As the MLB postseason approaches, fans and analysts alike are eagerly anticipating the performances of key players who have the potential to make a significant impact on their teams' success. Just to build that extra bit of hype for the postseason and to help anyone who might be looking at choosing some MLB picks for what is sure to be an exciting postseason, this article will touch on a number of those key players and highlight some of their stats over the regular season.
Mookie Betts
With 39 homers and 177 batter hits, it's no surprise that Betts is high on this list. He's incredibly important for the Los Angeles Dodgers and many speculate he's well and truly in contention for the NL MVP award this season. As well as the 39 homers, Betts has scored 125 runs and has stolen a total of 13 bases. It's not all about batting skill, though; the thing that really makes Betts a superstar is that he can perform on defense as well. Despite primarily being a right fielder, Betts stepped up and played 450 innings as second base and shortstop for 98. We don't know about you, but we're excited to watch him perform his usual magic when the Dodgers play in the Division Series.
José Abreu
While not starting with a very promising 2023, Abreu has gradually improved over the season to become something of a terror on the field. The veteran White Sox player is only in his first season with the Houston Astros, and it's speculated that he needed a bit of time to become acclimatized to his new home as his stats were all trending downward over the season and things were looking grim. With a clutch home run against the Orioles and a more successful record across his latest games, it seems like Abreu has warmed up to his new team and looks ready to play some exciting baseball through the postseason.
Bo Bichette
Not every name on this list is one you might be familiar with, this up-and-comer made his debut just 4 short years ago and he's already starting to reach the top of lists of the best shortstops in the league. While 2023 was not his best year, Bichette is still averaging a fairly impressive .306 bat across 119 games. He has been out for 27 games this season with leg injuries, something that definitely hurt his stat sheet, but he's tipped to play shortstop for the Toronto Blue Jays Postseason and the youngster should put on a good show.
Max Scherzer
Although he was injured on September 12th, the news coming out of the Rangers is that their ace pitcher might just make the postseason after all. Having acquired Scherzer only recently from the New York Mets, the Rangers will of course be keen to get this powerhouse pitcher back on the field as a starting pitcher for the postseason. So far he's only played 45 innings with the Rangers but has acquired a decently impressive 53 strikeouts in that time. It can only be hoped that this star isn't pushing himself too hard to recover in time.
Marcell Ozuna
On the subject of players starting poorly early this season, Ozuna definitely makes that list. He played poorly throughout all of April, so poorly that fans were calling for him to be traded away or cut from the team. The Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker had faith that Ozuna would show improvement and kept him on and has been well rewarded for that faith. Ozuna has drastically improved, scoring nine homers throughout the month of August and generally becoming a key part of the Braves Offense.
Final innings for MLB Postseason Picks
Of course, there are many more players than these that should excite MLB fans, but we can only include so many. It looks set to be a very exciting postseason and the games should be fun to watch, whichever team you're cheering for.
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