MLB Rookies Under Most Pressure to Make a Postseason Splash
It's tough to say just how valuable postseason experience can be when the MLB playoffs roll around, and for rookies it's a whole new ballgame.
One of the biggest storylines of the 2015 MLB season has been the influx of high-end rookie talent, and that story should continue to play on into October with more than a few first-year players poised to make a significant impact for their respective teams.
With that in mind, the following is a look at the 20 rookies who will be under the most pressure to make a postseason splash.
To elaborate, players are not ranked based on who has had the best regular season or on who may have the best career ahead of them.
Instead, they are simply ranked on who is expected to make the biggest impact when the playoffs begin next month.
*Note: For the sake of this exercise, we assumed that the 10 teams currently in position to make the postseason will in fact be the 10 teams playing in October. So you won't see any Twins, Angels or Indians players on the following list.
Other Rookies Who Could Crack Postseason Rosters
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Position Players
- IF Hanser Alberto, TEX
- IF Christian Colon, KC
- UT Alex Guerrero, LAD
- UT Kike Hernandez, LAD (currently injured, hamstring)
- OF Paulo Orlando, KC
- C Kevin Plawecki, NYM
- OF Preston Tucker, HOU
Pitchers
- RHP Pedro Baez, LAD
- RHP Arquimedes Caminero, PIT
- RHP Yimi Garcia, LAD
- LHP Sean Gilmartin, NYM
- RHP Erik Goeddel, NYM
- RHP Chris Martin, NYY
- LHP Steven Matz, NYM
- RHP Branden Pinder, NYY
- RHP Hansel Robles, NYM
- LHP Zac Rosscup, CHC
- RHP Bo Schultz, TOR
- RHP Ryan Tepera, TOR
- RHP Logan Verrett, NYM
20. SP Lance McCullers, Houston Astros
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2015 Stats
| 19 | 10 | 5-6 | 3.18 | 1.217 | 39 | 107 | 107.2 | 2.2 |
Player Outlook
If you had said at the beginning of the season that one of the Houston Astros pitching prospects would emerge as a key member of the starting rotation, most would have guessed that guy would be former No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel.
Instead, it's been 21-year-old Lance McCullers who has given the upstart Astros staff a major boost with his emergence at the big league level.
Signed to an above-slot deal in the same draft that saw the Astros take Carlos Correa with the No. 1 overall pick, McCullers saw his prospect stock drop a bit after posting a 5.47 ERA in a full season at High-A Lancaster in 2014.
He bounced back in a big way this year, though, and after posting a dominant 0.62 ERA in his first six appearances in Double-A he was promoted straight to the majors, where he debuted on May 18.
The odds seem to be stacked against him landing a postseason rotation spot, but even if he doesn't get tabbed for a start he could serve as a key swingman capable of providing multiple innings out of the pen.
19. RP Chasen Shreve, New York Yankees
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2015 Stats
| 56 | 6-2 | 10 | 2.65 | 1.301 | 32 | 64 | 57.2 | 1.5 |
Player Outlook
The offseason trade that sent former top prospect Manny Banuelos to the Atlanta Braves for a pair of relievers received little attention at the time, aside from some surprise that the Yankees were seemingly giving up on the 24-year-old Banuelos.
However, one of the relievers acquired in that deal was left-handed Chasen Shreve and he's become a key piece of the Yankees' vastly improved relief corps.
The 25-year-old impressed in limited action last season with the Braves, posting a 0.73 ERA and 10.9 K/9 in 12.1 innings of work, and he's stepped into a more prominent role this season.
He joins Justin Wilson from the left side and Dellin Betances from the right side in helping bridge the gap to closer Andrew Miller, and there's a good chance he'll be called on in a key spot at some point in the postseason.
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18. CF Tommy Pham, St. Louis Cardinals
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2015 Stats
| .271/.352/.512 | 35 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 24 | 2 | 1.3 |
Player Outlook
A 27-year-old rookie emerging out of nowhere to make a significant impact?
Sounds like business as usual for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Tommy Pham was the No. 15 prospect in the Cardinals' organization to begin the season, according to the Baseball America Prospect Handbook, and he was really never expected to be more than a fourth outfielder.
Injuries were a major factor in his delayed arrival to the majors, as he played just 127 games total over a three-year span from 2011 to 2013, but he's healthy now and making the most of his opportunity.
