30 Greatest MLB Postseason Players of This Generation
Baseball legends are born in October.
Guys like Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, David Ortiz and Randy Johnson only added onto their Hall of Fame resumes with strong performances in October, but guys like David Freese and Brian Wilson created an entire legacy on postseason success.
Ahead we've highlighted the 30 greatest playoff performers of this generation, going back as far as the New York Yankees dynasty of the late 1990s and early 2000s to take a closer look at players who made the biggest impact on the sport's brightest stage.
Players are listed alphabetically, with a look at their full career playoff stat line and any notable accolades along with a breakdown of some memorable moments.
2B Jose Altuve
1 of 30
Postseason Stats: 101 G, .270/.339/.504, 113 H, 46 XBH (26 HR), 54 RBI, 86 R
Accolades: 2x WS winner, 2019 ALCS MVP
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve ranks second all-time in playoff home runs with 26 career long balls, and he has added three more to that total so far during the 2023 postseason.
The 33-year-old is also one of only six players with 100 hits in the postseason, joining Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Manny Ramirez, Jorge Posada and Yadier Molina on that prestigious list.
OF Randy Arozarena
2 of 30
Postseason Stats: 33 G, .336/.414/.690, 38 H, 17 XBH (11 HR), 17 RBI, 23 R
Accolades: 2020 ALCS MVP
Outfielder Randy Arozarena entered the 2020 postseason with just 42 big-league games under his belt, but he became a household name when he hit .377/.442/.831 with 10 home runs in 20 games during the Tampa Bay Rays' run to the World Series.
He has recorded at least one hit in 23 of the 28 postseason games he has played as a member of the Rays.
SP Josh Beckett
3 of 30
Postseason Stats: 14 G, 13 GS, 7-3, 3.07 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 99 K, 93.2 IP
Accolades: 2x WS winner, 2007 ALCS MVP, 2003 WS MVP
One of the most hyped pitching prospects of the past 50 years, Josh Beckett made his MLB debut as a 21-year-old in 2001. Two years later, he led the Florida Marlins to a World Series title, throwing a five-hit shutout against a heavily-favored New York Yankees team at Yankee Stadium in the clinching Game 6 of the 2003 World Series.
He also recorded complete-game shutouts in Game 5 of the 2003 NLCS and Game 1 of the 2007 ALDS, making him one of only six pitchers in MLB history with three shutouts in the postseason.
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OF Carlos Beltrán
4 of 30
Postseason Stats: 65 G, .307/.412/.609, 66 H, 32 XBH (16 HR), 42 RBI, 45 R
Accolades: 1x WS winner
Few trade-deadline moves have been more impactful than the Houston Astros' deal to acquire Carlos Beltrán in 2004. He posted a 135 OPS+ with 23 home runs and 28 steals in 90 games after the trade, then went 20-for-46 with eight home runs, 14 RBI and six steals in 12 games during the NLDS and NLCS.
He reached the postseason as a member of the Astros, Mets, Cardinals, Yankees and Rangers, but he didn't win a World Series ring until his final MLB season in 2017.
1B/OF Lance Berkman
5 of 30
Postseason Stats: 52 G, .317/.417/.532, 59 H, 21 XBH (9 HR), 41 RBI, 38 R
Accolades: 1x WS winner
Lance Berkman was one of the primary run producers on a Houston Astros team that reached the NLCS in 2004 and the World Series in 2005, and he hit a combined .340/.453/.617 with six home runs and 26 RBI in 26 games during those two postseason runs.
He won his first and only World Series ring as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011, going 11-for-26 with one home run and five RBI in the Fall Classic. That performance might have won him World Series MVP honors a lot of years, but David Freese took home the hardware for his heroics.
SP Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants
6 of 30
Postseason Stats: 16 G, 14 GS, 8-3, 1 SV, 2.11 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 87 K, 102.1 IP
Accolades: 3x WS winner, 2014 NLCS MVP, 2014 WS MVP
What Madison Bumgarner did during the 2014 postseason is the most impressive individual playoff run of the modern era.
