Underperforming Postseason Stars Who Have to Step Up Before It's Too Late

The San Francisco Giants are World Series-bound for the third time in the last five years after knocking off the St. Louis Cardinals in five games to clinch the National League Championship Series.

The Giants will now meet the upstart Kansas City Royals in the Fall Classic in a battle of each league’s Wild Card winners. The Royals have yet to lose a game this October, completing respective sweeps of the Angels and Orioles in the American League Division Series and American League Championship Series, and continue to fire on all cylinders on both sides of the ball.

From Madison Bumgarner’s dominance on the mound in each series to Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas’ power surge to Buster Posey’s knack for driving in runs to Greg Holland shutting the door in the ninth innings, the Giants and Royals both have had players thrive in the postseason spotlight.

However, both teams also have guys that have underperformed this October—guys that, with a stronger and more consistent showing, could help their respective clubs win the World Series.

Here’s a look at underperforming postseason stars who have to step up before it’s too late.  

James Shields, RHP, Kansas City Royals

Travis Heying/Associated Press

Postseason Stats: 3 GS, W, 16.0 IP, 21 H, 10 ER, 5 BB, 15 K

Kansas City’s dominant bullpen has been the talk of the postseason, but the team’s starters haven’t been too shabby either. Surprisingly, the weakest link in the Royals rotation has been ace “Big Game” James Shields.

Granted, Shields is one of two pitchers to make three starts this October—the other being Madison Bumgarner—but he’s been average at best in each outing, which is reflected by his 5.63 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and .309 opponents’ batting average in 16 innings.

The right-hander logged at least seven innings in 18 of his 34 regular-season starts, but he’s failed to reach the seventh inning in all three postseason starts; he lasted exactly five innings in his Wild Card and ALCS starts and completed six frames in the ALDS.

The Royals rotation is deep, and the bullpen can offset short outings, but Shields is the ace of that staff. If they’re going to take down San Francisco in the World Series, the Royals will need “Big Game” James to work deeper into games.

Gregor Blanco, CF, San Francisco Giants

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

Postseason Stats: .159 (7-for-44), 2B, 3 RBI, SB, 4 BB, 4 K (10 G)

I know, I know—Gregor Blanco isn’t a “star,” per se, but the Giants have asked him to play like one in place of the injured Angel Pagan, who underwent season-ending back surgery in late September.

Blanco gave the club an unexpected boost during the second half by batting .296/.365/.449 and holding his own as the leadoff hitter. Overall, Blanco finished the regular season with a very respectable .260 batting average and .707 OPS.

Unfortunately, the postseason has been a much different story, as Blanco has struggled atop the Giants lineup to the tune of a .159 average and .411 OPS over 10 games. He did pick up the pace a bit in the NLCS, collecting five hits in 22 at-bats and scoring three runs, and his defense in center field has been solid throughout the postseason.

Salvador Perez, C, Kansas City Royals

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

Postseason Stats: .118 (4-for-34), 2 RBI, BB, 8 K (8 G)

Salvador Perez was the hero of the AL Wild Card Game, as his walk-off hit was the beginning of what’s been a perfect run through the postseason for the Royals. Since then, however, Perez has gone just 3-for-28 in the last seven games with one RBI and six strikeouts. He’s also struggled this October with runners in scoring position, going 2-for-13 with no extra-base hits and two RBI.

Perez has plate discipline and swing-and-miss issues, clearly, but he also has good pop (17 home runs during the regular season) that’s bound to emerge before the end of the postseason. Plus, he should continue to see plenty of RBI opportunities batting seventh, especially if the top two-thirds of the lineup stays hot.

The great thing about Perez is that he still has the ability to change games with his defense even when he’s scuffling at the dish. He threw out 30 percent (25 of 82) of attempted base stealers and also picked off seven this season during the regular season, while his defense saved the Royals a total of eight runs.

Hunter Pence, RF, San Francisco Giants

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Postseason Stats: .256 (10-for-39), 3 2B, 3 RBI, 2 SB, 5 BB, 7 K (10 G)

Hunter Pence enjoyed another strong offensive campaign, hitting .277/.332/.445 while playing in all 162 games for the second straight year. The 31-year-old paced the Giants in hits (180) and runs scored (106) and ranked second in home runs (20), RBI (74) and stolen bases (13).

However, Pence finished the regular season mired in a 4-for-54 slump, and those struggles have at least partly carried over into the postseason. While Pence’s .256 batting average and .674 OPS are better than any other hitter in this article’s respective totals, his overall lack of production and inconsistency from at-bat to at-bat has been disappointing. Beyond that, Pence also has struggled in “late/close” situations, going 1-for-8 with just one RBI and four strikeouts.

Omar Infante, 2B, Kansas City Royals

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Postseason Stats: .207 (6-for-29), RBI, 4 BB, 9 K (8 G)

Omar Infante batted a pedestrian .252/.295/.337 with 50 runs scored in 575 plate appearances during the regular season and ranked dead last among all qualified AL second basemen with a 76 wRC+.

To make matters worse, Infante’s struggles at the dish have carried over into the postseason, as he’s just 6-for-29 (all singles) with nine strikeouts through eight games. He did show signs of turning the corner in the ALCS, though, collecting exactly one hit in all four games against Baltimore.

But at this point, any offense Infante provides is a bonus.