The 12 teams in the playoffs include a number of rookies who should play prominent roles in the postseason, from multiple Rookie of the Year contenders to a few recent call-ups who could step up to handle significant duties in a short series. Here are my top 3 (the full list names 14 players):
1. Jackson Chourio, OF, Milwaukee Brewers.
Chourio just turned 20 in March, started the year as the Brewers’ center fielder, and made some adjustments in late May/early June to emerge as one of the best rookie hitters in baseball. From June 1, when he had his worst triple-slash line of the season, onward, he hit .303/.358/.525, picking up offspeed stuff better and chasing less out of the zone so pitchers couldn’t exploit him low and away or just on the outer third. He’s also a plus defender in either outfield corner and could handle center if needed.
2. Jackson Merrill, OF, San Diego Padres
I’ve mentioned before that I think Merrill should be the NL Rookie of the Year, but I do think he has some flaws at the plate that might come up more in a short series against an opponent’s best pitching. When he makes contact, it’s pretty consistently hard contact, leading to a lot of red on his Baseball Savant page, including some expected stats (what kind of production you should expect given his quality and frequency of contact) in the top 5 percent in all of baseball.
3. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Yamamoto returned from a three-month IL stint to make four abbreviated starts in September, throwing 16 innings, striking out 21, walking five, allowing one homer and seven total runs. He averaged 95.5 mph on his four-seamer, right in line with where he sat before the injury, so while I doubt he works very deep into starts, he should remain effective in 4-5 inning stints. His splitter is a true out pitch that helped him to a reverse platoon split this year, although neither right- nor left-handed batters even managed a .300 OBP against him.
