Every roster spot matters in the World Series.
Even the guys who don’t get an opportunity to make much of an impact matter. Their presence on the roster provides peace of mind, insurance for the manager should something crazy happen during a game. And crazy things happen during World Series games all the time.
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With that thought, we decided to rank not just the top 25 or 30 players on the World Series rosters, but all 50. The idea was to mesh talent, opportunity and performance and come up with a ranking that, admittedly, was never going to be perfect but would try to show how these guys stack up against one another.
So let’s jump in, shall we?
World Series player rankings
50. Juan Centeno, Astros
49. Derek Fisher, Astros
48. Luke Gregerson, Astros
47. Joc Pederson, Dodgers
46. Joe Musgrove, Astros
45. Francisco Liriano, Astros
44. Tony Watson, Dodgers
43. Brandon McCarthy, Dodgers
42. Cameron Maybin, Astros
41. Charlie Culberson, Dodgers
Thoughts: The list of the best 50 players on a World Series roster has to start somewhere, right? So we’ll start with the third-string catcher for the Astros, the “break glass in case of emergency” playoff contributor who can go from afterthoughts to incredibly important with one injury. After Centeno, we have a collection of reserves who haven’t/won’t see much action (hi, Derek FIsher!) and guys who struggled in both the regular season and the playoffs (hi, Joc Pederson!). There's one pitcher who hasn't thrown a pitch all postseason (hi, Brandon McCarthy!) We also have a couple of relievers who could be called on to get big outs, so it feels wrong to have them so far down on the list (hi, Tony Watson and Joe Musgrove!), but these guys have to fit somewhere on the list, and it’s here. As for Charlie Culberson, he was fantastic in the NLCS (5-for-11, two doubles and a triple), but Corey Seager’s back on the roster, which means Culbertson’s role could be very diminished.
40. Collin McHugh, Astros
39. Tony Cingrani, Dodgers
38. Ross Stripling, Dodgers
37. Chase Utley, Dodgers
36. Carlos Beltran, Astros
35. Andre Ethier, Dodgers
34. Yasmani Grandal, Dodgers
33. Will Harris, Astros
32. Logan Forsythe, Dodgers
31. Josh Fields, Dodgers
Thoughts: Lots of veterans in this section. Beltran has long been one of baseball’s best “hasn’t won a World Series yet” players, and he’s an important part of Houston’s lineup … in Houston. He’s down on this list a bit, though, because he’s DH/PH-only at this point in his career, which means limited playing time when the games are in Los Angeles. Utley won a title with the Phillies, but Ethier has spent his entire career with the Dodgers waiting for No. 1. Maybin is the type of player who can impact a game late with his speed on the bases. Grandal, a left-handed hitter, will have a chance to contribute against Verlander and McCullers. McHugh could be interesting in this series; he’s been a starter his entire career, but with the addition of Justin Verlander and McHugh’s injury issues this season, he’s been in the bullpen for the playoffs. He’s the type of innings-eater who could play a huge role, though, in a seven-game series.
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30. Brad Peacock, Astros
29. Evan Gattis, Astros
28. Kenta Maeda, Dodgers
27. Josh Reddick, Astros
26. Alex Wood, Dodgers
25. Enrique Hernandez, Dodgers
24. Chris Devenski, Astros
23. Austin Barnes, Dodgers
22. Charlie Morton, Astros
21. Marwin Gonzalez, Astros
Thoughts: Most of the Astros in this section — specifically Peacock, Reddick, Devenski and Gonzalez — have struggled more in the postseason than they did during outstanding regular-season campaigns. The playoffs are still a relatively small sample size, though, so we’re not banishing them to the bottom of this list. Hernandez, of course, had the epic three-homer game against the Cubs in the NLCS-clinching Game 5, and Barnes has been a pleasant surprise for L.A. this season.
20. Ken Giles, Astros
19. Brian McCann, Astros
18. Brandon Morrow, Dodgers
17. Rich Hill, Dodgers
16. Alex Bregman, Astros
15. Corey Seager, Dodgers
14. Dallas Keuchel, Astros
13. Yuli Gurriel, Astros
12. Cody Bellinger, Dodgers
11. Yu Darvish, Dodgers
Thoughts: Let’s start with this: If we knew Seager was completely healthy and ready to make a typical Corey Seager-type impact, he’d definitely have a top-10 spot. We don’t, though, and with two stacked rosters, this is where he winds up, behind a ton of talented players. And, yeah, it feels like Keuchel and Darvish are too low, too, right? Look at the guys in front of them, though. Gurriel had his struggles adjusting to life in the big leagues after spending the first decade of his career in Cuba, but he found himself in 2017 and has been spraying line drives all over the field in October. I’m not sure many folks outside of L.A. understand how important Morrow has been for the Dodgers this year. The right-hander had a 2.06 ERA/1.55 FIP in 45 regular-season appearances and he’s allowed just four baserunners in 8.1 postseason innings. Bregman and McCann teamed up for one of the most important outs at the plate in any October game (in Game 7 against the Yankees) and they’ve both come up with big hits for the Astros during the playoffs, too.
