Ranking the Top 10 MLB Postseason Performers Thus Far
The World Series is still on the not-so-near horizon, as the 2015 MLB postseason is only one game into the championship series round. So, it'll be a while before we have a clear picture of October's biggest stars.
But whatever. With 20 games in the books, I'd say we've gone far enough to dish out some props to the postseason stars who are deserving of some props. Wouldn't you? Of course you would.
Ahead is a countdown of the top 10 performers of the postseason. The rankings are based on a number of things. We looked at overall quality of the performances in question, but we also considered the context in which each performance was achieved. While production in and of itself is great, production that has meant something is even better.
Now that you know the ground rules, you can step into the box whenever you're ready.
10. Roberto Osuna, RP, Toronto Blue Jays
1 of 10
Roberto Osuna is the closer for the Toronto Blue Jays, and he has one save so far this postseason. Considering that he's pitched in four games, that's, uh, not that many.
But here's the thing to remember about the save: It's a silly statistic that should be ignored.
If a relief pitcher's job is to come in and get outs, then Osuna has been the ideal relief pitcher this postseason. He's faced 17 batters in 5.2 innings of work, and—as you have already figured out if you just did the quick math—has retired every single one of them.
To be fair, New York Mets closer Jeurys Familia has also retired every batter he's faced in the postseason. What gives Osuna the edge, however, is that he's retired one more batter than Familia and has done so with twice as many strikeouts (six to three).
Osuna also authored the more impressive series-clinching performance. Familia was very good in recording a six-out save to finish Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. But Osuna stifled a two-on, one-out rally by the Texas Rangers with consecutive punchouts in Game 5 of the American League Division Series, and then he capped his five-out save with two more strikeouts in the ninth.
In short, the 20-year-old right-hander has been money. He deserves a good, old-fashioned cap doffing.
9. Clayton Kershaw, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
2 of 10
Not too long ago, after he lost Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the New York Mets, many of us were wondering just why the heck Clayton Kershaw always shriveled up into a small, unintimidating ball in the postseason.
But now, we can look back and say, "Hey, wait a second. ... He was actually really good!"
Yes, indeed. The Los Angeles Dodgers' ace left-hander pitched 13.2 innings in his two starts against the Mets, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and five walks. He struck out 19 and had only one bad inning: the seventh in Game 1.
Kershaw's second start of the series in Game 4 at Cit Field was, of course, his standout performance. On only three days' rest, he took the ball and kept the Dodgers' season alive by leading them to a 3-1 victory with seven innings of one-run ball. He surrendered only three hits and a walk while striking out eight.
Significant? You bet. Per SportsCenter, Kershaw became the first pitcher since 1992 to pick up a win in an elimination game with at least seven innings of work on three days' rest.
Alas, Kershaw couldn't save the Dodgers' season. But he notably improved his postseason track record.
8. Jake Arrieta, SP, Chicago Cubs
3 of 10
What Jake Arrieta has done in two postseason starts looks really good. In 14.2 innings, he's struck out a whopping 20 batters while allowing only four earned runs on 10 hits and two walks.
Of course, the catch is that the Chicago Cubs right-hander has racked up these numbers with one brilliant start in the National League Wild Card Game and one decidedly "meh" start in Game 3 of the NLDS. But he still deserves to be recognized for his first start.
What Arrieta did was subject the Pittsburgh Pirates to the same form of cruelty he subjected all opponents to during his historic second half. In leading the Cubs to a 4-0 victory, Arrieta pitched a complete-game shutout with 11 strikeouts, no walks and only five hits allowed.
So, two things about Arrieta's performance.
- By Game Score, it's the best start of the postseason.
- As Paul Casella of MLB.com noted, it's the only complete-game shutout in postseason history to feature as many as 11 strikeouts and no walks.
Oh, and one more thing: Yeah, the context was kind of important. In dominating the Pirates, Arrieta pitched the Cubs into their first proper postseason since 2008. He did good. Real good.
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7. Stephen Piscotty, OF/1B, St. Louis Cardinals
4 of 10
After winning 100 games in the regular season, the St. Louis Cardinals managed only one win against the Chicago Cubs in the National League Division Series. They were overmatched, plain and simple.
