Selecting MLB's Final 2015 Postseason All-Star Team
From World Series MVP Salvador Perez to nasty closer Wade Davis, MLB's final 2015 postseason All-Star team is stacked with members of the Kansas City Royals.
It's easy enough to understand why so many Royals would make the grade. The idea here is to highlight the top individual performers from the postseason—and the newly minted kings of baseball are loaded with players who fit that description.
The selection process was all about digging through the playoff stats to find the best of the best. While all the numbers counted, the heaviest emphasis was placed on stats compiled during the championship series and the World Series. For that reason, more than a couple of New York Mets ended up making the cut.
Catcher: Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
1 of 11
Postseason Stats: 16 G, 15-for-58, 3 2B, 4 HR, 10 R, 8 RBI
His All-Star Credentials
Salvador Perez is officially an iron man.
The Kansas City Royals backstop broke the record for the most innings caught over a two-year span, per Stats, via the Associated Press. Even as he racked up all those innings behind the dish, Perez was a beast at the plate.
"He's a horse," New York Mets manager Terry Collins told the AP. "Put up the offensive numbers, when you're catching 150 a year, that's impressive."
Impressive indeed. This October, the right-handed hitter cracked four home runs, which led all catchers. He also chipped in three doubles and drove in eight for the Royals.
Honorable Mention: Travis d'Arnaud, New York Mets
First Base: Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals
2 of 11
Postseason Stats: 16 G, 14-for-66, 2 2B, HR, 10 R, 17 RBI, SB
His All-Star Credentials
Eric Hosmer is fast becoming an October legend.
The first baseman totaled 17 RBI for the Royals this postseason and drove in 27 runs in his first 28 career playoff games. According to ESPN Stats & Info, only Lou Gehrig collected more RBI (33) in his first 28 postseason contests.
Mike Oz of Big League Stew recounted the scene in Kauffman Stadium when Hosmer was asked about his historic feat:
"Hos," someone said to him. "You see that stat that puts you up with Gehrig?"
Hosmer looked up briefly and smiled. "Yeah. Sick."
One of the most memorable moments from Hosmer's awesome October came back in Game 1 of the Fall Classic. In the eighth inning, the 26-year-old booted a grounder that allowed the Mets to score the go-ahead run. But then in the 14th, Hosmer stepped to the plate and delivered a sacrifice fly to give the Royals the win.
Honorable Mention: Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles Dodgers
Second Base: Daniel Murphy, New York Mets
3 of 11
Postseason Stats: 14 G, 19-for-58, 2 2B, 7 HR, 13 R, 11 RBI
His All-Star Credentials
Right now, the lasting image of Daniel Murphy's postseason is from the eighth inning of Game 4 of the World Series when the second baseman let a grounder trickle under his glove, allowing the Kansas City Royals to score the tying run in their eventual 5-3 win.
"I just misplayed it. It went right under my glove," Murphy told Anthony DiComo and Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. "They made us pay for it. It put us in a really bad spot, and that's frustrating."
Murphy's miscue was brutal, but there's no way to ignore the fact that the Mets never would have been in the World Series if not for all of the 30-year-old's home runs.
Murphy has connected on seven jacks, which is not only the most ever for a second baseman in a single postseason, but is also the second-most for any player during a single playoff run, per Steve Politi of NJ.com.
Honorable Mention: Rougned Odor, Texas Rangers; Ben Zobrist, Kansas City Royals
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Shortstop: Alcides Escobar, Kansas City Royals
4 of 11
Postseason Stats: 16 G, 23-for-70, 4 2B, 3 3B, HR, 13 R, 9 RBI, SB
His All-Star Credentials
Alcides Escobar was an absolute nightmare for opposing pitchers during the Royals' postseason run.
Throughout the postseason, Escobar demonstrated a super-aggressive approach at the plate, swinging at the first pitch in nearly all of his at-bats. Jesse Spector of Sporting News joked on Twitter that the right-handed hitter even "swung at the [World Series] trophy."
The shortstop and table-setter posted a 15-game hitting streak and tallied 23 hits altogether. By hitting safely in 15 consecutive contests, the AL Championship Series MVP produced the longest postseason hitting streak in franchise history, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Honorable Mention: Carlos Correa, Houston Astros; Troy Tulowitzki, Toronto Blue Jays
Third Base: Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers
5 of 11
Postseason Stats: 5 G, 10-for-19, 6 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI
His All-Star Credentials
Justin Turner is the only position player who landed a spot on this squad whose teamed bowed out in the division series round.
Even though his postseason chances were limited, there was just no way to leave Turner out of the mix. The third baseman hit .526 in the NLDS against the New York Mets and clubbed six doubles. Per ESPN Stats & Info, Turner is just the second player ever to double six times in a playoff series.
Turner also picked up all those two-base hits while playing on a bum wheel. Immediately after the end of the season, Turner had to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, according to Mark Saxon of ESPN.com.
