5 unheralded players who could emerge
Megastars such as Clayton Kershaw and Jose Altuve will be at the forefront of the World Series, but there’s also a storied history of unheralded players making a huge difference in October. Who could be this year’s X factors? A quintet of names you best know now before they seize the spotlight.
CHRIS TAYLOR, DODGERS
The co-MVP of the National League Championship Series, Taylor, a shortstop and center fielder, has a .410 on-base percentage in this postseason and hit a pair of home runs in the fivegame conquest of the Cubs. But his versatility in the field might be even more important with starting shortstop Corey Seager sidelined by a back injury.
In the NLCS, Taylor started twice at short and three times in center field and scored five runs as the leadoff hitter.
MARWIN GONZALEZ, ASTROS
Houston’s version of Taylor made at least 10 starts at five positions during the regular season, but he’s played all but one game this postseason in left field. (The other was at first base.)
Gonzalez has struggled at the plate in the playoffs, hitting .162 in 37 at-bats. However, he led the Astros with 90 RBI in the regular season and as a switch-hitter he can be dangerous no matter who’s on the mound. He also has the strongest outfield arm of any- one not named Yasiel Puig in this World Series.
ALEX BREGMAN, ASTROS
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 amateur draft as a shortstop, Bregman has made a smooth transition to third base in his first full major league season. His stellar throw to the plate to nab the Yankees’ Greg Bird to preserve a
1-0 Astros lead in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series is one of the best defensive plays of the postseason.
Bregman moved up to the No.
2 spot in the order for the ALCS finale and could see more time there in the World Series with three left-handers in the Dodgers starting rotation. He hit .331 with a .570 slugging percentage against southpaws during the regular season.
You can identify him by his uniform number: 2.
BRANDON MORROW, DODGERS
Closer Kenley Jansen is the best in baseball, but the Dodgers have used a number of pitchers to set him up. Morrow, a former starter who missed time in each of the last four seasons with injuries, finally emerged this season as a le- gitimate weapon out of the bullpen.
Averaging a career-high 98 mph on his fastball, Morrow, 32, posted a 2.06 ERA during the regular season and has been even better in the playoffs. He has allowed one run and three hits in 81⁄3 postseason innings (1.08 ERA) and held hitters to a .111 batting average.
CURTIS GRANDERSON, DODGERS
This might be a stretch, but after getting just 15 at-bats in the first two rounds of the playoffs, Granderson could play a more impor- tant role with the Dodgers gaining a designated hitter in their lineup for Games 3-5 in Houston.
The 36-year-old outfielder has played in 57 postseason games in his 14-year career, most recently in the 2015 Fall Classic with the Mets.
He and Chase Utley are the only Dodgers on the roster with World Series experience, so one or both of them could be called on to provide a key pinch-hit or serve as a DH in Houston. Granderson, however, has struck out eight times in 15 at-bats this postseason.