If you love big, slugging designated hitters, offensive shortstops, and right fielders who are among the best hitters in the game, then the League Championship Series were for you. If you’re more of a pitching aficionado — especially starting pitching — this might not have been the round for you.
The NLCS was all-or-nothing, with all six games decided by at least four runs (and four of them decided by at least six runs). The ALCS was closer (all five games decided by three runs or less) but it was over faster.
In the end, the top-seeded New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers advanced to the World Series, which begins on Friday. These were the top performers of the LCS.
Catcher
Francisco Alvarez, Mets
7-for-17, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB
This probably would have gone to Guardians catcher Bo Naylor (.909 OPS) if not for Alvarez getting on base six times in the last two games of the NLCS. He wound up out-hitting even Francisco Lindor in the series — .947 OPS vs. .893 OPS — and got on base in nearly 50 percent of his plate appearances (.476 OBP). Naylor had a similarly strong finish in the ALCS. Hitless in his first seven games of the playoffs, Naylor had a pinch-hit single in Game 3, doubled in Game 4, and had a couple of hits including an RBI double in Game 5.
First baseman
Max Muncy, Dodgers
5-for-15, 2 HR, 11 BB, 2 SB, .630 OBP
Pete Alonso was on base a ton for the Mets (.429 on-base percentage), and so was Anthony Rizzo of the Yankees (.500 OBP), but Muncy set a record by reaching base in 12 straight plate appearances and led the LCS in walks. He also homered a couple of times, and his defensive versatility came in handy when Freddie Freeman needed to rest his weary ankle and Muncy moved from third base to become the Dodgers’ primary first baseman.
Second baseman
Gleyber Torres, Yankees
8-for-22, 2 BB, 5 runs, .809 OPS
Torres tied Shohei Ohtani for the most hits among LCS leadoff hitters (which was also tied for the fourth-most hits, period). He didn’t hit for a ton of power, but Torres did his job in getting on base ahead of Big Three sluggers in the Yankees lineup.
Shortstop
Tommy Edman, Dodgers
11-for-27, 3 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBI
If you focused only on your favorite team, you probably think your shortstop belongs on this list. Anthony Volpe had an .888 OPS for the Yankees, Brayan Rocchio had an .871 OPS for the Guardians, and Lindor had an .893 OPS for the Mets. But Edman was arguably the most valuable player in the entire round. Not only was he able to move from center field to shortstop when Miguel Rojas got hurt, but he led the LCS in hits and RBIs while driving in the first four runs in Sunday’s decisive Game 6. He was the NLCS MVP.
Third base
Mark Vientos, Mets
6-for-27, 3 HR, 7 RBI
Vientos was also our choice for the Division Series, and he very easily could have been the choice for the wild card round. The Mets third baseman has been one of the breakout stars of this October with more postseason RBI (14) than anyone else. José Ramírez was basically just as good in the ALCS — he had an .807 OPS while Vientos had an .806 — but Vientos did more damage with his home runs. He tied for the third-most RBI in the round.
Left fielder
Juan Soto, Yankees
7-for-19, 1 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 1.373 OPS
Look, we know, Soto plays right field for the Yankees. But what do you want us to do here? We have to find room for at least two right fielders — arguably three — and the easiest way to do it is to put the Yankees’ Game 5 hero back in left field. The actual primary left fielders in the LCS (Steven Kwan, Teoscar Hernández, Alex Verdugo and Brandon Nimmo) hit just .167. Soto was, let’s say, quite a bit better than that. (If we had to pick an actual left fielder, it would be Kwan, who at least drew enough walks to get on base at a good clip.)
Center fielder
Andy Pages, Dodgers
4-for-17, 2 HR, 4 RBI
Not a great round for center fielders, but the Dodgers’ rookie Pages delivered a couple of home runs and an .866 OPS. Aaron Judge drove in a couple more runs for the Yankees, but his slash line was inferior across the board (.235/.278/.588 for Pages, .167/.261/.500 for Judge). Lane Thomas and Tyrone Taylor got on base a good amount for the Guardians and Mets, but otherwise did very little at the plate.