Honorable Mention: Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays; Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals
Left Field: Kyle Schwarber, Chicago Cubs
6 of 11
Postseason Stats: 9 G, 9-for-27, 5 HR, 6 R, 8 RBI
His All-Star Credentials
Kyle Schwarber was a train wreck in left, but the guy sure did hit a lot of dingers.
With five home runs in his nine-game playoff stint with the Chicago Cubs, the lefty masher enjoyed a historically successful October. According to Sportsnet Stats, that output made Schwarber the first player ever to connect on five bombs before his 23rd birthday.
That's not bad for a player who was drafted in June 2014 and who began the 2015 season in Double-A.
Honorable Mention: Colby Rasmus, Houston Astros; Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals
Center Field: Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals
7 of 11
Postseason Stats: 16 G, 16-for-62, 2 2B, HR, 11 R, 11 RBI, 6 SB
His All-Star Credentials
Lorenzo Cain caused trouble every time he got on base.
The bad news for the rest of baseball is that the center fielder spent a ton of time on the basepaths during the postseason. According to the MLB on Fox Twitter account, Cain's 20-game on-base streak is the sixth-longest such streak that any AL player has ever put together.
The flyer swiped six bags during the playoffs, which set a new franchise record for the Royals, per the MLB Stat of the Day Twitter account.
Unsurprisingly, the most memorable moment of Cain's postseason came courtesy of his wheels. In Game 6 of the ALCS, Cain scored all the way from first base on a single, as the Royals pulled ahead 4-3 on their way to advancing to the Fall Classic.
Honorable Mention: Kevin Pillar, Toronto Blue Jays
Right Field: Curtis Granderson, New York Mets
8 of 11
Postseason Stats: 14 G, 15-for-53, 2 2B, 3 HR, 10 R, 12 RBI, 4 SB
His All-Star Credentials
Quietly, Curtis Granderson had a big postseason—especially during the World Series.
The right-fielder thumped three home runs during the Fall Classic, and all three gave the New York Mets the lead. According to the Ace of MLB Stats Twitter account, Granderson joins Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth as the only players to ever connect on three go-ahead home runs in a single World Series. Gene Tenace is the only player ever to connect on four.
It wasn't just with the long ball that Granderson made his mark. The 34-year-old totaled 12 RBI, which was the second-best output in the postseason.
Honorable Mention: Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays; Jason Heyward, St. Louis Cardinals; Stephen Piscotty, St. Louis Cardinals; Jorge Soler, Chicago Cubs
Designated Hitter: Kendrys Morales, Kansas City Royals
9 of 11
Postseason Stats: 16 G, 13-for-51, 4 HR, 5 R, 10 RBI
His All-Star Credentials
Even though his impact was limited during the World Series, Kendrys Morales was the easy call at this spot.
This postseason, Morales led all designated hitters with four jacks and 10 RBI. Morales' biggest contribution to the cause came back in the AL Division Series when he smacked three home runs to help send the Royals past the Houston Astros.
Signed to a two-year, $17 million deal last winter, the switch-hitter proved to be just yet another low-profile but high-impact offseason pickup for general manager Dayton Moore.
Honorable Mention: Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays
Starting Pitcher: Matt Harvey, New York Mets
10 of 11
Postseason Stats: 4 G, 3.04 ERA, 26.2 IP, 21 H, 8 BB, 9 ER, 27 SO
His All-Star Credentials
This time around, there was no Madison Bumgarner.
But in Game 5 of the World Series, Matt Harvey did the best impression of the San Francisco Giants' lanky left-hander of any of the starters who pitched in the 2015 postseason.
Harvey ended up giving up a pair of runs in the ill-fated ninth, but before that frame he was brilliant. The right-hander recorded nine strikeouts and flat-out dismantled the relentless Royals for much of the night.
Harvey ended the postseason with a 3.04 ERA in his four outings, as he pitched the second-most inning (26.2) of any starter.
Honorable Mention: Jacob deGrom, New York Mets; Marco Estrada, Toronto Blue Jays; Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers; Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets
Closer: Wade Davis, Kansas City Royals
11 of 11
Postseason Stats: 8 G, 0.00 ERA, 10.2 IP, 4 SV, 6 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 18 SO
His All-Star Credentials
There was no debate to be had here.
Wade Davis was as automatic as it gets in the postseason. The right-hander didn't give up a single run in his eight outings, as he totaled 18 punchouts while allowing just six hits.
Right before Davis took the mound to clinch the Royals' first World Series title since 1985, Los Angeles Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy summed up the closer's dominance with a single tweet: "One more run and legally Wade Davis doesn't have to pitch. Just has to walk to the mound and the game is declared over #WorldSeries."
Honorable Mention: Luke Hochevar, Kansas City Royals; Aaron Sanchez, Toronto Blue Jays
Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com. All salary information courtesy of Cot's Baseball Contracts on BaseballProspectus.com.
If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.
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