The World Series is set for 2023. The Arizona Diamondbacks did the impossible and beat the Phillies twice at their home ballpark to make it to the World Series as the No. 7 seed in the National League. On the other side, the American League’s No. 5 seed, the Texas Rangers, took down the reigning World Series champion Astros. Heading into this seven-game series, here are predictions for the most valuable hitter and pitcher for each team.
Watch the 2023 World Series on Fubo!
Diamondbacks Hitter – Christian Walker
Christian Walker has been the Diamondbacks’ best hitter all season. In 582 plate appearances during the regular season he had 150 hits, 33 home runs, and 103 RBIs. Fast forward to the postseason and Walker is hitting .179 with one home run and seven RBIs in over 10 games. He has been in a major slump and thanks to the batting of Ketel Marte and company, this team has stayed in games offensively. However, I think this is the series in which Walker gets back on track and rises to the occassion.
Diamondbacks Pitcher – Brandon Pfaadt
Rookie Corbin Carroll, who is likely to win Rookie of the Year, is getting all the praise on this Diamondbacks roster. Still, rookie Brandon Pfaadt has come out and not only dominated, but he started Game 7 of the NLCS and allowed just one run to the hard-hitting Phillies lineup. Through the first postseason of his career, Pfaadt has 16.2 innings pitched with five earned runs and 22 total strikeouts (more than anyone on the team). Carroll might be getting all the praise, but Pfaadt is pitching like he deserves to be considered the best rookie on this team.
Rangers Hitter – Adolis Garcia
The easy and safe name to say here is Adolis Garcia. It’s possible Garcia could cool off in the World Series and someone else can step up, similar to my take on Christian Walker. However, it doesn’t seem like anything is standing in Garcia’s way. Through the 2023 postseason, Garcia is batting .327 with a .352 on-base percentage. He has 17 hits and only 16 strikeouts in 52 appearances. He also has seven home runs (four more than the next Rangers player) and 20 RBIs (nine more than the next closest player) to lead the team. There is no better power or contact hitter on this team than Adolis Garcia.
Rangers Pitcher – Jordan Montgomery
Jordan Montgomery came over to the Rangers from the Cardinals in the middle of the season after pitching 21 games for St. Louis. He quickly became an important part of their rotation. Montgomery helped lead this team to the World Series and will now turn it up a notch in what will likely be two starts during this stint against the Diamondbacks. Montgomery has pitched 25 innings this postseason, which is second on the team to Nathan Eovaldi. He has allowed six earned runs on 28 hits with 17 strikeouts and 6.1 strikeouts per nine innings. He is not a strikeout machine like Eovaldi or even Max Scherzer, but Montgomery does not let batters get on base and that is what this team needs.
Watch the 2023 World Series on Fubo!
