MLB Rookies Who Will Play Huge Roles in 2014 Postseason

With the regular season coming to an end in a matter of days and the postseason set to begin next week, every playoff team will soon be forced to make difficult decisions regarding its roster.

The number of players a team can roster will drop from the 40 previously allowed in September back to the standard 25 next month. As a result, teams will craft their postseason rosters based on their own strengths as well as the perceived weaknesses of their upcoming opponent.

Many of baseball’s top rookies have a realistic chance of cracking their team’s postseason roster this year, though there will be even more players denied the opportunity to play in October.

Here are five rookies who could carve out huge roles in the 2014 postseason.

Oscar Taveras, OF, St. Louis Cardinals

Oscar Taveras was the main reason the St. Louis Cardinals felt comfortable dealing Allen Craig, one of the more accomplished run producers over the previous two years, to the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline. Craig had been stealing playing time in right field from Taveras prior to the trade, and neither player was producing in the shared role.

In trading Craig, however, the Cardinals officially turned over the position to Taveras, who has been considered the team’s long-term answer at the position for several years.

While the 22-year-old is yet to hit up a storm as everyone expected, he has picked up the pace offensively since the trade, batting .271/.317/.353 with seven extra-base hits and 16 RBI over 142 plate appearances.

Taveras' playing time has taken a hit this month due to September call-ups, as manager Mike Matheny has been able to create matchup-based lineups using Peter Bourjos and Randal Grichuk.

However, Taveras actually has put together his best statistical month in the reduced role, with a .325/.372/.425 batting line in 19 games.

Come postseason time, Matheny will be forced to choose between Taveras, Grichuk and Bourjos—and it won’t be an easy decision. Matchups and recent success will likely dictate who plays when, but Taveras’ left-handed bat and recent uptick in production should help his case for playing time against righties in the postseason.

Joe Panik, 2B, San Francisco Giants

After losing Marco Scutaro to injury and not getting any positive contributions from Dan Uggla, the San Francisco Giants finally decided to give Joe Panik an audition at second base.

Panik, 23, proved himself at Triple-A Fresno this year, batting .321/.382/.447 with 23 extra-base hits and a 33-27 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 326 plate appearances.

The Giants officially called up Panik on May 22, though he logged only one at-bat before returning to Triple-A. When he was recalled from the minor leagues a month later, he made sure he was up for good. In 70 games since his return to the major leagues, Panik has posted an impressive .305/.344/.371 batting line to go along with 10 doubles, two triples, one home run and 17 RBI over 277 plate appearances.

The left-handed batter’s advanced approach has also translated favorably at the highest level, as his strikeout (11.5 percent) and walk (5.8 percent) rates are in line with his minor league averages.

Panik has carved out an important role in the top third of the Giants batting order, as he’s batting .301/.333/.363 with 20 runs scored in 35 games out of the two-hole.

He doesn’t offer much upside, but Panik has proved to be a solid big league second baseman over the last three-plus months. Basically, you know what you’re going to get from the 23-year-old on both sides of the ball.

In the postseason, that type of consistency and reliability can go a long way.

Brandon Finnegan, LHP, Kansas City Royals

Brandon Finnegan’s path to the major leagues this season is similar to Chris Sale’s in 2010, as he was drafted in the first round (No. 17 overall) out of college and rushed through the minors so as to be used in The Show down the stretch.

The 21-year-old left-hander began his professional career at High-A Wilmington, where he posted a 0.60 ERA, allowed five hits and fanned 13 batters in 15 innings.

The Kansas City Royals moved him up to Double-A Northwest Arkansas in early August to work out of the bullpen, and the southpaw responded to the challenge by posting a 2.25 ERA with 13 strikeouts over 12 innings.

As expected, the Royals called him up to the major leagues Sept. 1.

Finnegan made his big league debut Sept. 6 with two perfect innings at Yankee Stadium, the first of which saw him breeze through the heart of the Yankees lineup.

In general, the southpaw has impressed over his six appearances this month out of the Royals bullpen, posting a 1.42 ERA and 0.79 WHIP with nine strikeouts and zero walks in 6.1 innings.

Finnegan has made a very strong case for a spot on the Royals' postseason roster, especially because he’s been effective against both right- and left-handed hitters. Manager Ned Yost has shown confidence in the 21-year-old over the last month, and that should now continue into the playoffs.

Kolten Wong, 2B, St. Louis Cardinals

Kolten Wong’s overall season batting line of .252/.296/.393 certainly leaves something to be desired, but it's important to remember that he missed time this season with a variety of injuries.

The 23-year-old Wong has been one of the Cardinals’ more productive hitters since returning from the disabled list (shoulder) July 6, batting .264/.298/.451 with 11 home runs, nine doubles and 25 RBI over 252 plate appearances. He's also stolen 11 bases in 14 attempts during that time frame.

Overall, Wong has shown a high-end combination of power and speed this season, with 12 home runs and 20 steals in 24 attempts, all while solidifying second base defensively.

However, the lineup shuffle at second base in September has led to Wong starting against right-handers, while Pete Kozma has played himself into more opportunities against lefties.

While both players potentially could be used in a similar platoon role this October, Wong should receive a majority of the at-bats and starts, with Kozma coming off the bench for matchup or defensive reasons.

C.J. Cron, 1B/DH, Los Angeles Angels

C.J. Cron quietly emerged as one of the best young power hitters in the American League this season, as he batted .266/.295/.462 with nine home runs and 10 doubles over his first 207 plate appearances in the major leagues.

However, the 24-year-old first baseman also struck out 47 times (22.7 percent strikeout rate) compared to just nine walks (3.4 percent), which made it easier for the Los Angeles Angels to send Cron back to Triple-A in early August.

Cron has clubbed two home runs in 38 plate appearances since rejoining the Angels as a September call-up, but his batting average (.229) and on-base percentage (.289) reflect his problems with pitch recognition and selection.

However, few young players possess power comparable to Cron’s, and that’s why I expect him to at least earn a bench spot on the Angels’ postseason roster. Plus, his ability to hit both righties and lefties could help him earn a few starts as the team’s designated hitter next month.

Statistics are courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted.