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All-Division Series team: Francisco Lindor, Lane Thomas, Luke Weaver thrive en route to LCS

13 October 2024Last Update :
All-Division Series team: Francisco Lindor, Lane Thomas, Luke Weaver thrive en route to LCS

This was a star-studded Division Series, but not all of the stars glowed.

Shohei Ohtani homered in his second at-bat but had just three hits the rest of the way. Aaron Judge drew a bunch of walks but didn’t drive in a run. Bobby Witt Jr. had more strikeouts (four) than times on base (three), and only two of the Philadelphia Phillies’ high-profile hitters actually produced (and their elite bullpen let them down). Meanwhile, part-timer Kiké Hernández delivered one of the biggest hits of the round.

Here are the top performers of the Division Series.

Catcher

Jake Rogers, Tigers
3-for-14, 3 BB, 1 2B, 2 runs, 1 RBI

There wasn’t a standout catcher in the Division Series. J.T. Realmuto was hitless for the Phillies. Same for both Cleveland Guardians catchers. Will Smith had a home run for the Los Angeles Dodgers but hit just .125. Francisco Alvarez had three hits for the New York Mets, but he also struck out six times. So, we’ll give some love to Detroit Tigers folk hero Rogers, who reached base six times, had a big double in Game 3, drove in a run in Game 5 and handled all of the pitching chaos the Tigers could muster.

First base

Pete Alonso, Mets
4-for-13, 2 HR, 3 RBIs

This one is basically a toss-up between Alonso and Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (who went 4-for-12 with a home run and three RBIs in the same series). Harper had more walks and doubles. Alonso had more home runs and a higher OPS. In this case, the tie goes to the victor, and Alonso was on base three times in the deciding Game 4 that sent the Phillies home and sent the Mets on to the NLCS. Otherwise, no team has gotten a lot out of its first baseman this postseason.

Second base

Gleyber Torres, Yankees
3-for-15, 5 BB, 1 HR, 1 2B, 4 runs

After a rough start to the season, Torres got going in the second half and moved into the leadoff spot in mid-August. He had a .386 on-base percentage the rest of the way and carried that into a table-setting division series in which he drew as many walks as Judge and Harper. Oddly enough, there were three triples in the Division Series, and all three were hit by second basemen (Bryson Stott, Jake Cronenworth, Michael Massey), but of those three, only Massey had a particularly good series otherwise (three doubles).

Third base

Mark Vientos, Mets
9-for-16, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBIs

Vientos debuted in 2022 but didn’t establish himself until this season. Called up in mid-May, he locked down the everyday job by early June and has continued to prove himself in the postseason. He has a 1.181 OPS through seven playoff games and led the Division Series in hits. It’s worth giving some love to young Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia for his four-hit Game 2, but some of the other big-name third basemen — Max Muncy, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Manny Machado — didn’t have especially big Division Series. Vientos definitely did.

Shortstop

Francisco Lindor, Mets
5-for-18, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBIs

The Game 4 grand slam is too much to overlook. Down one in the bottom of the sixth inning, Lindor had one of those moments that will live forever, beating the rival Phillies and sending the Mets into the NLCS. It’s impossible to outdo that singular swing, but Guardians rookie Brayan Rocchio came close. He had a hit in all five games against the Tigers, including two hits in the deciding Game 5, and he had a slightly higher OPS (.944 to .906) than Lindor. The Mets shortstop deserves all the accolades, but there’s a new shortstop in Cleveland, and he held his own.

Left field

Teoscar Hernández, Dodgers
6-for-18, 2 HR, 7 RBIs, 2 BB, 1 SB, 4 runs

Guardians leadoff hitter Steven Kwan hit .524 in the division series and had a slightly higher OPS (1.136 vs. 1.067) than Hernández. But Hernández and Kwan were tied in total bases, they also had the same number of walks and stolen bases, and Hernández drove in seven runs — Kwan had no RBIs — which was the second most in the DS. Hernández’s Game 5 home run was massive. So, pick one. Kwan over Hernández. Hernández over Kwan. They were productive in different ways, and you couldn’t go wrong with either one.

Center field

Lane Thomas, Guardians
6-for-19, 2 HR, 9 RBIs

Until the fifth inning Saturday, this was a toss-up among several center fielders who’d been sort of productive but not particularly elite. Then Thomas set himself apart with that game-winning grand slam. It had been a good series for him anyway — a home run in Game 1, two hits in Game 4 — but he delivered the decisive blow and wound up leading the DS in RBIs. Before the Thomas grand slam, the Royals might have had the most productive center-field situation with Kyle Isbel and Garrett Hampson splitting time and delivering off the bench. (Tigers rookie Parker Meadows was good, too.)

Right field

Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
7-for-20, 3 HR, 3 2B, 6 runs

Nick Castellanos had a great series for the Phillies, and Mookie Betts finally got going for the Dodgers, but the top right fielder was Tatis and it wasn’t particularly close. From his Game 1 homer in the Wild Card Series to his three home runs in this round, Tatis was one of the top performers in the first two rounds of the postseason. It wasn’t enough to keep the Padres alive, but Tatis led the Division Series in home runs, doubles and runs. He and David Peralta were the only Padres with an OPS of .800 or better. The only knock against Tatis: going 0-for-4 in Friday’s decisive Game 5.

