MLB Playoffs 2017: Ranking The 10 Best Players In Baseball's Postseason

Players like Mike Trout and Giancarlo Stanton weren't lucky enough to reach the postseason, but some of the top players in baseball will compete for a championship this October. That includes the top candidates for AL MVP, NL MVP and NL Cy Young.

Let’s rank the 10 best players in the 2017 MLB Playoffs.

1) Clayton Kershaw (18-4, 2.31 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 10.4 K/9)

The left-hander might just go down as the greatest pitcher ever when it’s all said and done. Kershaw has the best adjusted ERA in history. He’s finished in the top five in NL CY Young voting in each of the last six years, and if he doesn’t win the award for a fourth time this season, he’ll come in second place. After leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to the playoffs in each season since 2013, he helped the team get home-field advantage through the World Series this year. The only knock on Kershaw is that he hasn’t been nearly as dominant in the postseason, posting a 4.55 ERA in 18 appearances.

2) Corey Kluber (18-4, 2.25 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 11.7 K/9)

Plenty of MLB fans would pick Kluber over Kershaw if they needed a pitcher to win one game. It’d be hard to argue with that decision, given the way Kluber has pitched in big moments. Reaching the playoffs for the first time in his career in 2016, Kluber was virtually unhittable for most of his time on the mound, pitching to a 1.83 ERA in six starts. Four of those starts came on three days’ rest, and that’s probably why he ultimately ran out of gas and allowed four runs in four innings in Game 7 of the World Series. But after the Cleveland Indians' ace made himself the clear AL Cy Young choice in 2017, he could have another big postseason.

3) Jose Altuve (.346 AVG, 24 HR, 81 RBI, .410/547)

The Houston Astros’ second baseman has never put up historic power numbers like Aaron Judge. But he is the best player on a 101-win team, and he’s getting better each year. Altuve is a model of consistency with four straight seasons of hitting no worse than .313. Winning his third batting title in four years, Altuve never hit worse than .298 in a single month. He finished sixth in the AL in slugging percentage, and he’s had a top-three AL WAR in each of the last two seasons.

4) Aaron Judge (.284 AVG, 52 HR, 114 RBI, .422/.627)

Based on the 2017 regular season alone, Judge could arguably be No.1 on the list. He led all players that are currently in the postseason with an 8.8 WAR, and he seems to be hot at just the right time. Following a poor July and August, Judge hit 15 home runs in September with a 1.352 OPS. He quickly answered any questions regarding how he might handle the postseason, hitting a two-run home run in the New York Yankees’ 8-4 win in over the Minnesota Twins in the AL Wild-Card Game.

5) Paul Goldschmidt (.297 AVG, 36 HR, 120 RBI, .404/.563)

The Arizona Diamondbacks' first baseman might be the most underrated player in baseball. Though not nearly as well-known as players like Stanton, Bryce Harper and Kris Bryant, he’s in the conversation for the best position player in the NL. He’s made five straight All-Star appearances and finished second in the voting for NL MVP in both 2013 and 2015. Goldschmidt is headed for another top-five MVP finish in 2017. He hit a three-run homer in Wednesday’s NL Wild-Card Game, improving his career playoff splits to .429/.500/.857 in five games.

6) Chris Sale (17-8, 2.90 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 12.9 K/9)

Sale is basically the AL’s version of Kershaw, just not quite as dominant. After posting five straight top-six Cy Young finishes with the Chicago White Sox, Sale is almost certain to come in second place in his first season with the Boston Red Sox. He’s the ace the Red Sox thought they were getting with David Price, though he’ll be facing plenty of pressure himself as he makes his playoff debut.

7) Bryce Harper (.319 AVG, 29 HR, 87 RBI, .413/.595)

Harper might just be baseball’s best player when he’s at the top of his game. It looked like he could take the mantle from Mike Trout when a 9.9 WAR won him the 2015 NL MVP award, but he followed that up with a .243 average in 2016. Harper was back to playing like an NL MVP candidate before an injury cost him most of the second half of the 2017 season. The Washington Nationals are hoping Harper can play like he did in the 2014 postseason when he had a 1.251 OPS in four games.

8) Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.51 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 12 K/9)

Of all the free agents that have signed monstrous contracts in recent years, Scherzer might be worth the money more than anyone. In three seasons since joining the Nationals, he’s pitched to a sub-.300 ERA every year. Favored to win the 2017 NL CY Young award, he was a Cy Young winner in 2013 and 2016 and finished fifth in both 2014 and 2015. He’s got a 3.74 ERA in 14 career playoff games.

9) Kris Bryant (.295 AVG, 29 HR, 73 RBI, .409/.537)

As the best player on the defending World Series champions, Bryant easily makes the list. He followed up his 2016 NL MVP season by hitting for a higher average and posting an even better OPS. Bryant’s been a top-10 player since the day he was called up to the majors in 2015, and the Chicago Cubs will have a chance to repeat if the third baseman plays the way he did during last year’s title run. Bryant hit .308 with three homers in 17 playoff games.

10) Mookie Betts (.264 AVG, 24 HR, 102 RBI, .344/.459)

It’s hard to believe that Betts begins the playoffs at just 24 years old. He’s already put together three seasons with a WAR of at least 6.0, including a 9.6 WAR last year when he came in second in the AL MVP voting. Even in what might be considered a down year by his standards, Betts still led the first-place Red Sox in home runs, RBI, total bases, stolen bases, runs and hits.