- 7 G, 6 GS, 4-1, 1 SV, 1.03 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 45 K, 52.2 IP
He threw a four-hit shutout in the win-or-go-home Wild Card Game, followed by four straight quality starts in the NLDS, NLCS and Game 1 of the World Series. He then tossed a four-hit shutout in Game 5 of the World Series before returning on two days' rest to blank the Kansas City Royals over the final five innings of Game 7 and record the series-clinching save.
SS Carlos Correa
7 of 30
Postseason Stats: 85 G, .282/.352/.508, 91 H, 37 XBH (18 HR), 63 RBI, 38 R
Accolades: 1x WS winner
Carlos Correa has recorded multiple home runs in a postseason series six different times in his career, including the ALDS and World Series in 2017 when he won a ring with the Houston Astros.
His 18 career playoff home runs are tied with the likes of Reggie Jackson and Mickey Mantle, and he showed up again this October, going 9-for-22 over six games in his first trip to the postseason with the Minnesota Twins.
OF Nelson Cruz
8 of 30
Postseason Stats: 50 G, .278/.348/.631, 52 H, 30 XBH (18 HR), 38 RBI, 35 R
Accolades: 2011 ALCS MVP
Unfortunately, the enduring memory of Nelson Cruz in the postseason will be him failing to track down a fly ball off the bat of David Freese in Game 6 of the World Series that would have ended the game and clinched a title for the Texas Rangers.
However, the Rangers might not have even made it that far if Cruz didn't go 8-for-22 with six home runs and 13 RBI against the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS. He homered in five of the six games of that series, including a walk-off grand slam in Game 2, and his performance stands as one of the most impressive individual offensive series in playoff history.
3B David Freese
9 of 30
Postseason Stats: 69 G, .299/.370/.549, 61 H, 29 XBH (10 HR), 36 RBI, 26 R
Accolades: 1x WS winner, 2011 NLCS MVP, 2011 WS MVP
Baseball heroes are born in October.
Never has that idea been more apparent than in the case of David Freese, who had a largely forgettable career during the regular season, earning one All-Star selection and tallying 18.7 WAR in 11 seasons.
However, his game-tying, two-run triple with the St. Louis Cardinals down to their final strike in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series is one of the most dramatic moments in October history. He also delivered the game-winning home run two innings later, and capped off his stellar postseason with a two-run double in Game 7.
All of that came after he won NLCS MVP by going 12-for-22 with three doubles, three home runs and nine RBI against the Milwaukee Brewers.
3B Troy Glaus
10 of 30
Postseason Stats: 24 G, .321/.398/.756, 25 H, 15 XBH (9 HR), 16 RBI, 18 R
Troy Glaus went head-to-head with peak Barry Bonds during the 2002 World Series and helped the Anaheim Angels come out on top in a thrilling seven-game series.
- Bonds: 30 PA, 8-for-17, 2 2B, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 13 BB
- Glaus: 30 PA, 10-for-26, 3 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI
All told, Glaus went 21-for-61 with seven home runs and 13 RBI during the Angels' unlikely run through the postseason that year, capping off that impressive stretch with World Series MVP honors.
SP Cole Hamels
11 of 30
Postseason Stats: 17 G, 16 GS, 7-6, 3.41 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 93 K, 100.1 IP
Left-hander Cole Hamels was eventually just another ace on a Philadelphia Phillies staff that featured Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt, but he was the guy during the club's run to a World Series title in 2008.
Just 24 years old at the time, he went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 35 innings over five postseason starts, delivering five consecutive quality starts to become one of only nine players in MLB history to win LCS and World Series MVP in the same season.
OF Bryce Harper
12 of 30
Postseason Stats: 46 G, .282/.391/.624, 48 H, 27 XBH (15 HR), 30 RBI, 35 R
Accolades: 2022 NLCS MVP
Bryce Harper has already provided one of the most memorable moments of the 2023 postseason with his stare down of Atlanta Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia, and he went 6-for-13 with three home runs and five RBI in that series.
