José Ramírez and the Cleveland Guardians’ brief, well-deserved break officially ends on Saturday, when they open the ALDS against Munetaka Murakami and the rival Chicago White Sox. Don’t feel bad if you’re mostly unfamiliar with both teams’ rosters or who could have the biggest impact this October. There’s no shame in acknowledging that neither the Guardians nor White Sox have the mainstream appeal of the Yankees, Dodgers, or Braves.
We've got you covered, especially when it comes to the X-factors. When building this list, we asked ourselves a simple question: Who needs to be at their absolute best if their All-Star teammates are at their worst?
Chicago White Sox’s 2026 ALDS X-factors
Grant Taylor, RP
Taylor joined Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews among the LSJ players selected in the 2023 draft, and he’s the only one suiting up for this year’s postseason. The former second-round pick had a 2.25 ERA and limited opponents to a .198 average in 84 innings for the AL’s No. 6 seed.
Suggesting that a pitcher prioritize his control sounds obvious, but it's far easier said than done. Taylor’s 8.9 percent walk rate was exactly the league average, and the White Sox now need him to be even slightly better.
Munetaka Murakami, 1B
Murakami has returned to the global consciousness in recent days, and we personally love his genuine glee about experiencing the MLB playoffs. It’s clear that Murakami, despite his struggles and penchant for strikeouts, loves his teammates and values the bonds they’ve built over the last eight months.
Life is better on the South Side when Murakami homers, as he did 35 times as a rookie. That won’t be enough to take the Guardians down, especially after Cleveland held him to three hits in 25 plate appearances. Then again, two of those were home runs, which is why he had an .866 OPS despite his .158 average.
Cleveland Guardians’ 2026 ALDS X-factors
Gavin Williams, SP
Can a pitcher who finished with 14 wins and led the American League in strikeouts truly qualify as an X-factor? Absolutely, because Williams is expected to take the mound during Monday’s Game 2, and that can end one of three ways: Cleveland goes to Chicago up 2-0, the White Sox steal two on the road, or Game 3 arrives deadlocked at 1-1.
Williams deserves immense credit for dropping his walk rate from 11.8 percent to 8.2 percent in nearly 20 more innings. However, he also allowed five more homers, and he cannot let Murakami or Miguel Vegas take advantage.
Travis Bazzana, SS
Bazzana shouldn’t be offended that he went under the radar during a strong rookie season. Welcome to Cleveland, where Progressive Field season-ticket holders seem to be the only ones aware that Ramírez is a likely Hall of Fame lock.
The Australian-born second baseman hit .245 with a .742 OPS in over 500 plate appearances, but his 10.8 percent walk rate especially caught our eye. Even when he struggled as a rookie, he never pressed or let the pressure derail his season entirely. Don’t be surprised if Bazzana uses the playoffs to properly put himself on the map.
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