As Kershaw, Scherzer, Judge, and Acuña showcase their talents in the playoffs again, other superstars wait for their chance to shine.
Reggie Jackson became Mr. October. Derek Jeter, Mr. November. Kirk Gibson, Joe Carter, and Carlton Fisk also became baseball legends in the MLB postseason. While Jose Altuve, Justin Turner, and Steven Strasburg get to display their skills in October, many greats in the game today have been absent from the playoffs.
Here’s a list of the top ten players that MLB would benefit from seeing in the postseason more the next five years. All players on this list have appeared in less than five career post-season games during their careers and have been absent from the past four postseasons completely.
Mike Trout
The undisputed best player in the game has played a total of three playoff games in the 2014 AL Division Series. Now that he’s signed a lifetime contract with the Angels, it will be up to Arte Moreno and Billy Eppler to put the talent around him to get him into the post-season again.
Shane Bieber
The 24-year old Bieber joined the Indians following their recent string of postseason appearances. This season was a breakout year for the powerful righty as he won 15 games and struck out 259 batters. Bieber’s MVP performance in this summer’s All-Star game gave the nation a glimpse of what he could offer fans in an October series.
Pete Alonso
Alonso’s power was incredible during his rookie season and he played a large part in keeping the Mets in contention into September this season. Assuming his rookie performance is a sign of things to come, getting Alonso into the MLB postseason would be great for baseball.
Shohei Ohtani
The two-way star would be amazing to see in World Series, especially pitching and hitting in National League parks. It would be incredible to see a player DH during World Series home games and then pitch and bat clean-up in an NL ballpark start.
Aaron Nola
The Phillies have added playoff veterans Bryce Harper and Jake Arrieta in recent seasons in an attempt to play in October but have yet to get there. Aaron Nola has been one of the brightest young arms in baseball and it would be great for baseball fans to get a chance to see him play under the pressure of October baseball.
Whit Merrifield
Merrifield is one of the most dynamic players in baseball with his blend of speed, hitting, and diversity in the field. Merrifield debuted for the Royals following their back-to-back World Series runs and has yet to have the opportunity to play a single MLB playoff game.
Jacob deGrom
deGrom pitched well for the Mets in their 2015 run to the World Series, finishing that postseason 3-1 with a 2.88 ERA. The Mets have been absent from the postseason since while deGrom has flourished into one of the most dominant starters in the game.
Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.
The much-anticipated debut of the son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero arrived this season and his star power was evident from his debut. This past July, Guerrero, Jr. stole the show at the Home Run Derby with this monster bombs.
Josh Bell
The powerful Pirates first baseman would be awesome to see come to the plate in a clutch post-season at-bat with the game on the line. The Pirates don’t seem to get a lot of national television games and giving him the ability to showcase his skills in October would be great for baseball.
Eugenio Suarez
The Reds third baseman has developed into one of the most powerful hitters in the league the past several seasons. He often gets lost in the shuffle in Cincinnati but a trip to the post-season would certainly provide him a platform to display his talents to a larger audience.