He has hit at least one home run in nine of the 11 postseason series he has played in, and his homer in Game 5 of the 2011 NLDS made him just the second teenager in MLB history to hit a home run in the postseason, joining Andruw Jones.
SS Derek Jeter
13 of 30
Postseason Stats: 158 G, .308/.374/.465, 200 H, 57 XBH (20 HR), 61 RBI, 111 R
Accolades: 5x WS winner, 2000 WS MVP
Derek Jeter essentially played an entire extra season's worth of games in the postseason over the course of his 20-year career with the New York Yankees, and it would have been an MVP-caliber season statistically.
He is the all-time postseason leader in games played (158), plate appearances (734), hits (200), doubles (32), runs scored (111) and total bases (302), and his performance in the 2001 postseason earned him the "Mr. November" moniker.
SP Randy Johnson
14 of 30
Postseason Stats: 19 G, 16 GS, 7-9, 3.50 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 132 K, 121.0 IP
Accolades: 1x WS winner, 2001 WS MVP
Hall of Famer Randy Johnson had a few ugly playoff starts later in his career that impacted his overall postseason numbers, but his performance with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 is more than enough to earn him a spot on this list.
In his appearances that October, he went 5-1 with one save while posting a 1.52 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 41.1 innings. He threw complete-game shutouts in Game 1 of the NLDS and Game 2 of the World Series, and he recorded the final four outs in Game 7 of the World Series after pitching seven innings in a start the night before.
SP John Lackey
15 of 30
Postseason Stats: 29 G, 23 GS, 8-6, 3.44 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 114 K, 144.0 IP
Accolades: 3x WS winner
John Lackey started Game 7 of the 2002 World Series as a 23-year-old rookie, allowing four hits and one earned run over five innings to pick up the victory and lay the foundation for his reputation as a big-game pitcher.
He won World Series rings with the Angels, Red Sox and Cubs, and his 144 career postseason innings rank 10th on the all-time list.
SP Jon Lester
16 of 30
Postseason Stats: 26 G, 22 GS, 9-7, 2.51 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 133 K, 154.0 IP
Accolades: 3x WS winner, 2016 NLCS MVP
Jon Lester has one of the best World Series resumes in history with a 1.77 ERA in 35.2 innings spanning five starts and one relief appearance, and the one time he came out of the bullpen was to toss three innings of relief in Game 7 against Cleveland in 2016.
Among the 31 pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched in the playoffs, his 2.51 ERA ranks fifth, behind Mariano Rivera (0.70), Christy Mathewson (0.97), Madison Bumgarner (2.11) and Curt Schilling (2.23).
OF Hideki Matsui
17 of 30
Postseason Stats: 56 G, .312/.391/.541, 64 H, 26 XBH (10 HR), 39 RBI, 32 R
Accolades: 1x WS winner, 2009 WS MVP
Hideki Matsui was already 29 years old when he made his way stateside after an impressive run in Japan, and he jumped right into the postseason fray, playing in the 2003 World Series as a rookie and hitting .281/.347/.438 with two home runs and 11 RBI in 17 playoff games.
His playoff performance peaked in 2009 when he went 8-for-13 with three home runs and eight RBI in six games against the Philadelphia Phillies to win World Series MVP honors.
RP Andrew Miller
18 of 30
Postseason Stats: 29 G, 2-1, 1 SV, 9 HLD, 0.93 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 54 K, 38.2 IP
Accolades: 2016 ALCS MVP
The Cleveland front office paid a steep price to acquire Andrew Miller at the 2016 trade deadline, sending top prospects Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield to the New York Yankees as part of a four-player package to acquire the lefty reliever.
