From a skinny Miguel Cabrera to a fresh out of college Michael Wacha, rookies have been delivering in the postseason for years. Though the superstars on teams generally are looked to as the leaders of the clubs, sometimes it’s the youngsters who come through in the biggest moments. This is a time when rookies can make names for themselves and carve out identities that will never be forgotten by their fans.
With all that in mind, let’s take a look at 10 rookies who could have huge impacts this MLB postseason.
10. Steven Matz, SP, New York Mets
If the Mets make it to a fourth game in their NLDS with the Dodgers, Matz could be in line for the start. The 24-year-old southpaw picked up a win in his MLB debut back in June, and he blanked the Dodgers over six innings in his second career start. Though he has only pitched 35.2 innings this season, his numbers have been strong. He has struck out an impressive 34 batters and has posted a 2.27 ERA. Don’t sleep on his ability at the plate, either; Matz is 4-for-14 with five RBIs this season.
Matz missed most of July and all of August with an injury, and his back has been problematic lately. If it allows him to pitch and the Mets go to a fourth game, he could be a difference-maker.
9. Greg Bird, 1B, New York Yankees
Yes, believe it or not, the Yankees actually have some homegrown talent in their organization! Bird was a fifth-round pick out of high school and exploded in 2013 when he smacked 20 home runs as a 20-year-old in Single-A. He started off the season in Double-A this year and was called up in August to take the spot of the injured Mark Teixeira. He has filled in even better than the Yankees could have imagined.
Bird is batting .261 with 11 home runs, nine doubles and 31 RBIs in 46 games. He got uber-hot in September, crushing eight dingers in 89 at-bats. He had a stretch where he homered in three straight games and five of seven. He has the kind of bat that can carry a team. The Yankees hope that will be the case in October.
8. Lance McCullers, SP, Houston Astros
McCullers was a first-round pick in 2012 and has provided reliability on Houston’s staff this season. He has gone 6-7 with a 3.22 ERA, and his superior stuff has helped him rack up 129 strikeouts. Opposing batters are only hitting .226 against him.
7. Roberto Osuna, RP, Toronto Blue Jays
This 20-year-old fireballer has been the answer to the Blue Jays’ closer question. Osuna recorded seven holds through the first two and a half months of the MLB season before being promoted to closer. Since then he has picked up 20 saves over 69.2 innings. Mostly a fastball pitcher who also features a slider and changeup, Osuna averages 95.6 mph on his heater and has struck out 75 batters on the season for a very solid 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings rate.
Osuna has been shaky since September allowing runs in six of 13 outings, but the Jays hope he will be as solid in the postseason as he was early in the year.
6. Corey Seager, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers
Seager has been everything the Dodgers could have asked for plus more since being called up in September. The 21-year-old top prospect recorded two hits in each of his first two games with the big club and stayed hot. He had a 4-for-4 game against Arizona in September that included his first professional home run, and he had multi-hit games in every contest during a mid-September 3-game series with the Rockies.
He has unseated Jimmy Rollins as the team’s starting shortstop and is giving the Dodgers some much-needed thump in the lineup entering the postseason. If he keeps up his current levels of production — which include a .986 OPS — the Dodgers will go far.
