The 2026 World Series has already reshaped the World Series MVP odds, and not just around the biggest names. Richie Palacios and Cooper Pratt are now being treated as dark-horse possibilities after strong playoff starts for the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers.
That matters because the final best-of-seven series is the last chance for anyone to make a case, and the race often turns on one hot stretch rather than a full-season résumé. The Brewers finished the regular season with the most wins in the entire league, the Rays had the best record in the American League, and both clubs entered this matchup with the expectation that Jackson Chourio, Jacob Misiorowski and Junior Caminero would be the names driving the MVP talk.
Palacios has forced his way into the conversation on production alone. He is hitting.364 in the playoffs, going 8-for-22, which is the highest batting average on the Rays so far. He has not hit a home run yet, but he is tied with Junior Caminero for the second-most doubles on the team this fall, which gives him a path to influence games without needing a massive power surge.
Pratt has done something similar for the Brewers, even if his name is still below the obvious stars on the postseason board. The 22-year-old is batting.310 and is 9-for-29 in the playoffs, with the second-most hits on the Brewers so far. Milwaukee's offense this fall has been fueled by William Contreras, Christian Yelich and Jake Bauers, but Pratt has stayed in the mix long enough to be noticed, and even Contreras has more playoff hits than he does.
That is where the race gets interesting. The heavy favorites still look like the players with the bigger profiles and the louder power numbers, yet the award is voted on from the final impact of the series, not from preseason reputation. A player who keeps stacking hits in a tight World Series can leap over more celebrated teammates, and both Palacios and Pratt have already shown they can keep the line moving when their clubs need it most.
The next few games will decide whether those numbers were only a fast start or the beginning of a real MVP push. If Palacios or Pratt keeps producing while the 2026 World Series is still undecided, the conversation around the award could change quickly, and that would make the final vote as much about timing as talent.