He logged a 1.55 ERA with a 46-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 29 innings following the trade, then allowed just three earned runs in 19.1 innings over 10 postseason appearances to help lead Cleveland to the World Series. He won ALCS MVP honors with 7.2 scoreless innings of three-hit, 14-strikeout ball in four appearances.
DH David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
19 of 30
Postseason Stats: 85 G, .289/.404/.543, 88 H, 41 XBH (17 HR), 61 RBI, 51 R
Accolades: 3x WS winner, 2004 ALCS MVP, 2013 WS MVP
On the strength of his 2004 ALCS heroics alone, David Ortiz would earn a place on this list, and last year he checked in No. 7 on our list of the most memorable postseason heroes in MLB history. Here's an excerpt from that article:
He hit a walk-off home run in extra innings in Game 4 after the Dave Roberts steal set up extra innings, then he hit a game-tying, two-run home run in the eighth inning of Game 5 before delivering the walk-off RBI single in the 14th inning. He added a two-run homer in the first inning of Game 7 for good measure.
Almost a decade later, he won the 2013 World Series MVP when he went 11-for-16 with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI against the St. Louis Cardinals.
SP Andy Pettitte
20 of 30
Postseason Stats: 44 G, 44 GS, 19-11, 3.81 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 183 K, 276.2 IP
Accolades: 5x WS winner, 2001 ALCS MVP
Andy Pettitte is baseball's all-time leader in postseason innings pitched, and he has a cushion of more than 50 innings over Justin Verlander (220.1) and Tom Glavine (218.1), who are second and third on that list.
He made 13 starts in the World Series, going 5-4 with a 4.06 ERA over 77.2 innings on the sport's biggest stage, and the Yankees went a combined 8-5 in those 13 games. The left-hander won ALCS MVP in 2001 when he picked up a pair of victories against a 116-win Seattle Mariners team.
1B Albert Pujols
21 of 30
Postseason Stats: 88 G, .319/.422/.572, 97 H, 38 XBH (19 HR), 54 RBI, 57 R
Accolades: 2x WS winner, 2004 NLCS MVP
It should come as no surprise that one of the best hitters in MLB history also put up huge numbers in the postseason, and Albert Pujols had plenty of opportunities to play in October, making the playoffs seven times in his 12 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals.
He is one of just three players to have a three-homer game in the World Series, joining Babe Ruth (x2), Reggie Jackson and Pablo Sandoval when he went deep three times in Game 3 of the 2011 World Series against the Texas Rangers
OF Manny Ramirez
22 of 30
Postseason Stats: 111 G, .285/.394/.544, 117 H, 48 XBH (29 HR), 78 RBI, 67 R
Accolades: 2x WS winner, 2004 WS MVP
Manny Ramirez is one of the most prolific run-producers in baseball history, and his ability to come through in the clutch was seemingly amplified in October.
His 29 postseason home runs still stand as the all-time record, though Jose Altuve is steadily chipping away at that mark. His 78 RBI also trails only Bernie Williams (80 RBI), and after David Ortiz's heroics in the 2004 ALCS, it was Ramirez who won World Series MVP honors by going 7-for-17 with one home run and four RBI against the St. Louis Cardinals.
RP Mariano Rivera
23 of 30
Postseason Stats: 96 G, 8-1, 42 SV, 0.70 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 110 K, 141.0 IP
Accolades: 5x WS winner, 2003 ALCS MVP, 1999 WS MVP
Mariano Rivera began his stellar postseason career serving as the setup man for 1996 World Series MVP John Wetteland before putting together a transcendent resume slamming the door in the ninth inning in October.
He did have a few hiccups along the way, including a blown save in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series and a pair of blown saves in the 2004 ALCS, but he still finished 42 of 47 on save chances for his postseason career with a minuscule 0.70 ERA over 141 innings.