With Randal Grichuk nursing a shoulder injury, Pham has stepped into the everyday center field job, and he went 9-for-20 with six-extra base hits last week.
At the very least he looks to be well ahead of Jon Jay for a spot on the postseason roster, and once Grichuk returns it will be hard to justify benching Pham if he keeps hitting the way he has of late.
17. RF Jorge Soler, Chicago Cubs
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2015 Stats
| .267/.328/.402 | 93 | 18 | 1 | 9 | 46 | 38 | 3 | 0.1 |
Player Outlook
Big things were expected of Jorge Soler this year after he hit .292/.330/.573 with 14 extra-base hits in 89 at-bats down the stretch last season.
Injuries have kept him from ever really settling in, though, as he missed 30 games earlier in the season with an ankle sprain and was just recently activated from a 23-game DL stint for an oblique injury.
With Kyle Schwarber stepping into the everyday left field job and Chris Coghlan sliding over to right field, Soler no longer has a clear path to regular playing time.
The 23-year-old should still see occasional starts as Joe Maddon likes to shuffle his lineup as much as anyone, and he made the most of a start on Saturday when he hit his eighth home run of the season against the Cardinals.
That was followed by a pinch-hit, three-run home run on Monday night as he's making a case for more playing time here in the final weeks of the season.
At the very least he's a dangerous bat off the bench for the Cubs, but there is potential for him to make a bigger impact.
16. OF Randal Grichuk, St. Louis Cardinals
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2015 Stats
| .280/.330/.557 | 84 | 21 | 7 | 16 | 46 | 47 | 4 | 3.1 |
Player Outlook
A legitimate NL Rookie of the Year candidate at one point this season, Randal Grichuk has missed significant time of late with an elbow injury.
The 24-year-old had been limited to pinch-hitting and pinch-running since Aug. 16, save one start on Sept. 9, before getting the start in left field on Monday night.
"He’s about at that spot where he can hit a cutoff man wherever we put him in the outfield," manager Mike Matheny told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Sunday.
The recent emergence of Tommy Pham should allow the Cardinals to ease Grichuk back into the lineup, and it's hard to justify benching Pham at this point even if he is 100 percent, but one way or another Grichuk should find himself in a position to make an impact.
15. CF Delino DeShields Jr., Texas Rangers
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2015 Stats
| .255/.339/.371 | 97 | 18 | 10 | 2 | 30 | 70 | 23 | 0.7 |
Player Outlook
The No. 8 pick in the 2010 draft by the Houston Astros, outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. was left unprotected in the Rule 5 draft during the offseason and the Texas Rangers scooped up the 23-year-old speedster.
After opening the season as the team's fourth outfielder and seeing sporadic playing time, DeShields has emerged as the everyday center fielder in place of the struggling Leonys Martin.
Speed has always been his best tool, and it was on full display during a 101-steal season in the minors back in 2012, but he's proven there is more to his game this year.
He's been a legitimate table-setter and solid on-base threat since moving to the leadoff spot in the lineup back in July, thanks in part to a solid 10.7 percent walk rate and his 70 runs scored rank fourth on the team.
DeShields is hitting just .207/.254/.293 in September, so he'll need to pick things up if he's going to make a serious impact in the playoffs.
14. RP Keone Kela, Texas Rangers
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2015 Stats
| 64 | 7-5 | 19 | 2.53 | 1.175 | 17 | 65 | 57.0 | 1.6 |
Player Outlook
Despite having just 36 appearances above the High-A level under his belt heading into the 2015 season, hard-throwing Keone Kela won a spot in the Texas Rangers bullpen out of spring training.
After beginning the season in a middle relief role, the 22-year-old has worked his way into being the team's primary setup man to closer Shawn Tolleson and his 19 holds are second among all rookie relievers.
With an average fastball velocity of 96.9 mph and a terrific curveball that opponents have hit just .139 against on the year (per Brooks Baseball), Kela has the dynamic two-pitch repertoire needed to succeed in the late innings.
The former 12th-round pick has been a pleasant surprise to this point, and he'll be asked to continue his breakout season with what will likely be some big innings of work in the playoffs.
13. RP Aaron Sanchez, Toronto Blue Jays
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2015 Stats
| 36/11 | 7-6 | 10 | 3.38 | 1.341 | 44 | 56 | 88.0 | 1.5 |
Player Outlook
It's been an interesting season for Aaron Sanchez to say the least.
The 23-year-old entered spring training battling for both a rotation spot and the closer's job, broke camp as the No. 5 starter, spent time on the disabled list with a strained lat and finally returned to the majors to assume his current role as the eighth inning setup man.
Since returning on July 25 and sliding into the bullpen, he's posted a 2.86 ERA, 1.045 WHIP and 10 holds over 25 appearances.
The Blue Jays have legitimate title hopes, but they'll be turning to a pair of rookies to close out games in Sanchez and Roberto Osuna.
They've both been great in their respective roles so far this season, but we'll see if that continues in the bright lights of October.
12. SP Luis Severino, New York Yankees
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2015 Stats
| 8 | 5 | 4-3 | 3.12 | 1.338 | 18 | 45 | 43.1 | 1.1 |
Player Outlook
One of the breakout prospects of 2014, Luis Severino went 6-5 with a 2.47 ERA, 1.062 WHIP and 127 strikeouts in 113 innings of work while reaching Double-A at the age of 20.
That was enough for him to open the season as the No. 35 prospect in baseball, according to Baseball America, and he continued to dominate in the minors early this season before making his big league debut on Aug. 5.
Take a way one rough start on Sept. 11 when he allowed six hits and six earned runs in 2.1 innings against the Blue Jays offensive juggernaut, and he's gone 4-2 with a 1.98 ERA in his other seven starts.
Assuming he's healthy, Masahiro Tanaka is really the only lock for a spot in the Yankees playoff rotation at this point.
Severino will certainly get some strong consideration for a start if he finishes strong, but without a rotation spot guaranteed he slides down a few spots in these rankings since we're basing them off of expected postseason impact.
11. CF Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers
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2015 Stats
| .217/.351/.427 | 99 | 19 | 1 | 25 | 52 | 65 | 4 | 2.4 |
Player Outlook
For better or worse, Joc Pederson remains the Los Angeles Dodgers' everyday center fielder.
Fellow rookie Kike Hernandez was starting to steal playing time at the end of August, but a strained hamstring put him on the shelf and Pederson has started 19 of the past 21 games in center field as a result.
The 23-year-old Pederson looked like a budding superstar when he posted an .851 OPS with 20 home runs during the first half to earn a spot on the NL All-Star team, but his production has taken a nose-dive since.
He's hit just .191/.326/.312 with nine extra base hits in 157 at-bats since the break, posting a 29.8 percent strikeout rate in the process.
Veterans Justin Ruggiano and Chris Heisey are also options to see time in center field, but for now the job still belongs to Pederson.
That should mean plenty of opportunities to make his mark in October.
10. LF Michael Conforto, New York Mets
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2015 Stats
| .285/.363/.540 | 39 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 23 | 27 | 0 | 2.1 |
Player Outlook
The trade deadline acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes has completely changed the New York Mets outlook, but it was Michael Conforto who was first called upon to spark a floundering offensive attack.
Fans were clamoring for the 22-year-old to be promoted when he got off to a hot start in the minors, and the team finally pulled the trigger shortly after the All-Star break as he made his debut on July 24.
After a relatively slow start saw him hit .223/.333/.448 in his first 20 games, Conforto has come into his own with a .329/.386/.608 line in his last 26 games to solidify himself as the team's primary left fielder.
"I needed to make some adjustments,’’ Conforto told Kevin Kernan of the New York Post. “I do feel comfortable and a lot of that has to do with the guys in the clubhouse. There’s always going to be work to be done."
9. SS Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers
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2015 Stats
| .377/.479/.607 | 23 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 1.4 |
Player Outlook
Corey Seager hit .293/.344/.487 with 37 doubles, 18 home runs and 76 RBI in 501 at-bats between Double-A and Triple-A this year before finally making his big league debut on Sept. 3.
The assumption was that he would get a start here and there to give veteran Jimmy Rollins a rest down the stretch, but Rollins' jammed right index finger changed things.
With Rollins on the sidelines, Seager has earned the start in each of the past 13 games, and during that span he's hit .391/.517/.652 with eight extra-base in 58 plate appearances.
The Dodgers have stood by Rollins all season, despite a subpar .220/.278/.354 line and minus-0.4 WAR, but they're going to have an awfully hard time justifying inserting him back in the starting lineup once he returns.
In a recent Los Angeles Times poll, 79 percent of voters said they think the 21-year-old Seager should remain the team's starting shortstop once Rollins returns.
Obviously, fan opinion is not going to play much of a role in manager Don Mattingly's decision, but it really seems like a no-brainer at this point.
8. LF Stephen Piscotty, St. Louis Cardinals
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2015 Stats
| .309/.362/.490 | 63 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 33 | 24 | 2 | 0.8 |
Player Outlook
In a season that has seen the St. Louis Cardinals lose a number of key players to injury, a number of young players have helped pick up the slack, and topping that list is outfielder Stephen Piscotty.
While it was Randal Grichuk who made a splash among the rookie class early in the season, it's Piscotty who has brought some stability to the lineup since being called up and debuting on July 21.
He's seen the bulk of his at-bats out of the No. 2 spot in the lineup, but he's been asked to move into more of a run production role of late as Matt Holliday remains sidelined while Jhonny Peralta and Yadier Molina have both slumped badly.
The 24-year-old Piscotty is hitting .396 with runners in scoring position, the best mark of any player with at least 50 such at-bats, and he's worn out left-handed pitching to the tune of a .367/.418/.592 line.
7. LF Kyle Schwarber, Chicago Cubs
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2015 Stats
| .241/.346/.512 | 49 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 42 | 47 | 3 | 1.7 |
Player Outlook
The No. 4 pick in the 2014 draft, Kyle Schwarber flew through the Chicago Cubs system on the strength of a .333/.429/.613 line that included 35 doubles, 34 home runs and 102 RBI in 519 at-bats.
After seeing some time behind the plate with Miguel Montero sidelined, he has made the move to left field since his return as a way to keep his potent bat in the lineup.
The 22-year-old has slumped a bit of late with a .163 average in September, and he doesn't hit lefties at all (.498 OPS in 54 AB) but he's still being penciled into the No. 2 spot in the lineup on a regular basis against righties.
His tremendous power his been on full display this season with 16 home runs in 203 at-bats, and if he can get on another hot streak down the stretch he could be a dangerous bat in October.
6. 1B Greg Bird, New York Yankees
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2015 Stats
| .250/.333/.534 | 29 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 25 | 21 | 0 | 0.5 |
Player Outlook
There's no question losing Mark Teixeira for the season was a huge blow for the New York Yankees, but the emergence of Greg Bird has gone a long way in helping ease that loss.
A fifth-round pick in the 2011 draft, Bird emerged as a top prospect after winning Arizona Fall League MVP honors in 2014 and he made the jump to the majors this year after just 110 games above the High-A level.
The 22-year-old was hitting .277/.356/.469 with 23 doubles and 12 home runs at the time of his promotion, and since stepping into the starting lineup after Teixeira went down he's posted a .948 OPS with five doubles, seven home runs and 18 RBI over 78 at-bats.
Hitting out of the No. 5 spot in the lineup of late, he should see plenty of RBI chances come October, so he'll have an opportunity to make a serious impact in his first taste of postseason action.
5. RP Roberto Osuna, Toronto Blue Jays
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2015 Stats
| 62 | 1-5 | 17/19 | 2.48 | 0.872 | 14 | 70 | 65.1 | 1.8 |
Player Outlook
As we saw with both the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants last October, a dominant bullpen can go a long way in the postseason.
The Toronto Blue Jays currently rank eighth in the majors with a 3.36 ERA from their relief corps, and after some shuffling of roles at the beginning of the season they have settled on 20-year-old Roberto Osuna as their closer.
Since taking over as the closer and picking up his first save of the year on June 22, Osuna has posted a 2.70 ERA and 0.810 WHIP while converting 17-of-19 save chances.
Osuna has already recorded the most saves by a pitcher 20 or younger since Terry Forster tallied 29 saves as a 20-year-old back in 1972, and he is one of just four pitchers ever with double-digit saves before the age of 21.
While the Blue Jays will be leaning heavily on the rookie duo of Osuna and Aaron Sanchez in the bullpen, they also have plenty of veteran experience to offset that with guys like LaTroy Hawkins, Mark Lowe and Brett Cecil.