Right fielder
Mookie Betts, Dodgers
9-for-26, 4 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 1.235 OPS
Now you see why Soto is being forced into left field. Betts had the second-most RBI in the round. He also drew five walks to reach base 14 times in six games. It makes no sense to have an All-LCS team without both Betts and Soto, and truth be told, Mets right fielder Starling Marte is in the conversation, too. He tied Betts for the most doubles and second-most hits in the round. Guardians right fielder Jhonkensy Noel also put himself on the map with his iconic game-tying home run in Game 3.
Designated hitter
Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees
4-for-18, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 1.222 OPS
It’s hard to go wrong with the ALCS MVP, and so we feel good about Stanton in this spot, but three of the top five in OPS this round were DHs. Jesse Winker had a 1.117 OPS for the Mets and Shohei Ohtani had a 1.184 mark for the Dodgers. Even the Guardians combination of Kyle Manzardo and David Fry were a combined 9-for-25 with two home runs (including Fry’s 10th-inning, Game 5 walk-off). This was a productive group, but Stanton led the round in home runs and tied for the third-most RBI.
Utility man
Kiké Hernández, Dodgers
7-for-24, 1 HR, 3 BB, 4 RBIs, 3 positions
Hernández played every inning of the NLCS, getting two starts in center field, two starts at second base, and two starts at third base (and he played all three of those positions in Game 1). He had three multi-hit games and delivered a big blow with a two-out, two-run homer that gave the Dodgers breathing room in Game 3. Neither Hernández nor Chris Taylor had an especially good regular season, but each one had an OPS over .800 in the LCS.
Starting pitcher
Carlos Rodon, Yankees
10 2/3 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 15 K
Honestly, this could be the only starting pitcher on the team. Rodon led the LCS in innings and strikeouts, and he was the only pitcher — starter or reliever — to throw more than five innings with an ERA below 4.50. He set the tone for the Yankees with six strong innings in Game 1, and he pitched into the fifth inning of the deciding Game 5. One significant strength for the Yankees was the fact their other three starters (Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt) were each solid, giving the Yankees a far deeper, more-consistent rotation than any other team in this round.
Matthew Boyd, Guardians
5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
There’s a lot to be said for Tanner Bibee’s start in Game 5 (5 2/3 innings with two runs in a must-win situation), but Bibee fell so flat in Game 2 (pulled after just four outs) that his ERA for the round was 5.14. Boyd made only one start for the Guardians, but it was a good one in the only game they won.
Walker Buehler, Dodgers
4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
It feels wrong to put only two starting pitchers on an All-LCS team, but who else should make the cut? Jack Flaherty had one dominant start for the Dodgers (seven scoreless innings) and one brutal start (eight earned runs). Luis Severino had a 0.00 ERA in his only start (but also took the loss with a couple of unearned runs). We’re left with Buehler who had a good-but-brief outing in Game 3. It was enough to give him the highest Win Probability Added of any LCS starter, ahead of even Rodon.
Closer
Edwin Diaz, Mets
5 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
There were only four saves in the round, and no closer had more than one. It just wasn’t a round for traditional closers used in traditional ways. Diaz, though, was dominant. He closed both Mets wins — getting four outs in one of them, six outs in the other — and he entered in the fourth inning of Game 6 to pitch two hitless innings that gave the Mets a fighting chance.
Reliever
Blake Treinen, Dodgers
4 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
The NLCS was a series of blowouts, which meant leverage relievers were used in unusual ways. Treinen got a six-out save in Game 6 — striking out the side in the eighth inning — but was otherwise used in the sixth and seventh innings of Games 3 and 4, always with Lindor among his responsibilities. His biggest out came in Game 4 when he got Winker out to strand the bases loaded and squash a Mets rally before it really started. (Also worth noting is Dodgers rookie reliever Ben Casparius, who pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings to make the team’s bullpen-heavy strategy work.)
Tim Herrin, Guardians
4 1/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Of the top four in the Guardians’ vaunted bullpen, only Herrin who got through the ALCS without allowing at least three earned runs. Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Emmanuel Clase saw their dominance falter, while Herrin remained nearly untouchable to tie Yankees lefty Tim Hill for the highest Win Probably Added of any LCS pitcher. Fellow Cleveland reliever Pedro Avila also pitched exceptionally well, as did Yankees right-hander Tommy Kahnle.
(Top photo of Betts: Harry How / Getty Images)
