It feels like every postseason, there are a handful of players most MLB fans haven't heard of who dominate on the big stage. Take Ernie Clement in last year's postseason, for example: Clement, a player the Toronto Blue Jays acquired by signing to a Minor League contract in 2023, had a middling .711 OPS in the 2025 regular season as a utility infielder, only for him to record a record-setting 30 hits in the postseason. Clement carried his newfound popularity into the regular season, leading the AL in All-Star votes.
Who will be this year's Clement? Here's one guess for every team likely to make the playoffs entering the action on Thursday, Sept. 24.
Atlanta Braves: RHP Didier Fuentes
Another Blue Jays player who generated tons of headlines in last year's postseason was Trey Yesavage, a 22-year-old who made six postseason appearances (five starts) for Toronto despite limited big-league experience. Yesavage was their most important pitcher not named Kevin Gausman. What if I told you the Atlanta Braves have a pitcher who just turned 21 years of age in June and should be a focal point for them in the playoffs?
Didier Fuentes has a bit more big-league experience than Yesavage did and won't be starting games, but he's one of the most important members of their bullpen. He has a 2.24 ERA in 57 appearances and 72.1 innings of work, striking out over 31 percent of the batters he's faced. Fuentes throws incredibly hard and has a slider that has generated whiffs over 38 percent of the time.
Fuentes has the stuff and the story to emerge as a household name, even as a reliever.
Boston Red Sox: OF Ceddanne Rafaela
In the eyes of most, Ceddanne Rafaela is seen as an excellent defensive player who hurts the Boston Red Sox with the bat. He won a Gold Glove award in 2025, but did so with an unimpressive .705 OPS. That, as underwhelming as it might be, was the best mark of his career entering this season. All of a sudden, though, Rafaela is a complete player.
He has slashed .284/.319/.444 with 16 home runs and 70 RBI for the Red Sox. He remains an elite defensive outfielder, capable of wowing any viewer with his defense in center field, but he's also more capable now than ever of coming through with a clutch hit. Rafaela is more valuable than any Red Sox position player not named Willson Contreras in terms of fWAR, and he has a chance to show that in October.
Chicago Cubs: RHP Ryan Zeferjahn
Chicago Cubs fans are concerned when looking at the state of their pitching staff, and understandably so, but with Ryan Zeferjahn in the bullpen, the Cubs have at least one reliever who should impress when the lights are brightest. Yes, he has an underwhelming 4.76 ERA since being acquired by the Cubs at the trade deadline, and his 3.93 ERA overall isn't outstanding by any means, but this guy's stuff is as good as any reliever's in the sport.
Zeferjahn has a 31.2 percent strikeout rate, good for 13th among qualified relievers. He's ahead of Fuentes and All-Stars Dylan Lee and Jacob Latz in that metric. He's 10th overall in strikeouts, ahead of guys like Andres Munoz, Jhoan Duran and David Bednar. He's generated whiffs on over 30 percent of his sweepers and four-seamers, which combine for over 60 percent of his pitch usage. Again, his stuff is hard to hit.
And when opponents do make contact, they have an expected batting average of .184 against him, good for the 98th percentile per Baseball Savant. Yes, he walks too many, and yes, his overall numbers aren't stellar, but the stuff is really good, and he's allowed a run in just two of his last 10 appearances. Zeferjahn should be closing games out for the Cubs this postseason, and he could cement himself as their closer for years to come.
Chicago White Sox: RHP Grant Taylor
As great as Zeferjahn is, he might not be as good as the other Chicago reliever on this list, Grant Taylor. To put it simply, I have no idea where the Chicago White Sox would be without Taylor, who is comfortably one of the best relievers in the American League. He has a 2.30 ERA in 59 appearances and 82 innings of work, while serving in a variety of roles for Chicago, from opener to closer.
Taylor is an easy pitcher to fall in love with because his stuff is so electric. He averages over 98 mph with his four-seamer and pairs that with a hammer of a curveball that I'm not sure how anyone can touch. Taylor has been used at the highest-leverage moments for the White Sox, whether they're in the ninth inning or earlier, and he's gotten the job done far more often than not. It'll be exciting to see him perform in those big moments when it really matters.
Cleveland Guardians: 2B Travis Bazzana
In most cases, players picked No. 1 overall in the MLB Draft are well-known across the league; but in most cases, players picked No. 1 overall do not end up with the Cleveland Guardians. I'm not sure there is a playoff team discussed less than the Guardians, and Bazzana is a big reason why they've been able to take first place in the AL Central (at least for now).
Bazzana earned a promotion to the Majors in late April and got off to a strong enough start that he even got a bit of All-Star buzz. Bazzana did make the team, but from June through August, he hit .215 with a .636 OPS. This resulted in virtually nobody talking about him. Fast forward to September, and Bazzana is on fire once again.
After an 0-for-5 start to his month, Bazzana has slashed .315/.403/.704 with six home runs and 15 RBI in 16 games, and Cleveland has gone 12-4 in that stretch. The Guardians have a legitimate shot at getting to the ALCS if not beyond, and if the Aussie can help lead them there, he'll become a household name.
Houston Astros: OF Cam Smith
Cam Smith was the centerpiece of the deal that sent Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs ahead of the 2025 season, but as his .665 career OPS might suggest, he hasn't quite lived up to expectations. With that being said, Smith is an excellent defender, has tons of speed and, most importantly, looks like a player who can change any given game with one swing.