3B Pablo Sandoval
24 of 30
Postseason Stats: 42 G, .338/.386/.535, 53 H, 19 XBH (6 HR), 20 RBI, 21 R
Accolades: 3x WS winner, 2012 WS MVP
Huge World Series performances in 2012 (8-for-16, 1 2B, 3 HR, 4 RBI) and 2014 (12-for-28, 3 2B, 4 RBI) helped make Pablo Sandoval a hero for a San Francisco Giants team that won three World Series titles in a span of five years.
He had a three-homer game against Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series, setting the tone in what turned out to be a series sweep.
SP Curt Schilling
25 of 30
Postseason Stats: 19 G, 19 GS, 11-2, 2.23 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 120 K, 133.1 IP
Accolades: 3x WS winner, 1993 NLCS MVP, 2001 World Series MVP
The "bloody sock" game will always define Curt Schilling's postseason career, but he put together an impressive overall body of work during his time with the Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox.
He threw three complete games in six starts during the D-backs' run to a World Series title in 2001, posting a 1.12 ERA in 48.1 innings that October en route to World Series co-MVP honors with fellow ace Randy Johnson.
OF Kyle Schwarber
26 of 30
Postseason Stats: 62 G, .241/.366/.547, 49 H, 24 XBH (19 HR), 32 RBI, 38 R
Accolades: 1x WS winner
Slugger Kyle Schwarber has been launching home runs in the playoffs since his rookie season with the Chicago Cubs in 2015 when he hit a ball on top of the right field scoreboard at Wrigley Field.
The following year, he missed almost the entire regular season when he suffered a knee injury in the team's third game of the regular season, but he returned for the World Series and went 7-for-17 with a double and two RBI. He hit three home runs each in the 2022 NLCS and 2022 World Series, and he has four so far in the 2023 NLCS.
OF George Springer
27 of 30
Postseason Stats: 67 G, .268/.346/.529, 74 H, 34 XBH (19 HR), 38 RBI, 43 R
Accolades: 1x WS winner, 2017 WS MVP
Outfielder George Springer won World Series MVP honors in 2017 when he went 11-for-29 with three doubles, five home runs and seven RBI in a memorable seven-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He went 6-for-14 with three home runs in three games against Cleveland in the ALDS the following year, and all told, he has hit multiple home runs in six different postseason series during his career. Can he make his mark in Toronto?
SP Stephen Strasburg
28 of 30
Postseason Stats: 9 G, 8 GS, 6-2, 1.46 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 71 K, 55.1 IP
Accolades: 1x WS winner, 2019 WS MVP
Stephen Strasburg had arguably the best regular season of his career in 2019, finishing 18-6 with a 3.32 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 251 strikeouts in 209 innings to finish fifth in NL Cy Young voting.
He went on to post a 1.98 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 36.1 innings during the Washington Nationals' run to a World Series title. He was the winning pitcher in Game 2 and Game 6 against the Houston Astros on his way to World Series MVP honors.
OF Bernie Williams
29 of 30
Postseason Stats: 121 G, .275/.371/.480, 128 H, 51 XBH (22 HR), 80 RBI, 83 R
Accolades: 4x WS winner, 1996 ALCS MVP
Bernie Williams ranks in the top five all-time on the postseason leaderboard in games played (121, third), hits (128, second), home runs (22, third), RBI (80, first), runs scored (83, third), total bases (223, second).
He was a staple in the No. 3 or No. 4 spot in some stacked Yankees lineups, and he had 36 career multi-hit games in the playoffs, including four-hit performances in Game 4 of the 2003 World Series and Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS.
RP Brian Wilson
30 of 30
Postseason Stats: 17 G, 2-0, 6 SV, 0.00 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 25 K, 18.0 IP
Accolades: 1x WS winner
"The Beard" was the face of the San Francisco Giants' unexpected run to a World Series title in 2010, converting six of seven save opportunities in the playoffs while allowing just five hits and one unearned run with 16 strikeouts in 11.2 innings.
He also logged six scoreless appearances out of the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen with one win and two holds out of the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen in 2013, but it's his time slamming the door in the ninth inning for the Giants that defined his legacy.
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