Power Ranking the Last 25 World Series MVPs

Pablo Sandoval entered an exclusive club when he was named the World Series MVP after the San Francisco Giants swept the Detroit Tigers. Over the past 25 years, pitchers have won the award 12 times, and there was even co-MVPs one year, when Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson shared the award in 2001.

Now that Sandoval has been given the hardware, it is time to see where Kung Fu Panda ranks among past World Series' MVPs. The following list will rank the past 25 players who have won the award and how their performance stacks up during the Fall Classic.

25. Jermaine Dye

World Series: 2005

Jermaine Dye won the award as a member of the Chicago White Sox when they swept the Houston Astros. He hit .438 during the World Series and had three RBI over the four games.

The RBI were significant, as Dye knocked in the first and last runs of the World Series.

He hit a home run in the first inning of Game 1, and had the series-clinching single in the eighth inning of Game 4.

24. Cole Hamels

World Series: 2008

Cole Hamels set the tone for the Philadelphia Phillies' World Series title by winning Game 1. He finished the Fall Classic giving up four earned runs over two starts and striking out eight.

While these numbers are good and have become fairly common for Hamels, in comparison to the rest of the players who have won MVP, it is a fairly weak resume. And that is why he comes in at No. 24.

23. Livan Hernandez

World Series: 1997

Livan Hernandez was a big part in the Florida Marlins' series win over the Cleveland Indians, winning two of the four games necessary for the pennant. 

While the two wins were good, though, he was far from perfect, giving up eight earned runs over his starts.

The wins were good enough to get him the award, but he isn't higher on this list due to the runs allowed.

22. David Eckstein

World Series: 2006

David Eckstein was named World Series MVP in 2006 after the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Detroit Tigers in five games.

In a series with the likes of Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds and Chris Carpenter, Eckstein rose to the occasion for the Cardinals. He finished the series hitting .364, three doubles, three runs scored and three RBI.

What's impressive about Eckstein is that he started the series as about as bad as a player possible can, getting only one hit in his first 11 at-bats. That slow start is why he comes in at No. 22.

21. Scott Brosius

World Series: 1998

The third baseman for the New York Yankees was named the MVP after his team swept the San Diego Padres.

In those four games, Scott Brosius hit .471 with two home runs and six RBI. Those six RBI accounted for over 20 percent of the team's 26 runs scored in the series.

20. Manny Ramirez

World Series: 2004

Manny Ramirez helped end one of the longest championship droughts when the Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004. Ramirez's stats are impressive, as he hit .412 with one home runs and four RBI.

However, Manny did not have any walkoff hits, and his RBI total is lower than other MVP winners. That is why he enters this list at 20.

19. Pat Borders

World Series: 1992

Pat Borders won the award when the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Atlanta Braves to capture their first of two consecutive World Series championships.

During the series, Borders had nine hits—four of which were extra base hits—and three RBI. In comparison to other MVP winners, this stats are pretty pedestrian.

18. Mike Lowell

World Series: 2007

Mike Lowell hit .400 with one home run, four RBI and even a stolen base when the Boston Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies in 2007.

The impressive number for Lowell is that he scored six of the Red Sox's 29 runs in the World Series, which helped him move up to 19th.

17. Paul Molitor

World Series: 1993

In 1993, the Blue Jays won their second consecutive World Series title, and a big part of that was third baseman/designated hitter Paul Molitor. Even though many will remember Joe Carter's series-clinching three run walkoff home run, Molitor was consistent over all six games.

Over that time frame, he had six singles, two doubles, two triples and two home runs in 24 at-bats. In addition, he scored 10 of the team's 45 runs and knocked in additional eight runs. This means that Molitor was involved in 40 percent of the team's runs.

16. Troy Glaus

World Series: 2002

The Anaheim Angels captured a World Series title thanks in big part to third baseman Troy Glaus. The Angels needed all seven games to put away the Giants and miraculously overcame a five-run deficit in Game 6 to force a seventh game.

Glaus started the World Series with a bang, hitting two home runs in Game 1, and he finished the series with three total home runs. He was also the only Angel to have double-digit hits (10) and was tied for the team lead in runs scored (7) and RBI (8). 

15. Edgar Renteria

World Series: 2010

Edgar Renteria helped the San Francisco Giants capture a World Series title over the Texas Rangers in 2010 in a series that only went five games. Renteria had the series-clinching hit—a three-run homer in the seventh inning of Game 5, which helped him capture the title of MVP.

Over the series, Renteria led the Giants in average, home runs, RBI and runs scored, as he hit .412 with two home runs, six RBI and six runs scored.

14. Derek Jeter

World Series: 2000

Derek Jeter was named World Series MVP during the Subway Series between the Yankees and New York Mets. This was the Yankees' third straight World Series title, as they won the series 4-1.

Jeter rose to the occasion in this series, hitting .409 with two home runs—one coming off the first pitch of Game 4—and six runs scored.

The Yankees only scored a total of 19 runs over the five games, and Jeter was obviously a major part of that.

13. Pablo Sandoval

World Series: 2012

Pablo Sandoval is the most recent player to receive the honor of World Series MVP, and it was more than deserved. He tied the World Series record for most home runs in one game in Game 1 by hitting three home runs, giving the Giants momentum they never gave up.

Sandoval led the Giants in hits with eight, which was twice as many as the next-closest Giant. He also led the team in RBI with four and was tied for the team lead in runs scored with three.

In a series that saw the Giants only score 16 runs, Sandoval was involved in just under 50 percent of them.

