Jake Bauers’ rise from journeyman to NLCS MVP captures Brewers’ historic story

Jake Bauers may best represent the story of the Milwaukee Brewers season and its NLCS triumph over the Los Angeles Dodgers, even with several Brewers making compelling cases for MVP honors.

Aaron Ashby delivered an outstanding postseason run out of the bullpen, William Contreras helped carry the team to victory on Monday, Garrett Mitchell crushed two crucial road homers, David Hamilton tallied four hits, two RBIs and three stolen bases across two games, and Brice Turang scored in every game of the series.

Bauers earned the honor after helping Milwaukee erase a four run deficit in Game 4 and secure a 6-4 win Thursday night to clinch the pennant . The left handed hitting first baseman finished the series 4-for-14 with a home run and six RBIs, while showing impressive discipline at the plate and composure in crucial moments.

The 31-year-old reflected Milwaukee's offensive approach throughout the series, drawing a walk and launching a home run after grinding through 12-pitch and 11-pitch at bats in Games 2 and 3, respectively.

Those lengthy plate appearances helped the Brewers seize the advantage against the two time defending World Series champions. Milwaukee has long relied on consistent contact and patient at bats to tire out opposing pitchers, but the team struggled to deliver that style of offense during its 2025 NLCS matchup.

Milwaukee's veteran slugger delivered an .874 OPS and 26 homers over 578 regular season plate appearances, finishing with a .266 average, .389 on base percentage and .484 slugging percentage.

His rise from a journeyman trying to secure his place in the league to a key contributor for baseball's top team has been remarkable. Retirement was on his mind just two years ago, but he now stands as the NLCS MVP, helping lead a franchise that has finally broken a 44-year wait for a World Series title.

With a first ever World Series title within reach, Bauers is poised to become a crucial figure in Milwaukee's championship pursuit next week.

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