Top 26 MLB Players for the 2026 Postseason: Crow-Armstrong, Schlittler, Sale, and More

The 2026 Major League Baseball postseason field has been set , and highest-of-high-stakes playoff baseball is upon us. To help set the scene for the month-long dramatics that will determine who wins both belt and title, we're here to rank the top players who will be participating in these playoffs. Specifically, we're about to rank the top 26 players chosen from the 12 teams making the 2026 postseason. So that's 26 in '26, you see.

As for the criteria, excellence in the current season and whether or not said excellence seems sustainable in the near term are the leading considerations. It's also about the current value at this moment in time. Effectively, that means players whose "counting stats" may have taken a hit because of injury earlier in the season but are now healthy and in prime form will be on here despite some cumulative deficits. As such, these rankings are more about who's primed and skilled enough to put up big numbers in October (and possibly November).

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On that point, it's worth noting that a handful of elite performers on these 12 teams won't be here because of current injury woes. Most notably, Yankees slugger and back-to-back American League MVP Aaron Judge will not be ranked. Under normal circumstances, he'd be near the top of the stack, but he's on the injured list with a calf strain and may not be able to play in the Yankees' Wild Card Series clash with the rival Red Sox . As such, Judge's spot in the rankings to come will have to go to someone else.

Now let's get to the rankings. Given that we're talking about just 26 players from the 12 best teams, the bar is quite high, and painful omissions were abundant. Onward …

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26. Matt Olson, Braves

Matt Olson ATL • 1B • #28

BA 0.251 R 99 HR 41 RBI 93 SB 4 View Profile

It's a 40-homer season and another round of high-level durability for the stalwart first baseman. Olson's been one of the steadiest power producers in the game over the last decade, and his spot here is much deserved.

25. Willson Contreras, Red Sox

Willson Contreras BOS • 1B • #40

BA 0.275 R 68 HR 27 RBI 81 SB 3 View Profile

The 34-year-old Contreras, now a first baseman, has put up a career year at the plate in his first season with the Red Sox. He leads the team in homers, has a high OBP, and boasts an OPS+ north of 150. That's a true middle-of-the-order force.

24. Logan Henderson, Brewers

Logan Henderson MIL • SP • #43

ERA 2.47 WHIP .84 IP 98.1 BB 19 K 110 View Profile

Henderson spent most of the early weeks of the season in Triple-A and then missed significant time with a back strain. Since early July, though, he's been a force in the Milwaukee rotation. He's thrived at the run-prevention and command-and-control level across his 2026 starts, and at age 24, there's more to come.

23. Payton Tolle, Red Sox

Payton Tolle BOS • SP • #70

ERA 3.03 WHIP 1.1 IP 148.2 BB 40 K 171 View Profile

The affable rookie lefty has a strong body of work overall across 26 starts, and he enters the postseason on a particular roll. Since the start of August, Tolle has a 2.52 ERA and an even better FIP, and he's struck out a hefty 31.8% of opposing batters. He's in ace form at the right time.

22. Seiya Suzuki, Cubs

Seiya Suzuki CHC • RF • #27

BA 0.270 R 96 HR 26 RBI 86 SB 3 View Profile

A pending free agent, Suzuki picked an opportune time for a career year. He's topped 5.0 WAR for the first time in MLB , and in related matters, he's thrived in the field and at the plate. On the latter point, Suzuki heads into the playoffs with 26 home runs and 81 walks.

21. Ben Rice, Yankees

Ben Rice NYY • DH • #22

BA 0.264 R 105 HR 41 RBI 97 SB 3 View Profile

Some of the shine has come off Rice in the second half, but overall, he's put up a stellar season in 2026. The 27-year-old All-Star has mashed right-handed pitching, and he's third in the American League in home runs and 10th in times on base. Rice has been a vital presence in the Yankee lineup with Aaron Judge missing so much time.

20. Zack Wheeler, Phillies

Zack Wheeler PHI • SP • #45

ERA 3 WHIP 1.05 IP 162 BB 47 K 193 View Profile

Wheeler, who's been an ace for years on Philly's watch, came up big in the must-win Game 162, which is what he's done all season. In 162 innings, he allowed 55 runs with 193 strikeouts and 47 walks. That's a heck of a season for a 36-year-old coming off surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome.

19. Alex Bregman, Cubs

Alex Bregman CHC • 3B • #3

BA 0.265 R 92 HR 28 RBI 93 SB 3 View Profile

Laudably, Bregman made it back into the Cubs ' lineup mere days after suffering facial fractures. Now he's set to resume being a quality hitter at the plate and in the field, a key part of the best team defense in all of baseball. This season, the veteran infielder boasts 26 homers and 75 walks.

18. Kyle Schwarber, Phillies

Kyle Schwarber PHI • DH • #12

BA 0.232 R 95 HR 45 RBI 97 SB 3 View Profile

A full-time DH with a low batting average? That's one way to look at Schwarber. Another way is as the MLB home run leader who's drawn more than 100 walks on the season. It's the latter set of characteristics that matter more, so consider him to be one of the best "take and rake" hitters around.

17. Drew Rasmussen, Rays

Drew Rasmussen TB • SP • #57

ERA 2.67 WHIP .91 IP 172 BB 32 K 174 View Profile

The underrated and overlooked Rasmussen has been stellar in his age-30 campaign. He's set career-best marks in innings, strikeouts, ERA, FIP, and ERA+. He's been an ace in each of the last two seasons, and in 2026, he's been one of the best starting pitchers around.

16. Parker Messick, Guardians

Parker Messick CLE • SP • #77

ERA 2.56 WHIP 1.06 IP 186.1 BB 49 K 193 View Profile

The top rookie pitcher in all of baseball this season, Messick has been an essential presence for the AL Central champs. Across a hefty 186 ⅓ innings this season, Messick had an ERA of 2.56 with 193 strikeouts and a WAR of more than 6.0. That'll do, P-Mess. That'll do.

