Toronto Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. connects for a solo home run against the Seattle Mariners during the fifth inning in Game 6 of baseball’s American League Championship Series, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
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The deciding Game Seven of the American League Championship Series is tonight, with the winner advancing to the World Series. One player on either the Seattle Mariners or Toronto Blue Jays will be named the ALCS MVP, depending on which team emerges with the victory.
Unless something remarkable happens tonight—which is very possible—Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be the ALCS MVP if the Blue Jays win the series. The superstar first baseman is 9-22 with three home runs, three doubles, four walks, and a hit-by-pitch, and he has been on fire this entire postseason. His 1.473 OPS in the series so far is the best by any player on either team, with the exceptions of Seattle’s Harry Ford, who singled in his only at bat, and Mitch Garver, who is 1-2 with a double.
Shane Bieber, tonight’s starting pitcher, could wrestle the award away from Guerrero with an outstanding performance in Game Seven. He previously pitched in Game Three for Toronto, going six innings with two runs allowed, eight strikeouts, and picking up the win.
Other candidates for the Blue Jays include third baseman/right fielder Addison Barger, who is hitting .250/.375/.600 with two home runs in this series, and designated hitter George Springer, who is hitting .269/.345/.615 with a pair of dingers. Left fielder Nathan Lukes is 8-23 and has already come up with several clutch hits through the first six games.
If the Mariners win, the ALCS MVP choice is less clear. First baseman Josh Naylor has been their best hitter so far, going 9-21 with three home runs, two walks, a .429/.478/.857 batting line, and an entertaining stolen base.
With a big game tonight, either third baseman Eugenio Suárez or catcher Cal Raleigh could overtake Naylor, not that he would mind. Suarez won Game Five for the Mariners with a pair of home runs, including a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning, and is hitting .318/.400/.636 in the ALCS. Raleigh, who shattered several records with 60 home runs in the regular season, has three bombs in this series and is hitting .227/.320/.682.
Seattle’s best pitcher in this series has been Bryce Miller, who started Game One and Game Five. In 10 innings, he allowed two runs, six hits, and five walks while striking out seven. A dark horse MVP candidate based on what happens tonight could be reliever Eduard Bazardo, who has allowed three baserunners and one run in five innings to this point in the ALCS.
In the National League, the NLCS MVP was decided several days ago when the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Milwaukee Brewers in four games. Shohei Ohtani won the award for his performance in the clincher, which might be one of the greatest single games by any player in baseball history. He threw six shutout innings as the starting pitcher, and belted three home runs as the designated hitter.
Ohtani and the Dodgers await the winner of tonight’s ALCS Game Seven between the Blue Jays and Mariners. The series result and the eventual MVP will both be determined by what happens in Toronto this evening.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danepstein/2025/10/20/the-alcs-mvp-is-still-up-for-grabs-in-tonights-deciding-game-seven/