4. SS Addison Russell, Chicago Cubs
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2015 Stats
| .238/.301/.389 | 105 | 26 | 1 | 13 | 50 | 56 | 2 | 2.7 |
Player Outlook
Sometimes, the black and white statistics don't tell the whole story of just how important a player is to the success of his respective team.
Addison Russell has been that kind of player for the Chicago Cubs this year.
That was clear by the way bench coach Dave Martinez gushed about the 21-year-old rookie to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune:
"He's been unbelievable. To be 21 and do the things he's done and helped us the way he's helped us, it's been incredible. We think he's going to have an unbelievable future and will only get better. You're starting to see the power he has. He has the ability to hit 20 home runs, steal 25 bases, drive in 70-80 runs and play the shortstop he's capable of playing.
"
Russell has picked up his offensive game since the All-Star break with a .740 OPS, 10 doubles and eight home runs, but it's his defense that has really turned heads.
After posting a 13.1 UZR/150 and nine defensive runs saved in 746 innings at second base, he moved back to his natural position of shortstop, where he already has a 16.4 UZR/150 and six defensive runs saved in 369.1 innings, per FanGraphs.
He has all the makings of a future superstar, and he's flashing that potential more and more.
3. SP Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets
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2015 Stats
| 22 | 12 | 8-7 | 3.39 | 1.101 | 30 | 145 | 135.1 | 1.7 |
Player Outlook
Luis Severino and Lance McCullers both have a shot at earning a playoff start, but it's been all but guaranteed that we'll see Noah Syndergaard taking the ball for the New York Mets in the Division Series.
"If we get in the postseason, as I’m sitting here, Noah Syndergaard will be starting one of the first few games," manager Terry Collins told reporters (via Adam Rubin of ESPN) after his most recent start.
That comes as no real surprise given how dominant the towering 6'6" right-hander has been since joining the Mets rotation on May 12, as he leads all rookie starters in strikeouts (145) and WHIP (1.101).
With a combined 165 innings of work this season, Syndergaard has already far surpassed his previous career high of 133 innings set last year, so there is some concern of him hitting a wall at some point.
For now, though, there is no rookie pitcher better positioned to make a splash in October than the 23-year-old future ace of the Mets staff.
2. SS Carlos Correa, Houston Astros
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2015 Stats
| .279/.345/.507 | 95 | 21 | 0 | 19 | 56 | 45 | 12 | 3.4 |
Player Outlook
Think back to what you were doing on your 21st birthday.
My guess is you probably weren't getting set to play shortstop and hit third for a contending MLB team, and you probably weren't coming off of a 3-for-4 performance that included a double, a home run and three RBI either.
"We can buy him a beer tomorrow," manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (per the Associated Press, via USA Today) after his big performance on Monday.
Carlos Correa isn't your average 21-year-old, and he's proven since the day he was promoted to the majors on June 8.
He's one home run shy of becoming just the fifth player this century with 20 home runs in his age-20 season (h/t Jon Morosi of Fox Sports), and that home run would also tie Dickie Thon for the single-season franchise record among shortstops (h/t ESPN).
Few contending teams have relied as heavily on a rookie to make a significant impact as the Astros have on Correa this season. Think Buster Posey helping lead the Giants to a World Series title as a rookie in 2010.
1. 3B Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
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2015 Stats
| .277/.370/.497 | 143 | 29 | 5 | 25 | 95 | 84 | 13 | 5.2 |
Player Outlook
In terms of overall production, no rookie has had a bigger impact on his team's success this year than Chicago Cubs phenom Kris Bryant.
Everyone knew about the big-time power, and everyone expected plenty of strikeouts, but it's his advanced approach at the plate and willingness to work the count and take a walk that has been a pleasant surprise.
While he leads the National League with 185 strikeouts, he's also walked 71 times on his way to a .370 on-base percentage that ranks 10th in the National League.
He's also tied for fourth in RBI (95) and is ninth in OPS (.868), as there is little question he's been one of the most dangerous hitters in the league.
If not for a terrible month of July where he hit .168/.270/.368 over 95 at-bats, his numbers would be even better, but it speaks to his makeup that he was able to bounce back from those struggles.
It's really a flip of the coin between Bryant and Carlos Correa as far as which rookie looks to be best positioned to make a huge impact in the postseason, but we'll go with the 23-year-old for the No. 1 spot here.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.
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