15. Michael Harris II, Braves

Michael Harris II ATL • CF • #23

BA 0.294 R 79 HR 26 RBI 87 SB 12 View Profile

Harris, who's still just 25 years of age, has been a standout defensive center fielder this season. At the plate, he's also thrived, as he's slugged .491 with 63 extra-base hits and good speed on the bases.

14. Miguel Vargas, White Sox

Miguel Vargas CHW • 3B • #20

BA 0.250 R 106 HR 33 RBI 93 SB 22 View Profile

The prime mover for the upstart White Sox broke out in a big way this season. Across more than 700 plate appearances, the 26-year-old corner infielder surpassed 5.0 WAR and 100 walks while also smacking 33 homers and stealing 22 bases in 24 attempts.

13. Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres

Fernando Tatis Jr. SD • RF • #23

BA 0.289 R 96 HR 25 RBI 83 SB 38 View Profile

Tatis suffered some brutal luck on batted balls early in the season, but the quality of contact was always there. In the second half, the Padres ' superstar has found his expected level in a major way, which means he's in peak form heading into the playoffs.

12. Max Fried, Yankees

Max Fried NYY • SP • #54

ERA 2.8 WHIP .99 IP 112.2 BB 33 K 104 View Profile

We all think a lot of Fried as a pitcher, but is he still underrated? He boasts a stellar ERA+ of 142 for his career, and this season he's been even better on a rate basis. He's backed it up with a 2.65 FIP over 20 starts. Elbow issues compromised his innings load in 2026, but he's been in peak form in September for the most part.

11. Jackson Chourio, Brewers

Jackson Chourio MIL • LF • #11

BA 0.291 R 96 HR 25 RBI 75 SB 23 View Profile

The 22-year-old phenom has put together his strongest season yet. He boasts excellent defense in left, and at the plate, he's put up an OPS+ of 127 to go with a 20-20 campaign. All of that's been good for a WAR of almost 5.0.

10. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers

Yoshinobu Yamamoto LAD • SP • #18

ERA 2.53 WHIP .87 IP 185 BB 42 K 182 View Profile

Since arriving in MLB prior to the 2024 season, Yamamoto has done nothing but pitch like an ace. This year, the 28-year-old right-hander has been even better than he was in 2025, when he finished third in the National League Cy Young vote. He's been the rotation bedrock for LA.

9. Brice Turang, Brewers

Brice Turang MIL • 2B • #2

BA 0.268 R 102 HR 21 RBI 100 SB 19 View Profile

Turang has for some time been one of the top defensive second basemen around, and over the last two seasons, he's stepped up his game at the plate in a major way. All of that plus speed on the bases make Turang one of the most underrated players in MLB today. But he's not underrated in these rankings.

8. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani LAD • DH • #17

BA 0.275 R 89 HR 30 RBI 81 SB 11 View Profile

Ohtani made it back into the Dodgers ' lineup before the end of the regular season, but his ongoing knee issues cast some doubt over his postseason outlook. He said late in the year that he wouldn't pitch for the rest of the season, which presumably includes the playoffs, and it's possible he's compromised at the plate to some extent. That said, a compromised Ohtani who doesn't pitch at all is still better than, oh, almost every other player around.

7. Chris Sale, Braves

Chris Sale ATL • SP • #51

ERA 2.16 WHIP .98 IP 162.2 BB 31 K 200 View Profile

At an age when most pitchers are in deep decline or out of the league entirely, Sale just keeps getting better. Boasting the best fastball velocity of his career, Sale in 2026 put up an ERA+ of 195 and led the majors in K/BB ratio.

6. Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies

Cristopher Sanchez PHI • SP • #61

ERA 2.91 WHIP 1.2 IP 207 BB 45 K 231 View Profile

In a Jacob Misiorowski-less universe, Sánchez would be the NL Cy Young winner thanks to his across-the-board excellence this season. He's topped 200 innings for a second straight season, he's logged a sub-3.00 ERA (and an even better FIP), and he has a K/BB ratio of more than 5.00. That's an ace, and this isn't his first time pitching like one.

5. Junior Caminero, Rays

Junior Caminero TB • 3B • #13

BA 0.276 R 100 HR 42 RBI 101 SB 3 View Profile

The 23-year-old rising star finished one shy of the AL home run crown in his age-22 season, and he's headed for a high finish in the AL MVP vote. Yes, he hits into too many double plays, but this season Caminero has added patience to his toolkit at the plate.

4. Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers

Jacob Misiorowski MIL • SP • #32

ERA 1.8 WHIP .8 IP 174.2 BB 44 K 252 View Profile

The hardest-throwing starting pitcher the game has ever seen has put it all together in his age-24 season. In 2026, Misiorowski worked a qualifying number of innings, blew past the 200-strikeout mark, and notched a sub-2.00 ERA and sub-2.00 FIP. That's utter dominance, and the Brewers have been sensible with his workload.

3. Cam Schlittler, Yankees

Cam Schlittler NYY • SP • #31

ERA 1.95 WHIP .92 IP 193.2 BB 49 K 239 View Profile

The runaway favorite for AL Cy Young honors is the Yankees' 25-year-old right-hander. Schlittler this season led the AL in innings and paired that high work volume with a sub-2.00 ERA and one of the highest strikeout tallies in the league.

2. Yordan Alvarez, Astros

Yordan Alvarez HOU • DH • #44

BA 0.316 R 105 HR 42 RBI 106 SB 1 View Profile

The best pure hitter in baseba

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/2026-mlb-playoffs-top-26-players/)._