MORE: Astros playing with greater purpose after Hurricane Harvey
10. George Springer, Astros
Springer’s one of those heart-and-soul-of-the-team guys who plays with passion — and a ton of talent. You saw his leaping catches in Games 6 and 7 of the ALCS, and he’s been solid as Houston’s leadoff hitter, too.
9. Yasiel Puig, Dodgers
The man legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully loved to call “The Wild Horse” has been amazing during the postseason. Puig is hitting .417 with six RBIs, six runs scored and four extra-base hits (two doubles, a triple and a homer) in eight games. There was never a doubt Puig had the talent to lead the Dodgers to a World Series, and it’s been fun watching him actually make that happen.
8. Lance McCullers Jr., Astros
We’ve said for a while that McCullers has the stuff to be a star on October’s bright stage, and he proved us right with a dominating performance in the ALCS. He limited the Yankees to two hits in six stellar innings in his Game 4 start, then closed out Game 7 by allowing only one hit in four shutout relief innings. The idea of trying to square up his curveball has to be giving the Dodgers nightmares.
7. Chris Taylor, Dodgers
Zero people expected Taylor to become an essential piece of the Dodgers’ postseason success, but here he is, starting games in center field and at shortstop (while Seager was out in the NLCS) and being a pest at the plate and on the bases. In eight playoff games, he’s scored eight runs and has five extra-base hits: two homers, two doubles and a triple.
6. Justin Turner, Dodgers
Getting Turner out was a huge problem for both the Diamondbacks and Cubs. He’s driving the ball with authority (and has been for a couple years now) but here’s an underrated Turner skill: He spoils lots of good two-strike pitches by fouling them off, which gives him the chance to do damage with a better pitch later in the count.
5. Carlos Correa, Astros
The kid’s a superstar. Correa, who just turned 23 in September, was in the AL MVP conversation before he missed several weeks with a thumb injury. He has a .931 OPS in the postseason with three homers, four doubles and nine RBIs in 11 games.
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4. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
Kershaw is the best starting pitcher in baseball, and he has been for quite a while now. That’s not really up for debate. Think about this: He has a 1.95 ERA in the past five regular seasons (141 starts). That’s insane. It’s also true that Kershaw has had his share of playoff hiccups, including a four-homer start against Arizona in the NLDS. He was brilliant in the NLCS-clincher against the Cubs last week, allowing just three hits and one run in six innings in Game 5.
3. Justin Verlander, Astros
The veteran right-hander has been everything the Astros could have possibly hoped for when they acquired him moments before the deadline for players to be playoff-eligible. After a 1.06 ERA in five regular-season starts with Houston, Verlander has a 1.46 ERA in 24.2 playoff innings. This is the type of impact GMs dream of their acquisitions making.
2. Kenley Jansen, Dodgers
Yes, I’ll admit, this feels high for a relief pitcher. But when Jansen enters a playoff game for the Dodgers, the game is over. Done. In the 2017 postseason, Jansen has 12 strikeouts in eight innings; he’s allowed only four base runners and one unearned run. Want more numbers? He’s never blown a playoff save in his career, and five of those 11 postseason saves have been more than three outs. Jansen’s faced 111 hitters in his postseason career, and he’s struck out 47 of them, against only 14 hits allowed. In 24 career playoff relief appearances, he’s allowed an earned run only twice. In October, it’s hard to get better than automatic, and Jansen’s automatic. He’s the single-most automatic player on this list.
1. Jose Altuve, Astros
Altuve has been one of baseball’s best players for several years, and he'll likely be the AL MVP after batting .346 with 24 home runs, 32 stolen bases, a .957 OPS and 8.3 WAR. And he’s shown this month that he’s not intimidated by the playoff stage, either. Altuve hit three homers in Game 1 of the ALDS, and he’s batting .400 with a .500 on-base percentage and 1.275 OPS so far this postseason.
