October is right around the corner, which means pumpkin pie, spooky decor and yes... postseason baseball. It's really the best time of year. The leaves change the color, the air takes on a more palatable chill, and the stakes are ratcheted up to 100 on America's favorite pastime.
Last fall, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in the World Series, claiming their eighth title as an organization. It was a crowning moment for Shohei Ohtani, the greatest player of his generation, while Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts both cemented their legacies with a second trip to the mountaintop (and, in Freeman's case, well-deserved World Series MVP honors).
The postseason is when legacies are made. You can stack numbers and put up records in the regular season, but when it comes to picking the best of the best in MLB history, it's hard to stand out without a strong track record in October.
As such, here are the MLB stars who will be feeling the most pressure this postseason — and why.
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5. Juan Soto, New York Mets
Juan Soto won the World Series in 2019, just his second MLB season. He was part of an impressively deep Washington Nationals team — one that bucked many of the common trends we associate with postseason contenders. While Soto is uncommonly decorated for a 26-year-old, he still has a lot left to prove. He also put a huge target on his back when he left the Yankees after just one season (and a World Series defeat) to join the New York Mets.
Soto took the best offer he got. It's not like he stabbed the Yankees in the back, but at the same time, there isn't a sympathetic soul in the Bronx. Soto left for money, ostensibly to join a worse team — one where he isn't partnered with the greatest offensive talent of this generation in Aaron Judge.
It has been an up and down season for Soto in Queens, but he leads the National League in offensive WAR (5.8) and he's up to a .903 OPS and 35 home runs. We can hardly call it a disappointment. The Mets appear primed to enter October as a plucky Wild Card team with plenty of firepower to topple the division winners atop the standings. Soto carried his weight in New York, where Judge struggled in the postseason. He should get help from the likes of Pete Alonso (a 2024 postseason hero) and Francisco Lindor, but the Mets' success will hinge largely on whether or not Soto performs up to his MVP potential. Especially with such a volatile pitching staff.
If Soto can back up his decision to leave the Bronx with a World Series run, he'll be narratively untouchable. A bonafide all-time great before his 27th birthday. If the Mets get snuffed out early, folks will begin to point and laugh and wonder what could have been across town.
4. Carlos Correa, Houston Astros
Carlos Correa and the Houston Astros won it all in 2017, but that World Series victory has since been tainted. The Astros were cheating. That's not to say the team wasn't good enough, or that Houston would've have won without banging trash cans and hidden wires, but we can't know for sure. And cheating is cheating; folks tend to lose respect.
Correa began his career in Houston. He's absolutely beloved there. But after leaving for Minnesota (and a nice paycheck), he finds himself back in central Texas with something to prove. The Astros still have the firepower necessary to get back to the World Series stage. There isn't a more accomplished organization over the last decade. Dusty Baker is gone. So are Kyle Tucker and the real old head, Alex Bregman. But Jose Altuve, Yordan Álvarez and other champs remain. So does the extremely high standard of that fanbase.
This is probably an oversimplification, but Correa needs to prove that he can reach the top without cheating. Houston won again in 2022, but Correa was sitting on his couch in a Twins cap. (We can neither confirm nor deny this account of events.) The Astros have proven that they can win without him, and without nefarioius deeds, but can Correa still put together a productive postseason? That is the question.
Correa's production has perked up considerably since the trade. He has an .801 OPS with three home runs and 13 RBI in 26 games since the deadline. His WAR with the Astros (1.0) is five times what it was in Minnesota (0.2), despite playing 67 more games in a Twins uniform this season. He will need to maintain this hitting uptick in October.
3. Manny Machado, San Diego Padres
Manny Machado has put together an incredible résumé across 14 MLB seasons. The 33-year-old is a seven-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger, a two-time Gold Glove. And yet there's a burning hole on his trophy shelf where a World Series ring belongs.