There's at least one silver lining for the Cardinals, though: Stephen Piscotty looks like he's going to be really, really good.
After breaking through with a .305 average and .853 OPS in the regular season, Piscotty owned his first taste of the postseason by hitting .375 with three home runs and a 1.444 OPS.
"It was a lot of fun," the 24-year-old said, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. "I got a taste of it now, and I just want more and more of it. It sucks to be on this end of it. We'll regroup and get after it next year."
Oh, Piscotty will be back in the postseason. But it'll be hard for him to top his first performance. His 1.444 OPS stands as the second-best of the 2015 postseason, and he joined Charlie Keller of the 1939 New York Yankees as the only rookies to ever hit three home runs in their first four postseason games, per Sheldon.
Piscotty would surely prefer to still be playing, but making a bit of postseason history is a pretty good consolation prize.
6. Jose Bautista, RF, Toronto Blue Jays
5 of 10
Jose Bautista had one of the finest seasons of his career in 2015, posting a .913 OPS and slugging 40 home runs. He was one of the game's most dangerous hitters.
And so far this postseason, he's been arguably the most dangerous hitter of them all.
Sure, it may not seem like it based on Bautista's .979 OPS and two home runs. That's good stuff but not really great stuff. But it is noteworthy that, among the hitters who have put at least 10 balls in play this postseason heading into Friday's action, Baseball Savant said he was the only one whose exit velocity averaged over 100 mph. When he's put the ball in play, he's been October's baddest dude.
Oh, and there's also this: Of all the big hits in the playoffs so far, he hit the biggest.
Game 5 of the American League Division Series between the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays was tied 3-3 when Bautista stepped to the plate with two on in the seventh inning. He promptly unloaded on Sam Dyson and sent the ball far over the left-center field wall for a go-ahead home run.
Bautista did two things with that swing. Most importantly, FanGraphs says he increased Toronto's win probability by nearly 35 percent. Second, he authored a masterpiece of a bat flip that MLB Social says was mentioned nearly 200,000 times on Twitter.
The GIF of it will live forever. And ever and ever.
5. Justin Turner, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers
6 of 10
Ahead of Game 5 of the National League Division Series, Justin Turner told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register that he doesn't hold a grudge against the New York Mets for non-tendering him after 2013. "That stuff's all in the past," he said.
Yeah, well, his bat told a different story.
Turner didn't let the Mets get him out in the division series. The Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman hit .526 with a 1.392 OPS in the five games. He collected 10 hits in all, including six doubles.
In so doing, Steve Bourbon of MLB.com noted that Turner became the first player ever to collect as many as 10 hits in a division series. And per Katie Sharp of River Avenue Blues, Turner's six doubles also tied for the most in a single postseason series in MLB history.
"Oh, he was great," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said, per Bourbon. "He swung the bat really well. He's swung the bat really well for us since he came over. He's a guy that, obviously, he knows what he's doing, and he's been doing this for us, obviously, the last couple of years."
This is true. A light-hitting utility man with the Mets, Turner has hit .314 with an .876 OPS in two seasons in Dodgers blue. Add in what he did against the Mets, and it's almost as if he's trying to prove something.
In other words: We see through your lies, Mr. Turner.
4. Daniel Murphy, 2B, New York Mets
7 of 10
The New York Mets have some big boppers in their lineup, from Curtis Granderson to David Wright to Lucas Duda to Yoenis Cespedes to Travis d'Arnaud.
So, of course it was Daniel Murphy who emerged as the star of the show in the National League Division Series.
Murphy's numbers are impressive enough without context: He hit .333 with a 1.143 OPS, with three home runs and a double among his seven hits in the series. But more so than with any other hitter on this list, it's really the context of Murphy's performance that makes it so special.
Certainly, it's notable that his three homers came off arguably the two best pitchers in the NL. He homered off Clayton Kershaw in Games 1 and 4 and Zack Greinke in Game 5. As JJ Cooper of Baseball America wrote, it's hard to "think of someone having a better series against better pitching."
