Babe Ruth Award

Babe Ruth Award
The 1958 Babe Ruth Award, won by Elston Howard
Awarded for	Most Valuable Player of the Major League Baseball postseason
Presented by	New York City chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America
First awarded	1949
Currently held by	Jon Lester, Chicago Cubs

The Babe Ruth Award, named in honor of the legendary player Babe Ruth, is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) player with the best performance in the postseason.

The award, created in honor of Babe Ruth, was first awarded in 1949 to the MVP of the World Series, one year after Ruth's death. The award was created by the New York City chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). It continued to be awarded exclusively for performances in the World Series until 2007, when the New York chapter of the BBWAA changed the award to cover the entire postseason. Though it is older than the World Series Most Valuable Player Award, which was not created until 1955, the Babe Ruth Award is considered less prestigious, as it is not sanctioned by MLB and is awarded several weeks after the World Series.

MLB expanded its postseason to include the League Championship Series (LCS) in 1969, the League Division Series (LDS) in 1995, and the Wild Card round in 2012. The Wild Card round is a one-game playoff, the LDS follows a best-of-five playoff format, and the LCS and World Series follow a best-of-seven playoff format. The most recent World Series champions are the Chicago Cubs, who won in the 2016 World Series. Jon Lester is the most recent recipient of the Babe Ruth Award.