New stars get chance to shine
Can steal spotlight with likely MVPS out of mix
A funny thing about this year’s likely MVPS — none were valuable enough to push their teams into the postseason.
Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper, Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — all contenders for the individual prize, and all set to watch from home while a champion is crowned.
Other big names remain — Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Jose Altuve and Aaron Judge are plenty familiar to fall audiences. Of course, they were all there last year, too, when Tampa Bay rookie Randy Arozarena stole the show.
Stars are made in October. Here are five budding ones that might stick in the spotlight this month:
Wander Franco, SS, Rays
An AL Rookie of the Year candidate despite playing just 70 games, Franco successfully transformed from a minor league phenom to a big league contributor. The 20-yearold switch-hitter batted .288 with seven homers and an .810 OPS, matching Hall of Famer Frank Robinson’s 43-game on-base streak in 1956 for the longest by a player 20 or younger. Flashy yet polished, Franco looks destined for stardom regardless of this postseason, but it could speed his ascent into the conversation for best player in baseball.
Tyler O’neill, OF, Cards
O’neill muscled the Cardinals to a franchise-record 17-game winning streak in September. He clubbed 13 homers over the final 31 games with an Nl-most 30 RBIS in that time. After hitting 21 homers combined in his first three big league seasons, the 26-year-old Canadian had 34 to form a dangerous mid-order trio with All-stars Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.
Austin Riley, 3B, Braves
Riley stepped up bigger than any other Braves player after Ronald Acuna Jr.’s season-ending knee injury in July. The 24-year-old slugged his way into NL MVP consideration with 33 homers, 107 RBIS and an .898 OPS, production fueled by a .333 batting average in the second half.
Luis Garcia, RHP, Astros
The Astros’ 2021 aspirations rely largely on the 24-year-old Garcia. A 6-foot-1 rookie, Garcia was 11-8 with a 3.30 ERA over 30 games, including 28 starts. With Zack Greinke likely pushed to the bullpen following a late-season injury, Garcia might slot behind Lance Mccullers Jr. in a critical spot for a young rotation.
Lamonte Wade Jr., 1B/OF, San Francisco Giants
Wade has been the feel-good, breakout star for surprising San Francisco. A castoff by the Minnesota Twins, Wade worked his way into regular duty and contributed several big hits as the Giants ended the Dodgers’ reign as eight-time defending NL West champs. Wade went 13-for-23 with 12 RBIS in ninth-inning at-bats, including a walk-off hit to sink Arizona on Friday night. A day later, he was given the team’s Willie Mac Award, an honor voted on by players, coaches, staff and fans to recognize the club’s most inspirational player.