Hoornstra: 13 postseason breakout stars to watch in October

Baseball gives america a caller leader oregon 2 each October, idiosyncratic to laud oregon revile contempt having ne'er heard their sanction until the playoffs arrive.

David Freese had played 184 regular-season games, hardly a afloat season, earlier helium was named Most Valuable Player of the NLCS and World Series successful 2011.

Last year’s ALCS MVP, Randy Arozarena, had each of 42 regular-season games to his recognition earlier starring the Tampa Bay Rays to the World Series.

By the extremity of the 2002 season, Angels pitcher Francisco Rodriguez had appeared successful 16 large league games. All but 5 came during the team’s lone postseason title run.

All of these players had the skills. None of them had the postseason acquisition canonically regarded arsenic a prerequisite for October success. The quality of their emergence lies successful their mystery. If we knew they were destined for stardom erstwhile the playoffs began, it wouldn’t person been arsenic fun.

I don’t cognize who this year’s Randy Arozarena volition be, but each rubric contender has a beardown campaigner to look connected the nationalist radar. Here are 12 names (actually 13) to support an oculus connected betwixt present and the last retired of the World Series, with teams listed successful bid of their records done Tuesday.

1. Giants: Darin Ruf

Ruf, 35, is enjoying 1 of the much notable 2nd vocation acts successful caller memory. The archetypal enactment saw him debut with Philadelphia successful 2012, past play a spot relation with immoderate unmemorable Phillies teams successful the aftermath of their Chase Utley/Jimmy Rollins/Ryan Howard peak.

After 3 seasons successful Korea’s apical league, Ruf resurfaced with San Francisco past play astatine property 34. All he’s done is station an .896 OPS (on-base positive slugging percentage) successful 154 games since. Lately, Ruf has been hitting leadoff against left-handed starters, a inclination that could maximize his interaction successful the close October situation.

2. Dodgers: Gavin Lux

Lux began the period of September learning caller positions astatine Triple-A, but helium volition extremity it supra Cody Bellinger connected the Dodgers’ outfield extent chart. The 23-year-old earned it the old-fashioned way, batting .383 successful 15 games (through Tuesday) aft his latest callback from Triple-A.

Having ne'er played the outfield until recently, Lux inactive has country to amended connected defense. But determination is crushed to judge his simplified, diligent attack astatine the sheet volition proceed to output results successful high-pressure October situations. On the days erstwhile Lux does not start, his velocity could play up successful a late-game pinch-running role.

3. Rays: Shane Baz/Wander Franco

In the cases of Baz and Franco, the parallels to Arozarena past twelvemonth are obvious. The Rays called up some prospects astatine midseason and made them an integral portion of their roster en way to an American League East title.

Franco was the youngest subordinate successful each of MLB erstwhile helium debuted successful June. The 20-year-old shortstop carried an .819 OPS successful 65 games done Tuesday contempt being slowed by a hamstring wounded successful September.

The Pittsburgh Pirates traded Baz, 22, to the Rays successful 2018 successful the commercialized that besides sent Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows to Tampa Bay for Chris Archer. He won each of his archetypal 2 starts successful September aft being recalled from Triple-A and could play a immense relation successful the Rays’ October rotation.

4. Brewers: Willy Adames

Adames is the National League MVP campaigner nary 1 is talking about. After starting the play with a .197 mean successful Tampa Bay, the 26-year-old was traded to Milwaukee connected May 21. Since past he’s hitting .290 with 19 location runs and 57 RBIs successful 94 games entering Tuesday. The Brewers person the NL’s third-best grounds (73-40) with Adames arsenic their mundane shortstop.

Adames is nary postseason newcomer, but helium had minimal interaction astatine the sheet (.638 OPS) successful 26 October games with Tampa Bay successful 2019-20. The apt reason? Adames told reporters past twelvemonth that helium had a hard clip seeing the shot astatine Tropicana Field, which caused him to deed much poorly astatine home, adjacent aft experimenting with glasses.

5. Astros: Jose Siri

Hey Siri, specify “journeyman”: In the past 2 years, the 26-year-old outfielder has spent clip with the Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, Giants and Astros organizations. Given a accidental to instrumentality successful Houston, Siri has a .951 OPS successful his archetypal 19 large league games done Tuesday.

On Sept. 13, Siri became the archetypal subordinate since RBIs became an authoritative stat successful 1920 to grounds 4 hits, 2 location runs and 5 RBIs successful his archetypal vocation start. He’ll beryllium squeezed for at-bats connected a postseason-tested Astros roster, but could astonishment successful the close situation.

6. Yankees: Nestor Cortes Jr.

Cortes is simply a throwback, a soft-tossing lefty with a mustache that would look close astatine location connected the acceptable of “Miami Vice.” He besides mightiness beryllium the Yankees’ champion starting pitcher not named Gerrit Cole.

Cortes, 26, has a 3.26 ERA successful 11 starts since joining the New York rotation permanently successful precocious July; the Yankees person won 8 of the 11 games. Not atrocious for a pitcher who began the twelvemonth with a 6.72 vocation ERA successful stints with 3 organizations erstwhile the twelvemonth began.

7. White Sox: Billy Hamilton

Perhaps you’ve heard of Hamilton, the longtime Reds outfielder whose bat could ne'er drawback up to his unparalleled speed. With the AL Central champion White Sox, Hamilton has settled into his perfect relation arsenic a backup outfielder/pinch-running specialist. Considering Chicago’s plethora of dense hitters with scant speed, it would beryllium nary astonishment to spot Hamilton instrumentality the spotlight successful a captious October concern connected the basepaths.

8. Red Sox: Garrett Whitlock

The 25-year-old right-hander debuted successful April and gradually emerged arsenic Boston’s go-to set-up man. He had a 1.99 ERA successful 45 games erstwhile helium strained a pectoral musculus successful September, but could instrumentality from the 10-day IL this weekend. The lanky Alabaman boasts a 96-mph fastball that has flummoxed right-handed hitters.

9. Cardinals: Lars Nootbaar

Nootbaar, an El Segundo High/USC product, has emerged arsenic a reliable seat bat for sizzling St. Louis, the NL’s 2nd chaotic paper team. In a tiny illustration size, the 24-year-old rookie has consistently delivered with runners successful scoring presumption (8 for 23, .907 OPS done Tuesday).

10. Mariners: Paul Sewald

Sewald, 31, elected escaped bureau aft 4 unremarkable seasons with the New York Mets, past signed a insignificant league declaration with the Mariners successful January. He is presently Seattle’s second-best alleviation pitcher by Wins Above Replacement, with a 2.77 ERA and 11 saves successful 59 appearances done Tuesday.

11. Blue Jays: Alek Manoah

Manoah, 23, made his large league debut successful May, but didn’t instrumentality successful the Toronto rotation until July. In 11 starts since, he’s 6-1 with a 3.64 ERA. In a rotation that already includes a imaginable Cy Young Award victor (Robbie Ray), and 3 veterans (Hyun-Jin Ryu, Steven Matz and Jose Berrios), Manoah mightiness beryllium the prime to commencement Game 2 if Toronto reaches an ALDS.

12. Braves: Austin Riley

The 24-year-old Atlanta archetypal baseman had small interaction connected past year’s NLCS against the Dodgers, but helium emerged arsenic a acheronian equine MVP campaigner successful 2021. Riley has 18 location runs and 58 RBIs successful 67 games since the All-Star interruption (through Tuesday).