The National League Championship Series (NLCS), also known as the National League Pennant, is one of two League Championship Series that together make up the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. The two National League (NL) Division Series champions compete in it. The winner of the NLCS earns the NL pennant and proceeds to the MLB World Series, where they will take on the winner of the American League Championship Series (ALCS). It was a best-of-five playoff format until 1985 when it switched to its current best-of-seven format.
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) was first introduced in 1969 and since then has functioned as one of the penultimate stages before reaching the MLB World Series games. Every season saw the National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player (NLCS MVP) award being presented to the best player belonging to the National League (NL) teams. Notably, Tommy Edman of the Los Angeles Dodgers became the latest recipient of the NLCS MVP Award in 2024.
Read More:- ALCS MVP Award Winners
What is the history of the National League Championship Series?
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) was introduced by Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1969. This was done to provide a proper structure to the postseason of the league. The National League was initially divided into the East and West divisions and teams used to play a best-of-five game series. However, the format was changed to a best-of-seven-game series in 1985 to determine the teams that would go on to the MLB World Series.
The National League was once again restructured into three divisions, namely, East, West, and Central divisions in 1994. Since then, teams from all three divisions in the league have competed to reach the National League Championship Series (NLCS) and finally make it to the MLB World Series.
List of All NLCS Most Valuable Player Award Winners (Year-By-Year)
The following table lists all the players who have won the NLCS MVP Awards from the beginning till 2024 as per ESPN-
| Year | Player | Team | Position |
| 1977 | Dusty Baker | Los Angeles Dodgers | Outfielder |
| 1978 | Steve Garvey | Los Angeles Dodgers | First Baseman |
| 1979 | Willie Stargell | Pittsburgh Pirates | First Baseman |
| 1980 | Manny Trillo | Philadelphia Phillies | Second Baseman |
| 1981 | Burt Hooton | Los Angeles Dodgers | Starting Pitcher |
| 1982 | Darrell Porter | St. Louis Cardinals | Catcher |
| 1983 | Gary Matthews | Philadelphia Phillies | Outfielder |
| 1984 | Steve Garvey | San Diego Padres | First Baseman |
| 1985 | Ozzie Smith | St. Louis Cardinals | Shortstop |
| 1986 | Mike Scott | Houston Astros | Starting Pitcher |
| 1987 | Jeffrey Leonard | San Francisco Giants | Outfielder |
| 1988 | Orel Hershiser | Los Angeles Dodgers | Pitcher |
| 1989 | Will Clark | San Francisco Giants | First Baseman |
| 1990 | Rob Dibble | Cincinnati Reds | Relief Pitcher |
| 1991 | Randy Myers | Cincinnati Reds | Relief Pitcher |
| 1992 | John Smoltz | Atlanta Braves | Starting Pitcher |
| 1993 | Curt Schilling | Philadelphia Phillies | Starting Pitcher |
| 1994 | Series cancelled due to the player's strike | ||
| 1995 | Mike Devereaux | Atlanta Braves | Outfielder |
| 1996 | Javy Lopez | Atlanta Braves | Catcher |
| 1997 | Livan Hernandez | Florida Marlins | Starting Pitcher |
| 1998 | Sterling Hitchcock | San Diego Padres | Starting Pitcher |
| 1999 | Eddie Perez | Atlanta Braves | Catcher |
| 2000 | Mike Hampton | New York Mets | Starting Pitcher |
| 2001 | Craig Counsell | Arizona Diamondbacks | Infielder |
| 2002 | Benito Santiago | San Franciso Giants | Catcher |
| 2003 | Ivan Rodriguez | Florida Marlins | Catcher |
| 2004 | Albert Pujols | St. Louis Cardinals | First Baseman |
| 2005 | Roy Oswalt | Houston Astros | Starting Pitcher |
| 2006 | Jeff Suppan | St. Louis Cardinals | Starting Pitcher |
| 2007 | Matt Holliday | Colorado Rockies | Outfielder |
| 2008 | Cole Hamels | Philadelphia Phillies | Starting Pitcher |
| 2009 | Ryan Howard | Philadelphia Phillies | First Baseman |
| 2010 | Cody Ross | San Francisco Giants | Outfielder |
| 2011 | David Freese | St. Louis Cardinals | Third Baseman |
| 2012 | Marko Scutaro | San Francisco Giants | Second Baseman |
| 2013 | Michael Wacha | St. Louis Cardinals | Starting Pitcher |
| 2014 | Madison Bumgarner | San Francisco Giants | Starting Pitcher |
| 2015 | Daniel Murphy | New York Mets | Infielder |
| 2016 | Jon Lester | Chicago Cubs | Starting Pitcher |
| 2016 | Javier Baez | Chicago Cubs | Infielder |
| 2017 | Justin Turner | Los Angeles Dodgers | Third Baseman |
| 2017 | Chris Taylor | Los Angeles Dodgers | Outfielder |
| 2018 | Cody Bellinger | Los Angeles Dodgers | First Baseman |
| 2019 | Howie Kendrick | Washington Nationals | Second Baseman |
| 2020 | Corey Seager | Los Angeles Dodgers | Shortstop |
| 2021 | Eddie Rosario | Atlanta Braves | Outfielder |
| 2022 | Bryce Harper | Philadelphia Phillies | Designated Hitter |
| 2023 | Ketel Marte | Arizona Diamondbacks | Second Baseman |
| 2024 | Tommy Edman | Los Angeles Dodgers | Centerfielder |
FAQs on List of NLCS MVP Award Winners Year By year
A. The NLCS MVP (Most Valuable Player) Award is given annually to the player who has the greatest impact on their team's performance in the National League Championship Series.
A. The National League Championship Series (NLCS) started in 1969 and was originally a best of five game series before changing to best of seven game series in 1985.
A. Tommy Edman of the Los Angeles Dodgers is the most recent winner of the NLCS MVP Award in 2024.
A. The Milwaukee Brewers (AL) and Houston Astros (NL) are the only teams. The Houston Astros are the first to win both an NLCS and an ALCS.
A. Yes, every current National League franchise has participated in the NLCS, except for the Milwaukee Brewers, who switched to the NL in 1998.
