 starts after coming over from the St. Louis Cardinals.
He was brilliant in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series (7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER) and Game 1 of the ALCS (6.1 IP, 5 H, 0 ER), and he was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the ALCS with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief behind Max Scherzer.
The 30-year-old hits the open market for the first time this offseason, and he has done as much as anyone over the past month to boost his free agency stock.
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7. OF Evan Carter, Texas Rangers
4 of 10
2023 Season: 75 PA, .306/.413/.645, 10 XBH (5 HR), 12 RBI, 15 R
2023 Postseason: 49 PA, .308/.449/.538, 7 XBH (1 HR), 5 RBI, 8 R
Two months ago, Evan Carter was still playing at the Double-A level and was just a few days away from turning 21 years old.
Fast forward, and he is now the No. 3 hitter for a Texas Rangers team that is headed to the World Series. He has been putting on a show all postseason both in the batter's box and defensively in left field.
Carter has collected at least one hit in 11 of 12 postseason games, including a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Game 7 of the ALCS. One of baseball's top prospects has made an immediate splash and emerged as a key contributor for the AL pennant winners.
6. OF Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks
5 of 10
2023 Season: 645 PA, .285/.362/.506, 65 XBH (25 HR), 76 RBI, 116 R
2023 Postseason: 54 PA, .295/.396/.455, 3 XBH (2 HR), 6 RBI, 9 R
Corbin Carroll went from top prospect to standout September call-up in 2022 to bona fide superstar as a rookie during the 2023 regular season, so it should come as no surprise that he has continued to impress under the bright lights of October.
He has 13 hits, seven walks, nine runs scored and four steals setting the table at the top of the D-backs lineup, and his ability to get on base ahead of a red-hot Ketel Marte has helped ignite the Arizona offense.
Carroll was Arizona's best player during the regular season, so it's only right that he would be among the favorites to take home World Series MVP honors if their unexpected run culminates in a title.
5. RHP Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks
6 of 10
2023 Season: 34 GS, 17-9, 3.47 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 220 K, 210.0 IP
2023 Postseason: 4 GS, 2-2, 5.24 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 13 K, 22.1 IP
Zac Gallen is likely on his way to finishing in the top 10 in NL Cy Young voting for the third time in the past four years, and after dealing with some injury issues earlier in his career he has developed into a frontline workhorse.
The 28-year-old was the winning pitcher in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series and the NLDS, but he took the loss in both of his NLCS starts, allowing more than three earned runs in consecutive starts for the first time since early July.
Is he running out of gas, or can he return to ace form when he takes the mound in Game 1 of the World Series?
4. RHP Nathan Eovaldi, Texas Rangers
7 of 10
2023 Season: 25 GS, 12-5, 3.63 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 132 K, 144.0 IP
2023 Postseason: 4 GS, 4-0, 2.42 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 28 K, 26.0 IP
Nathan Eovaldi has played the role of postseason hero before, posting a 1.61 ERA in 22.1 innings while tallying two wins and two holds to help lead the Boston Red Sox to a World Series title in 2018.
He has rattled off four straight quality starts in his first postseason with the Texas Rangers after signing a two-year, $34 million deal during the offseason.
After spending big to land Jacob deGrom in free agency and swinging a blockbuster deal for Max Scherzer at the trade deadline, who would have guessed Eovaldi would be leading the Rangers' staff in October?
3. 2B Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
8 of 10
2023 Season: 650 PA, .276/.358/.485, 60 XBH (25 HR), 82 RBI, 94 R
2023 Postseason: 55 PA, .358/.382/.604, 8 XBH (2 HR), 7 RBI, 6 R
This is an absolutely wild stat:
Second baseman Ketel Marte has low-key been the face of the franchise for the Arizona Diamondbacks since Paul Goldschmidt left town, and now he is leading the charge in October.
The 30-year-old went 12-for-31 with five extra-base hits to win NLCS MVP honors, and his hitting streak stretches all the way back to his 3-for-5 performance in the 2017 NL Wild Card Game against the Colorado Rockies.
2. OF Adolis García, Texas Rangers
9 of 10
2023 Season: 632 PA, .245/.328/.508, 68 XBH (39 HR), 107 RBI, 108 R
2024 Postseason: 54 PA, .327/.352/.750, 8 XBH (7 HR), 20 RBI, 10 R
Slugger Adolis García went on more than a few RBI surges during the 2023 regular season, including a 30-RBI month in April to kick off the year, but nothing quite compares to what he just did in the ALCS.
The 30-year-old tallied five home runs and 15 RBI in seven games against the Houston Astros, setting the MLB record for RBI in a single postseason series on his way to ALCS MVP honors.
He had an .886 OPS with runners in scoring position during the regular season, and the Texas cleanup hitter will enter Game 1 of the World Series working on a streak of four straight games with a home run.
1. SS Corey Seager, Texas Rangers
10 of 10
2023 Season: 536 PA, .327/.390/.623, 75 XBH (33 HR), 96 RBI, 88 R
2023 Postseason: 58 PA, .333/.483/.644, 8 XBH (3 HR), 6 RBI, 12 R
Hall of Fame legends Sandy Koufax (1963, 1965), Bob Gibson (1964, 1967) and Reggie Jackson (1973, 1977) are the only players in MLB history who have won World Series MVP honors twice in their careers.
Can Corey Seager join that exclusive list?
The 29-year-old missed some time to injury during the regular season but still racked up a career-high 6.9 WAR in 119 games. After going 8-for-31 with two doubles and two home runs in the ALCS, he is certainly swinging a hot bat.
He already has four multi-hit games this postseason, including a 3-for-5 performance with a double and a home run in Game 7 of the ALCS.
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