The San Diego Padres might be the most complete team in the National League. While the Dodgers have battled through injuries, San Diego has made the NL West race awfully close. A.J. Preller went ballistic at the trade deadline, selling off the Padres' best future assets in order to complement and elevate the current core.
Machado, while no longer in his absolute prime, remains exceedingly productive. He's hitting .287 with an .816 OPS and 21 home runs so far this season while still providing high-level defense at the hot corner. Unfortunately, despite consistent regular season excellence, Machado's postseason track record is shaky — and it goes well beyond the simple absence of a World Series title, which is always elusive. Machado is a career .215 hitter with a .684 OPS in the playoffs. In short: he is, on balance, a below-average hitter through 48 postseason games and 206 plate appearances.
That script needs to flip sooner than later. Machado is on the decline. He's built to perform well into his 30s, but he's a far cry from the MVP candidate and all-world defender he once was in Baltimore all those years ago. The National League is a battlefield, but Machado has plenty of help. This Padres team is built for a deep run. He needs to show up and show out, before his time is up.
2. Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
Bryce Harper will go down as a defining star of his generation. The former high school phenom turned No. 1 pick has lived up to the hype in every way. Since leaving Washington for the Philadelphia Phillies, he has also been a mainstay in October. The Phillies are largely known as overperformers in Harper's tenure, but that World Series ring still eludes him.
Philadelphia made it to the final stage in 2022, but the Astros took home the gold. Now 32, Harper is still a phenomenal talent. But his production is beginning to tail off, ever so slightly. This has been a bumpy campaign for the converted first baseman. He has elevated his production significantly since the All-Star break, but an .860 OPS and 22 home runs pale in comparison to Harper's two-time MVP peak in the late-2010s and early-2020s.
The roster around him is getting older, too. Philly has a nice group of up-and-comers, but Justin Crawford, Aidan Miller and Andrew Painter still populate the farm system. Zack Wheeler is hurt and creeping closer to retirement. Kyle Schwarber and JT Realmuto are free agents this winter. Trea Turner and Nick Castellanos are in their mid-30s. There are only so many bites at the apple left, so to speak.
Harper will be a first ballot Hall of Famer, but his legacy won't be complete without a World Series. Philadelphia is staved for one, even with all the Eagles' success. The Phillies have been so close for so many years. This does not feel like the year, but it often doesn't for the eventual winners. Philadelphia needs to get hot at the right time, and it helps when Harper is mashing. He has some great postseason performances under his belt, but after a sobering loss to the Mets a year ago, the pressure is as high as it's ever been.
1. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Aaron Judge is in the middle of another historic regular season. He's in line to win his third MVP award. He's a seven-time All-Star and a four-time Silver Slugger. You can credibly argue that he's the best hitter since Barry Bonds. In fact, it might not be up for debate. And yet, Judge is 33 years old without a World Series to his name. That is a major gap in an otherwise perfect résumé.
For all his dominance in the regular season, Judge's bat has been oddly muted in Octobers past. He's a career .205 postseason hitter with a .768 OPS in 58 games and 261 plate appearances. That is just not up to snuff with Judge's reputation.
He's the face of the Yankees, which does not help to ease the rampant pressure. There is something special about leading the Bronx Bombers. It both elevates Judge's status, but also complicates it. All the Yankees greats won the World Series. The organization has 27 World Series banners hanging on the outfield wall. If Judge finishes his career without a ring, it will keep him a tier below the proper New York legends.
Fair or unfair, postseason success is how so many all-time debates are determined. Not only has Judge not reached the mountaintop, but his bat has gone M.I.A. in so many important spots. The Yankees' failed 2024 World Series bid was no different.
There is absolutely no one facing more pressure this autumn as a result. The Yankees are a flawed group and it's hard to imagine this team winning it all, but folks won't care when it comes to discussing Judge's place in the MLB history books. Each successive postseason dud stains his otherwise sterling reputation.