The 2013 National League MVP is the leading hitter on a team with the second-best record in the entire league. McCutchen’s Pirates have won 96 games but will have to face Jake Arrieta and the Chicago Cubs in a one-game do-or-die situation. McCutchen has 36 doubles, 22 home runs and an impressive .893 OPS this season. The good news for Pittsburgh fans is that he has historically hit Arrieta well, going 8-for-23 (.348) against him in his career per baseball-reference.com. The Buccos’ star took an 0-fer in last year’s one-game playoff. He hopes that will be different this time around.
9. Adrian Gonzalez, LAD
The Los Angeles Dodgers are known for their dominant starting pitching with the likes of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke leading the way, but their offense has been less than ideal throughout the 2015 season. Rookie Joc Pederson started off strong but fell off after All-Star break, but Adrian Gonzalez has had a solid season throughout. He leads the Dodgers in home runs (28), RBIs (88), OBP (.352) and hits (154). The most consistent hitter all season for the Boys in Blue, Gonzalez will be part of the postseason for the third year in a row. He hit just .188 as the Dodgers lost to the Cardinals in the NLDS last year, but he was a stud hitting .316 with three home runs and a .971 OPS in 2013. He will look to make LA love him again in the 2015 postseason.
Bryant will likely be awarded with the NL Rookie of the Year following the 2015 season, but his numbers would be impressive even if he weren’t a rookie. Bryant is hitting .279 with 26 home runs and 31 doubles. He is fourth in the National League in RBIs with 99, and he has been everything the Cubs could have asked for after they promoted him to the majors following a ridiculous spring training. Joe Maddon will look for the lanky third baseman to continue smashing the ball in the playoffs. They will not be satisfied with merely making the postseason; they want to do some damage while they’re in the dance.
7. Anthony Rizzo, CHC
The 26-year-old first baseman is the leader of the up-and-coming Cubs team, which made the playoffs for the first time since 2008. He leads the squad in home runs with 30 and has driven in 95 runs. Rizzo really started off the season well, hitting over .300 in both April and May. He has consistently batted between .250-.270 in every month since with a fair amount of power. He has been steady, but the Cubs will need his power bat to show up in a wild-card game with the Pirates.
6. Matt Carpenter, STL
Carpenter is a leadoff hitter who is known more for his contact than his power, but he really took off in the slugging department this season. He has hit a career-high 28 home runs to add to his 101 runs scored and 83 RBIs for the MLB-leading St. Louis Cardinals. His production has been especially important due to the many injuries that have plagued the Cards.
With a swing similar to Chase Utley’s, Carpenter was a postseason star a year ago for the Cards. He smacked four doubles and four home runs, single-handedly terrorizing the Dodgers with a homer and double in three straight games. LA is just hoping they won’t have to see him again.