12. Josh Beckett

World Series: 2003

This was a battle of two very different franchises, with the Yankees appearing in their sixth World Series over an eight-year span and the Marlins—who had only been a franchise for 11 years— looking for their second World Series title.

In the end, the Marlins took home the hardware, winning the series 4-2.

Josh Beckett was a big reason for that, appearing in two games and winning the series-clinching Game 6. Beckett was coming off only three games rest, but he threw a complete-game shutout in New York. That kind of performance is why he is where he is on this list.

11. Mariano Rivera

World Series: 1999

Mariano Rivera played a big role in the Yankees' sweep of the Atlanta Braves in 1999. He only made three appearances and pitched 4.2 innings, but in those appearances, he went 1-0 and made two saves.

Over the course of the World Series, he struck out three batters, walked only one and gave up only three hits. The important stat, though, and the reason he is where he is on this list, is that he didn't give up a single run over his three appearances.

10. Dave Stewart

World Series: 1989

Dave Stewart won the MVP award as a member of the Oakland A's when they swept the San Francisco Giants. Stewart accounted for two of the team's four wins and threw one complete game.

Stewart won Game 1 and Game 3 for the A's, and over his 16 innings of work, he struck out 14. He also gave up only three earned runs over those two starts—one of the top cumulative pitching performances in World Series' history.

9. Tom Glavine

World Series: 1995

Tom Glavine was the winning pitcher for the Atlanta Braves in the clinching Game 6 when they beat the Cleveland Indians in 1995. This was the first season after the strike, and it didn't look like Glavine missed a beat during the World Series.

He made two starts for the Braves, winning both and averaging seven innings pitched per start. He struck out 11 over his two starts and only gave up two runs over the entire World Series.

8. Jose Rijo

World Series: 1990

Jose Rijo won two games for the Reds when they swept the Oakland A's in 1990. He threw 15.1 innings and only gave up one run for an ERA of 0.59. He also struck out 14 while walking four and was the winning pitcher in the series-clinching Game 4. 

The reason he is as high as he is on this list—and ahead of Glavine—is because he was the winning pitcher for the series-winning game, he gave up less runs, struck out more batters and pitched more innings.

7. Jack Morris

World Series: 1991

Jack Morris made three starts in the 1991 World Series, going 2-0 and winning Game 7 for the Minnesota Twins. He single-handedly shut down the Atlanta Braves over his three starts, giving up only three earned runs.

The only thing that may be more rare than three starts is pitching 10 innings of shutout baseball—and to do it in a Game 7, no less. Morris saved his best start for the end, helping the Twins win 1-0 thanks to his 10 innings of scoreless baseball.

6. Hideki Matsui

World Series: 2009

In a battle of two Northeast cities, the Yankees took on the Phillies in the 2009 World Series. However, unlike the plot of a box office disaster, this Godzilla attacked Philadelphia instead of New York.

Matsui had a big World Series, but he saved his best for last with six RBI in the series-clinching Game 6—which the Yankees won 7-3. He finished the series hitting an unreal .615 with eight RBI and three home runs.

5. David Freese

World Series: 2011

In a series that saw Albert Pujols hit three home runs in one game, whoever won the MVP would have to play unbelievable. And that is exactly what David Freese did. In the seven-game series that saw the Cardinals edge out the Rangers, Freese had eight hits—five of which were for extra bases—and seven RBI.

Even though the series went seven games, Freese probably locked up the award in Game 6. In what was an elimination game for the Cardinals, Freese played the role of hero—something he did all postseason for them—hitting a walkoff home run in the 11th inning.

4. John Wetteland

World Series: 1996

John Wetteland tied a record that can never be broken, only matched, collecting four saves in the 1996 World Series when the New York Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves.

Wetteland actually made five appearances, giving up only one earned run over 4.1 innings of work and striking out six.

It was pretty impressive to see him enter a high-pressure situation night after night on the biggest stage in Major League Baseball and be close to perfect. This is the reason he is in the top five in terms of World Series MVPs over the past 25 years.

3. Curt Schilling

World Series: 2001

In 2001, two players were named MVP of the same World Series for the first time in Major League Baseball history. Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling led the Arizona Diamondbacks to a championship over the New York Yankees, who, at the timem were looking for their fourth straight championship.

Schilling ended up with a record of 1-0 and struck out 26 over 21.1 innings of work.

Even though they were named co-MVP, Johnson had the better performance in my opinion, because Schilling gave up four earned runs to Johnson's one, and he had two less wins than Johnson.

2. Orel Hershiser

World Series: 1988

One of the most iconic images in sports happened during Game 1 of this series, when Kirk Gibson hit a walkoff homer off of A's closer Dennis Eckersley. However, the Dodgers probably would not have won the World Series if it wasn't for Orel Hershiser's performance.

The Dodgers starting pitcher threw two complete games, went 2-0 and had an ERA of 1.00. He also struck out 17 and only walked six over his two starts. This type of performance makes Hershiser one of the best World Series MVPs over the past 25 years.

1. Randy Johnson

World Series: 2001

Even though Schilling and Randy Johnson were named co-MVP, Randy Johnson had the better performance in the World Series and was the best MVP over the past 25 years.

Johnson made two starts during the 2001 World Series and then came in during Game 7 in a relief appearance to help secure the Diamondbacks' championship. He ended up getting wins in all three appearances and struck out 19 batters in 17.1 innings of work.

The fact that he threw seven innings in Game 6 and the very next night, in a role that he was unfamiliar with, came on in relief and got the final four outs for Arizona is remarkable and why he is No. 1 on this list.