Then there's the reality that Murphy almost single-handedly won Game 5 for the Mets. His RBI double in the first inning got New York on the board, and he scored the game-tying run in the fourth after he made a brilliant baserunning play. Then in the sixth inning, his solo homer off Greinke gave the Mets the game-winning run.
To be that good against elite pitching and the lone offensive producer in a do-or-die game? Yeah, that's one hell of a series.
3. Kyle Schwarber, OF, Chicago Cubs
8 of 10
Just a year after being drafted, Kyle Schwarber burst onto the scene in 2015 and established himself as a big-time power threat with 16 home runs in only 69 games.
But why stop there when you can keep building your legend in October?
That's what Schwarber has done in the Chicago Cubs' five postseason games, hitting .538 with a 1.831 OPS. Both are the best numbers among postseason hitters with at least 15 plate appearances, and Schwarber has also slugged three home runs.
Baseball Savant says he has averaged a higher exit velocity (100.4 mph) than any other hitter in the playoffs. But you probably could have guessed as much just by looking at two of his home runs in particular.
Schwarber's first of the postseason was a two-run blast off Gerrit Cole in the National League Wild Card Game that landed in the Allegheny River. His most recent was a solo shot in Game 4 of the division series that landed atop the right field scoreboard at Wrigley Field. That ball still resides right where it landed, with the only change being a ceremonial glass encasing.
"It's a great honor," Schwarber told Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune. "Wrigley Field has such great history. For it to stay up there for however long it does—I don't know how long they plan on keeping it up there—it will be cool."
Here's a hint, Cubs: Never take it down. Don't you ever.
2. Colby Rasmus, OF, Houston Astros
9 of 10
You might know Colby Rasmus as that guy who hits plenty of dingers but who has never really lived up to the hype that surrounded him earlier in his career.
Unless, of course, you've only seen the Houston Astros outfielder go to work in the postseason, in which case you know him as Babe Ruth.
Hands down, Rasmus has been the postseason's most productive hitter. In six games against the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals, he hit .412 with four home runs.
Rasmus also ranks ahead of all other qualified hitters with a 1.760 OPS this postseason. And his four home runs are a postseason high. And, per ESPN.com, he leads all players in runs created. That stat measures, well, it measures pretty much what you'd expect it to measure.
That's why Rasmus can be characterized as the postseason's most productive hitter. And as far as his manager is concerned, Rasmus made it look easy.
"He has been tremendous," Astros skipper A.J. Hinch told Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle. "I love the calmness that's around Colby right now. He's taken what they're giving him. If they weren't giving him anything, he's taken his walks."
The downside? Rasmus' thunderous production didn't result in a series victory. But he did his best. He did his best.
1. Jacob DeGrom, SP, New York Mets
10 of 10
The New York Mets' Jacob deGrom didn't let up after coming out of nowhere in 2014, finishing 2015 with a 2.54 ERA and 205 strikeouts in 191 innings. In no time at all, he's gone from a nobody to a legit ace.
And boy did he act like it in the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In two starts, deGrom pitched 13 innings and allowed only two runs on 11 hits and four walks. His 1.38 ERA is the lowest among this postseason's two-start crowd, and his 20 strikeouts are tied with Jake Arrieta for the most of the playoffs.
The context makes his performance look even better.
In Game 1 of the NLDS, deGrom outdueled Clayton Kershaw by striking out 13 over seven shutout innings, joining a select group of pitchers to ever punch out as many as 13 over at least seven shutout innings in a postseason game. DeGrom wasn't as overpowering in Game 5, but he still outdid Zack Greinke with six innings of two-run ball.
"If he didn't show you tonight, he had command of nothing, and all he did was battle and battle and battle to give you six innings," Mets skipper Terry Collins said after Game 5, per MLB.com. "It's unbelievable. I don't know. There were four times in the game he was one hit away from coming out of the game. Ended up giving us six innings, so I'm real proud of him."
We tend to remember pitchers who turn in performances like that in October. DeGrom has put himself on the right track.
Note: Regular-season stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked. Postseason stats courtesy of MLB.com.
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