Designated hitter

Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees
6-for-16, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 BB, 4 RBIs, 1 SB

At 34 years old, Stanton’s not the hitter he used to be, but he delivered the fifth-highest OPS among lineup regulars in the Division Series, and most of that damage — the home run, both doubles and five of his hits — came in games 3 and 4. When Game 3 was tied in the eighth, it was Stanton who homered to put the Yankees in the lead and in control of the series.

Pinch hitter

Kerry Carpenter/David Fry, Tigers/Guardians
3-for-9, 2 HR, 7 RBIs (in games they entered as pinch hitters)

Our All-Wild Card team included a utilityman, but this round forced us to include a pinch hitter because of these two. Carpenter and Fry each had three starts at DH, but their biggest hits came off the bench. For Carpenter, it was Game 2 when he pinch hit in the eighth and then homered off Emmanuel Clase in the ninth. For Fry, it was Game 4, when he pinch hit in the seventh and delivered a go-ahead home run off Beau Brieske. Then, sure enough, in Game 5, Carpenter again came off the bench, pinch hit in the fifth and promptly drove in the first run of the game. These two weren’t bad when they were in the lineup, either. Carpenter had an .895 OPS for the series, and Fry’s OPS was .794.

Starting pitchers

Yu Darvish, Padres
13 2/3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K

He’s 38 years old, and he had two brutal World Series starts for the Dodgers in 2017, but don’t let any of that fool you. Darvish has been a good postseason starter in recent years — 2.58 ERA in six starts going back to 2020 — and he delivered one of his best outings in Game 2 before pitching well in a losing effort in Game 5. He was the only DS pitcher to start twice and pitch exceptionally well each time.

Gerrit Cole, Yankees
12 IP, 13 H, 2 BB, 8 K, 3.00 ERA

Tarik Skubal was arguably better (lower WHIP, more strikeouts, higher ERA), and if the timing of their good and bad outings was reversed, it might be Skubal in this spot over Cole. But Cole struggled in Game 1 and was at his best in Game 5. Skubal dominated Game 1 and finally floundered in Game 5. Two elite pitchers, and both pitched well for the most part, but only Cole won the big one. (So did Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but his ugly Game 1 left him with a 5.63 ERA for the series.)

Sean Manaea, Mets
7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

A good regular season gave way to a solid wild-card start and finally a dominant Game 3 of the Division Series. Manaea, a 32-year-old who just posted the lowest regular-season ERA of his career, had one good and one bad start against the Phillies in the regular season, but in October he put them on the brink of elimination by pitching into the eighth inning and twice retiring Bryce Harper with two runners on base.

Zack Wheeler, Phillies
7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 9 K

Pretty much the only thing that went as planned for the Phillies was Wheeler’s terrific start in Game 1 (and even that game ended in a loss). Wheeler joined teammate Ranger Suárez, Guardians veteran Matthew Boyd, Tigers second-year starter Reese Olson and Darvish among those who made good DS starts in games their teams ultimately lost.

Closer

Luke Weaver, Yankees
4 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 3 saves

A longtime starter and swingman, Weaver got his first career save Sept. 6 and has remained the Yankees’ go-to option in the ninth inning. Two of his Division Series saves, though, required more than three outs. He got four outs in Game 1, five outs in Game 3 — in between he came in to strand a runner in Game 2 — and he struck out two in a one-inning save to clinch the series in Game 4. Predictably, Weaver led the DS in Win Probability Added by quite a large margin.

Middle relievers

Evan Phillips, Dodgers
4 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

It was worth considering two guys who lost the closer role during the regular season. Clay Holmes pitched in all four DS games for the Yankees and was dominant (five scoreless innings), but Phillips pitched in all three Dodgers wins, got at least four outs in each of them, and didn’t allow a single base runner (while stranding the two runners he inherited).

Cade Smith, Guardians
6 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 12 K

The abundance and significance of bullpen innings this round forced us to consider multiple relievers for an All-DS team. Phillips’ teammate Blake Treinen, Yankees veteran Tommy Kahnle, Tigers setup man Will Vest and Padres deadline acquisition Jason Adam were among the other relievers who routinely delivered big outs this round, but Smith was so overpowering that he had the second-most strikeouts of any Division Series pitcher. Only Skubal had more. The next-highest relievers — teammates Clase and Hunter Gaddis — had half as many.

Long reliever

David Peterson, Mets
5 1/3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

The multi-inning reliever has been a crucial piece of this postseason. Olson and Brieske have played the role quite well for the Tigers, but Peterson had the bigger impact. He was strictly a starter in the regular season, but Peterson has been in a hybrid role ever since he got the save in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. He provided three innings of scoreless relief in Game 1 of the NLDS — after starter Kodai Senga lasted only two innings — and he was the pitcher of record in the deciding Game 4, going 2 1/3 scoreless and keeping the Phillies in check after Lindor’s game-winning grand slam.

(Photo of Francisco Lindor: Elsa / Getty Images)

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