Smith is a streaky hitter and, alarmingly, has just one hit in his last 31 at-bats, but prior to his recent slump, he was on a three-game home run streak. Smith had a .479 slugging percentage in the second half before this current skid; for reference, that's better than guys like Jackson Chourio, Jordan Walker and Fernando Tatis Jr. over the course of the full season. Getting on base consistently has been a challenge for Smith, but home runs are king in October. All the focus will be on the likes of Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Pena in the Houston Astros' lineup, but Smith could be the player who flips games in October if he can rediscover his power stroke.
Los Angeles Dodgers: RHP Evan Phillips
If there's one Los Angeles Dodgers weakness worth discussing, it's their bullpen. While Edwin Diaz has looked better of late, he's had a lost season overall, and it's not as if Tanner Scott is the most reliable closer in the world either. Factoring in Edgardo Henriquez's recent injury, who do you trust? Evan Phillips might be that guy.
Phillips has been a Dodger since the 2021 campaign and was an important member of their 2024 bullpen, but he made just five appearances in 2025 due to forearm discomfort and didn't pitch at all in the Majors this season until July. Since returning, though, Phillips has been nails, and that's especially been the case of late. The right-hander has allowed just four runs in 15.2 innings of work since the start of August, and two of those runs came in one outing. In those 20 appearances, he's struck out 19 batters while issuing only four walks.
I don't know whether Phillips will be closing games or not, but he'll be asked to record some key outs. Assuming he does, he'll remind the baseball world just how good he once was.
Milwaukee Brewers: RHP Logan Henderson
Jacob Misiorowski is the star of the show in Milwaukee, but as good as he is, he cannot win the Milwaukee Brewers a World Series by himself. He'll start two or three games at most in a best-of-seven series, meaning other starters will need to step up. Logan Henderson is best positioned to be that guy.
For casual fans, Henderson is seen as the guy who prevented the Brewers from getting Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline. While that's true, it's easy to see why Milwaukee was reluctant to give him up: I mean, Henderson has a sparkling 2.47 ERA in 18 starts this season, and he's allowed three earned runs or fewer each time he's taken the mound. That kind of consistency is hard to find anywhere, let alone from a rookie. The Brewers are 14-4 when he's taken the ball. It's about time for fans to learn how good he is.
New York Yankees: OF Spencer Jones
In the eyes of many, Spencer Jones is just an overhyped New York Yankees prospect who strikes out too much. While sure, Jones isn't a superstar and he has struck out over 36 percent of the time this season, he also has 11 home runs, 10 stolen bases and a 108 OPS+ in 84 games.
In other words, even with the strikeouts, Jones has been an above-average hitter for the Yankees, and he's done this while stealing bases, hitting for power and playing capable defense in center field. That's a valuable player no matter how you slice it. Jones might end up looking overmatched in the postseason, but he also has the upside to swing games with his power and his athleticism. He should be a regular in the Yankees' lineup, even if guys like Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge return, and he could very well let the world know how good he can be.
Philadelphia Phillies: RHP Andrew Painter
Much like Jones, Andrew Painter is likely thought of by most as an overhyped prospect. He had a brutal 2025 coming off Tommy John surgery and began his big-league career posting a 7.06 ERA in his first 14 appearances — resulting in a demotion to Triple-A in mid-June. Rather than sulk in the Minors, Painter made some adjustments and has come back to the Majors looking like a completely different pitcher.
The right-hander has a 3.88 ERA in 10 appearances since his recall in late July, and he's allowed three earned runs or fewer in seven of those 10 outings. He's given the Philadelphia Phillies a chance to win nearly every fifth day, and with Jesus Luzardo looking like a bullpen option at best right now, they'll need Painter to be their No. 4 starter. If the Phillies get far enough for Painter to make a start, why shouldn't we expect great things?
San Diego Padres: Adrian Morejon
Mason Miller is the best reliever in the world, but an argument can be made that Adrian Morejon is the best left-handed reliever in the Majors, and he's part of the same bullpen as Miller. You might think I'm crazy, since it's not like Morejon's 2.80 ERA is historically great or anything, but just hear me out.
Morejon is everything you want in a modern-day reliever. He strikes out the world (30.1 percent strikeout rate), he doesn't walk many (7.6 percent walk rate), he keeps the ball on the ground at an elite clip (58.7 percent ground ball rate) and he can get more than three outs if you need him to (24 appearances recording four or more outs).
There just isn't anything to dislike. When Morejon is getting big outs for the San Diego Padres and earns a large contract in the offseason, don't be surprised. Don't let Miller's greatness distract you from admiring Morejon.
Tampa Bay Rays: RHP Griffin Jax
Morejon was a starter who is now thriving out of the bullpen, and Griffin Jax is the reverse of that. He was a reliever to start his big-league career and even began this year in a late-inning role for the Tampa Bay Rays. Things were not going well: He had allowed eight runs in his first nine innings of the year, spanning 11 appearances. The Rays' solution from there was not to demote Jax to a lesser role; it was instead to begin stretching him out as a starter. Somehow, it's worked to perfection.
Jax has a 3.23 ERA in 22 starts since being moved to the rotation full-time, allowing one earned run or fewer in 15 of those outings. He's had a couple of blowups and he hasn't gone beyond six innings, but for five or six innings every fifth day, Jax has been in firm command most of the time. He's a big reason why the Rays have been as dominant as they have been this season.
It's easy to miss him in a rotation featuring the likes of Drew Rasmussen, Freddy Peralta and Shane McClanahan (when healthy), but Jax deserves far more recognition than he's gotten. There's a good chance he'll get that recognition come October.
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