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Who won World Baseball Classic MVP? Royals 3B Maikel Garcia stands at center of Venezuela's championship originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Venezuela's journey to becoming the WBC champions was a true team effort.
So many members of the team were crucial to Venezuela's success, from a deep lineup to a shutdown bullpen. Therefore, there were many candidates for WBC MVP, as no one player stood out above the rest.
In the end, Venezuela's third baseman Maikel Garcia earned MVP honors, as his work as the team's No. 2 hitter was vital to the victories. Here's why Garcia won MVP.
MORE: Venzuala stuns Team USA to capture first-ever WBC Championship
Who won World Baseball Classic MVP?
After a breakout season with the Royals last year, Maikel Garcia was one of Venezuela's top performers in the WBC. The third baseman came through repeatedly for his team, driving in key runs in each of the last three games.
It started in the quarterfinals against Japan, when Garcia hit a two-run homer that cut the deficit to just one run.
Then, on Monday night, when Garcia's two-out single in the seventh inning vs. Italy gave Venezuela its first lead of the game.
Finally, in the championship game, Garcia hit a sacrifice fly in the third inning to open the scoring, as the first run of the game came home to score.
Garcia ended the tournament with a tournament-high 10 hits in 26 at bats, good enough for a .400 batting average and a .970 OPS. He had one home run and seven RBIs in seven games.
MORE: Was Venezuela's Javier Sanoja safe at 2nd in the 9th inning of the WBC title game?
What team does Maikel Garcia play for?
Maikel Garcia is the starting third baseman for the Kansas City Royals. After three lackluster years, Garcia broke out in 2025, producing an .800 OPS, 16 home runs and 23 stolen bases in 160 games.
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