The World Series is baseball's biggest stage, where the biggest players shine.
The Texas Rangers entered Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead as the clear World Series odds favorite and they did not disappoint. Neither did shortstop Corey Seager, who followed through with an outstanding series to win MVP.
With the 2023 Fall Classic now in the rearview mirror, we will put World Series MVP odds to bed until next fall.
World Series 2023 MVP closing odds
| Player |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Corey Seager |
-500 | -420 | -500 |
| Marcus Semien |
+1,100 | +1,100 | +1,400 |
 Ketel Marte |
+2,800 | +3,100 | +2,500 |
| Tommy Pham |
+3,000 | +3,100 | +2,500 |
| Corbin Carroll |
+3,000 | +3,200 | +3,300 |
| Josh Jung |
+4,000 | +3,900 | +4,000 |
| Merrill Kelly |
+5,000 | +5,000 | +4,000 |
| Evan Carter |
+5,000 | +5,000 | +3,300 |
| Mitch Garver |
+10,000 | +10,000 | +10,000 |
| Gabriel Moreno |
+10,000 | +11,000 | +8,000 |
Odds as of Nov. 1, 2023.
Texas Rangers star shortstop Corey Seager was a machine throughout the postseason and especially in the World Series. In Year 2 of his 10-year, $325-million deal, Seager — and fellow big-ticket signing Marcus Semien — helped deliver Texas its first championship in franchise history, dating back to its time as the Washington Senators from 1961-71.
It was a remarkable turnaround from several lost seasons and Seager's elevation from All-Star to superstar was a driving force. And he didn't disappear when the lights shined brightest, either. Seager hit .306/.442/.694 with six home runs, six doubles, 12 RBI, and 14 walks over 16 postseason games and posted a 1.137 OPS with three homers in the five-game finale vs. Arizona. That's a clutch performance.
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How is the World Series MVP decided?
The Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player Award is decided by a committee of media members and officials who are in attendance at the final game.
The honor is awarded to the player deemed to have the most impact on his team's performance during the World Series — performance during earlier postseason rounds does not count toward this award.
The World Series MVP can be given to a player from either the winning or losing team, although a player from the losing team winning the award has only happened once (Bobby Richardson, NYY, 1960).
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How to read World Series MVP odds
The World Series MVP odds are displayed in a list format with corresponding odds for each player considered an MVP candidate. The odds will reflect the implied probability of that player winning MVP.
Most sportsbooks in North America will list World Series MVP odds in American format:
- Jose Altuve -120
- Bryce Harper +187
This means that a $100 bet on Altuve would profit $83 (or a $120 bet would win $100), while a $100 bet on Harper would profit $187. Use our odds converter to switch American odds to decimal or fractional and to see how much you could win using different odds.
World Series MVP history
The World Series MVP Award has been handed out to the player deemed to have had the greatest impact on his team's performance during the championship series every year starting in 1955. Prior to the 2017 postseason, the award was renamed in honor of Willie Mays in remembrance of the hall-of-famer's historic catch in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series. The Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player Award trophy is a wooden pedestal topped by a bronze sculpture of Mays making the iconic catch.
Pitchers have won the award 29 times (four times by relief pitchers), including 12 of the first 14 years from 1955 to 1968. More recently, dating back to 2004, the award has been won 17 of the last 20 years by non-pitchers.
| Position | Total |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 29 |
| Outfielder | 11 |
| Third baseman | 10 |
| Shortstop | 8 |
| ShortstopCatcher | 7 |
| Designated hitter | 3 |
| First baseman | 3 |
| Second baseman | 1 |
Betting has only been available on the World Series MVP Award since 2003. The table below lists those winners, in addition to their odds to win before the World Series began.
| Year | MVP winner | MVP odds | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Corey Seager | +475 | SS |
| 2022 | Jeremy Pena | +2,500 | SS |
| 2021 | Jorge Soler | +3,500 | RF |
| 2020 | Corey Seager | +800 | SS |
| 2019 | Stephen Strasburg | +1,950 | SP |
| 2018 | Steve Pearce | +5,500 | LF/1B |
| 2017 | George Springer | +2,200 | CF |
| 2016 | Ben Zobrist | +1,500 | 2B/OF |
| 2015 | Salvador Perez | +2,500 | C |
| 2014 | Madison Bumgarner | +700 | SP |
| 2013 | David Ortiz | +900 | DH/1B |
| 2012 | Pablo Sandoval | +1,200 | 3B |
| 2011 | David Freese | +1,000 | 3B/1B |
| 2010 | Edgar Renteria | +3,300 | SS |
| 2009 | Hideki Matsui | +800 (field) | OF |
| 2008 | Cole Hamels | +600 | SP |
| 2007 | Mike Lowell | +1,200 | 3B |
| 2006 | David Eckstein | +1,500 | SS |
| 2005 | Jermaine Dye | +1,000 | RF |
| 2004 | Manny Ramirez | +500 | LF |
World Series MVP trends
- Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson (1960) is the only player to win World Series MVP honors while playing for the losing team.
- The World Series MVP award has been awarded to a pitcher 42% of the time since its inception.
- In 2022, the Houston Astros’ Jeremy Pena became just the third rookie ever to win the World Series MVP award.
- Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, and Reggie Jackson are the only players to win the World Series MVP award more than once.
World Series MVP Odds FAQs
Odds will not be available for the 2024 World Series MVP award until the 2024 MLB postseason begins next October.
Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager won World Series MVP in 2023 after slashing .286/.375/.762 with three home runs in five games vs. the Diamondbacks.
Since 2003, 16 of the last 20 World Series MVPs have gone to non-pitchers, with the four exceptions being Stephen Strasburg, Madison Bumgarner, Cole Hamels, and Josh Beckett. Otherwise, third baseman and outfielders are the most common positions to win the award.
