Bleacher Report's Final 2016 MLB Postseason All-Star Team

Settle down, Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs fans. We know the 2016 MLB postseason isn't over.

There is at least one more World Series game slated for Tuesday, and there could be another one on Wednesday if the Cubbies force the issue.

Still, at the risk of missing an epic pitching performance or a historic home run outburst, we're going to anoint Bleacher Report's playoff All-Star team right now.

Yes, the sample size is small. Really, that's the whole point. It's the playoffs, and everything is magnified. 

We're considering every player who has participated in the postseason and weighing only 2016 postseason stats. Past performance and pedigree won't help here.

However, playing in more games provides an obvious advantage, meaning the Cubs and Indians are generously represented.

Also, the goal is to build an actual, viable 25-man roster, so some players made the cut based on position as much as statistical merit. 

Bench

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INF

Kris Bryant (CHC): 15-for-56, 5 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 7 R

Conor Gillaspie (SFG): 8-for-19, 3B, HR, 6 RBI, 3 R 

Anthony Rizzo (CHC): 14-for-57, 5 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 7 R

OF

Ezequiel Carrera (TOR): 10-for-33, 2 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 6 R

Brock Holt (BOS): 4-for-10, 2B, HR, RBI, R

C

Willson Contreras (CHC): 9-for-34, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 4 R

Kris Bryant has followed an MVP-caliber season with a superlative postseason, boosting an inconsistent Cubs offense.

After an ice-cold start, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo has joined his teammate at the hit party, notching 13 knocks in his last nine playoff games, including five doubles and two homers.

Conor Gillaspie's heroics for the San Francisco Giants faded with the even-year mystique, but the wayward prospect still gets credit for delivering a decisive three-run homer in the NL Wild Card Game and muscling a two-RBI triple off flamethrower Aroldis Chapman in the Giants' lone division series win over Chicago.

In the outfield, Ezequiel Carrera was an unexpected standout for the Toronto Blue Jays. And Brock Holt did things for the Boston Red Sox in an otherwise unceremonious division series sweep at the hands of the Indians.

Cubs catcher Willson Contreras shares time behind the dish with veterans David Ross and Miguel Montero, but the 24-year-old rookie has done enough to warrant inclusion.

Catcher

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Roberto Perez (CLE): 7-for-39, 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R

Of all the great stories in the Indians clubhouse—and there are plenty—Roberto Perez might be the best and most unlikely.

A 33rd-round pick in 2008, Perez clubbed a pair of home runs in the Indians' Game 1 World Series win. All told, he's hit three homers in the playoffs, which equals his total from the regular season. 

His receiving skills, meanwhile, have earned high marks from October demigod Andrew Miller.

"He should be a star catcher," Miller said, per Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal. "He's going in that direction. He's that good behind the plate defensively."

Infield

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1B: Edwin Encarnacion (TOR): 10-for-35, 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 5 R

2B: Javier Baez (CHC): 16-for-59, 4 2B, HR, 7 RBI, 7 R

3B: Josh Donaldson (TOR): 15-for-36, 6 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 6 R

SS: Francisco Lindor (CLE): 18-for-50, 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R

Edwin Encarnacion kicked off the playoffs with a walk-off three-run homer in the AL Wild Card Game and kept raking until the Jays' championship series exit.

Josh Donaldson, likewise, ruled the batter's box for a Toronto club that fell one round shy of the World Series for a second straight year.

Javier Baez hasn't been perfect this October. He's struck out 17 times and jogged out of the box more than once on hits that didn't actually clear the fence.

Still, the preternaturally GIF-ted 23-year-old has done many spectacular things with the lumber and the leather.

Speaking of which, Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor has taken the final step to superstardom, sparking Cleveland's offense and pushing the franchise to the brink of its first championship since the Harry S. Truman administration.

Outfield

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LF: Jayson Werth (WAS): 7-for-18, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 4 R

CF: Dexter Fowler (CHC): 15-for-62, 5 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 10 R

RF: Lonnie Chisenhall (CLE): 8-for-39, HR, 5 RBI, 4 R

Veteran Jayson Werth helped mitigate the loss of All-Star catcher Wilson Ramos and other dings in the lineup and kept the Washington Nationals competitive in their 3-2 division series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Dexter Fowler owns the most postseason at-bats of any player, but he's amassed the stats to earn a slot over other center field contenders such as the Dodgers' Joc Pederson (9-for-36, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 5 R).

Lonnie Chisenhall cooled down after a hot October start but gets the nod in right field, which has not been a consistent bastion of production for any playoff club.

Starting Rotation

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RHP Corey Kluber (CLE): 4-1, 30.1 IP, 22 H, 3 ER, 8 BB, 35 SO

LHP Jon Lester (CHC): 3-1, 32.2 IP, 24 H, 7 ER, 5 BB, 26 SO

RHP Johnny Cueto (SFG): 0-1, 8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO

RHP Kyle Hendricks (CHC): 1-1, 20.2 IP, 15 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 17 SO

LHP Clayton Kershaw (LAD): 2-1, 24.1 IP, 24 H, 12 ER, 4 BB, 29 SO

The Indians' ludicrous bullpen grabs most of the headlines, but ace Corey Kluber is turning in an exemplary October of his own and is lined up to go again in Game 7 if necessary.

Jon Lester is delivering on his playoff pedigree for the Cubs, with the latest example being his six solid innings in Game 5 of the World Series, which at least temporarily saved Chicago's season.

The Giants' Johnny Cueto was denied a chance to pitch twice in the division series when the Cubs came back in the ninth inning of Game 4, but his lone start was enough for us. 

MLB ERA king Kyle Hendricks has been excellent overall and outdueled Clayton Kershaw in the deciding Game 6 of the NLCS.

Speaking of Kershaw, he didn't completely shed his October demons. But he did muster enough big moments to snag the final rotation slot, including his clutch save in Game 5 of the division series against the Nationals. 

Bullpen

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LHP Andrew Miller (CLE): 17 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 29 SO, 1 SV

RHP Cody Allen (CLE): 11.2 IP, 8 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 22 SO, 6 SV

RHP Kenley Jansen (LAD): 11.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 19 SO, 3 SV

LHP Aroldis Chapman (CHC): 13 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 18 SO, 4 SV

RHP Roberto Osuna (TOR): 9 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO, 1 SV

RHP Mark Melancon (WAS): 4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 1 SV

Miller gets well-deserved top billing with his Mariano Rivera-esque postseason. Really, though, an array of relievers have glistened this October.

Miller's Cleveland bullpen-mate Cody Allen has yet to be tagged with an earned run and has succeeded in all six of his save opportunities. In addition to Miller and skipper Terry Francona, he's been the "third leg of this stool" that is the Tribe's wildly successful bullpen experiment, as ESPN.com's Sam Miller noted. 

The Cubs' Aroldis Chapman has wobbled in stretches but made an indelible impression in Game 5 of the World Series with 2.2 gutsy innings and his signature triple-digit heater.

Kenley Jansen, likewise, endured a few hiccups but mostly starred for a Dodgers team that rode him hard. Young Roberto Osuna was sterling for Toronto. And the Nats' Mark Melancon did enough in limited action to guarantee a healthy payday in this winter's closer-rich free-agent market, where he'll be joined by Jansen and Chapman.

All statistics current as of Monday and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.