The baseball playoffs are basically a total crapshoot.  You get in and you have a chance to win.  Individuals are similar.  Once you are in the postseason, you can get walk-off bombs from guys with no regular season homers (Scott Podsednik 2005), three-run homers from pitchers (Kerry Wood 2003), or insane hitting stretches by well-below average hitters (Mark Lemke 1991). 

Sometimes, this translates to entire series, so you get guys winning MVPs in the postseason who could live to be 3 million and never win one during the regular season.

7. David Eckstein

Sometimes, your unlikely MVP comes in the form of a short, scrappy, white guy, which means that you are then treated to a year’s worth of articles that utilize the words “hustle” and “grit” as often as the presidential campaign uses “freedom” and “liberty.”  Much like it’s hard to blame Brett Favre for his adulation, the same goes for Eckstein.  He was last year’s World Series MVP, although it could have easily gone to Scott Rolen.

6. Livan Hernandez 

Fresh from Cuba, Hernandez was both the NLCS and World Series MVP back in 1997.  Of course, part of it he must share with Game 5 LCS umpire Eric Gregg, who treated him to a seven-foot strike zone as he struck out 15 Braves in the victory.

5. Sterling Hitchcock

Besides being one of or maybe the only MVPs named “Sterling” in any of the four major sports, Hitchcock also carved the Braves up with an 0.90 ERA in two 1998 NLCS starts, taking this spot away from another somewhat unlikely MVP, Steve Avery, who had two 1-0 wins in the 1991 NLCS.

4. Scott Brosius

Brosius was 8 for 17 in the 1998 World Series with two home runs, and since he was the Yankees’ third baseman before A-Rod, there are some (mostly media members) who think that the Yanks would be better off with Brosius because of those eight hits in 17 at-bats and four games. 

Entertaining.

3. Pat Borders

A .242 hitter in the regular season, Borders busted out with a .450 average in the 1992 World Series with two bombs and became the first MVP to represent a team from Canada.

2. Craig Counsell

He was David Eckstein before David Eckstein, in 2001 to be exact.  The only differences are that he is not even as good as Eckstein in the regular season and has one of the most awkward batting stances in the history of baseball, including every league that has ever been played at any level.  However, he was only the NLCS MVP, not the World Series, though he also scored the winning run in Game 7 of the Series that year too.

1. Eddie Perez

The 1999 NLCS MVP, Perez hit .500 in the series with 5 RsBI.  He only had 172 RsBI in his entire regular season career.  Not bad for a guy whose usual job was simply to be Greg Maddux’s personal catcher.

The Top7 is written by Jason Major.  He's betting Skip Bayless would rather have Mark Lemke than Alex Rodriguez.  Email him at jason@joesportsfan.com

Recent Top7 Entries
Ridiculous Brett Favre Quotes (since Week2)

Silly MLB Playoff Storylines

Unnecessary MLB Team Gear

Worst Defending World Champions

Depressingly Devalued Baseball Cards

Worst #1 Draft Picks