Opinion: Top 10 hitters in the MLB playoffs

The Major League Baseball postseason is well underway, with just four teams left standing to capture that elusive Commissioner’s Trophy. Of course, none of these teams would be in their current position without some powerful bats leading the way. Let’s take a look at the top ten hitters still standing in the MLB playoffs.

All statistics are accurate through Oct. 16, 2025

Honorable Mention: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

Although the Toronto Blue Jays eliminated the Yankees in the American League Division Series, it most certainly wasn’t because of Aaron Judge.

One of the usual suspects when it comes to past postseason failures by the Yankees, that wasn’t the case this year. In six games, the captain hit .500 (13-for-26) and an amazing 1.273 OPS with one towering home run that sparked a dramatic comeback in New York’s lone ALDS victory.



10. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers

Betts hasn’t yet found the seats in any of Los Angeles’ three playoff series thus far, however, he’s driven in six runs while hitting for a solid .297 batting average and .840 OPS. He put up a four-hit performance in the Dodgers’ Wild Card Series clincher over Cincinnati. He drew the game-tying walk in their division series clincher over the Phillies that they ultimately won in extra innings.

9. Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers

A recurring hamstring injury has limited Chourio throughout Milwaukee’s postseason run. However, it still hasn’t stopped him from crushing a pair of home runs and posting a respectable .842 OPS, pacing the Brew Crew with eight runs driven in.

As the perpetual leadoff man in Pat Murphy’s order, Milwaukee would face a tall task in finding a new sparkplug at the top of the lineup should Chourio miss time if they’re to miraculously storm back against the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

8. George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays

Although Springer hit just .176 in Toronto’s Division Series win over the Yankees, he’s been all over Seattle pitching thus far in the American League Championship Series. He’s got an OPS of 1.087 through four games against the Mariners, along with a pair of home runs. Springer’s postseason resume is large. He’s now tied for 4th all-time in the playoff home run list with 22.

7. Josh Naylor, Seattle Mariners

Naylor has already racked up FOUR three-hit games so far this postseason for Seattle. It’s led him to a .324 batting average and .900 OPS as Seattle finds itself just two wins away from its first-ever World Series appearance. It’s a vast improvement over last year, when he posted just a .531 OPS and no home runs for Cleveland.

6. Jorge Polanco, Seattle Mariners

Polanco is easily the most valuable player for Seattle this postseason. He crushed a pair of home runs in Seattle’s 3-2 win over the Tigers in game two of the division series.

He racked up two more RBI in game five, including the fifteenth-inning clincher that gave Seattle its first playoff series win in 24 years. He tacked on five more RBI in the first two games of the ALCS, both Mariner wins. However, in Mariner losses, he’s just one for 14.

5. Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays

Varsho was one of many Blue Jays who had a field day with Yankee pitching in the Division Series, with a .438 batting average and 1.000 OPS. He had a four-hit performance in Toronto’s 13-7 game two victory, with a pair of home runs. He’s just two for 16 so far in the ALCS, albeit with three runs driven in in Toronto’s two victories.

4. Andres Gimenez, Toronto Blue Jays

When Bo Bichette went down with a knee injury in a Sept. 6 loss to the Yankees, Toronto found itself with a hole at the shortstop position.

That hole was quickly filled by Gimenez, who was quiet down the stretch as the Jays held onto the division. He’s turned it around in October, however, with a .310 batting average and .907 OPS. He’s gone five for eight in the last two games with a pair of home runs as Toronto has rallied to tie the ALCS.

3. Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays

If you thought Varsho’s numbers against the Yankees were great, check out Clement’s Division Series, an astounding .643 batting average and 1.554 OPS. The former figure is a major league record for the Division Series with a 10 at-bat minimum. He was nine for 11 in the final three games of the series.

2. Teoscar Hernandez, Los Angeles Dodgers

Aside from the near-unhittable pitching staff, Hernandez is one of the primary reasons Los Angeles finds themselves one win away from their fifth National League pennant in nine years.

He’s led the NL with four home runs and 10 RBI so far this postseason, whacking a pair in the Dodgers’ series-opening, 10-5 victory over Cincinnati. He also drove in three in their game one win over the Phillies, making the difference in a 5-3 win.

1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays

But the marquee performer this postseason has been the Blue Jays’ $500 million man, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. His 15 hits, five home runs, 11 RBI, and 1.470 OPS lead the entire postseason field.

In the ALDS alone, the latter figure spiked to an incredible 1.609, which is eighth among ALDS performances this century. He also had an eye-popping .529 batting average in the four games. He’s gone six for 11 in the last two ALCS games as Toronto finds itself two wins away from its first World Series appearance in 32 years.

And so, the playoffs continue. Los Angeles has punched their ticket to the World Series, while the ALCS is 3-2 in favor of the Mariners. Who among these hitters will deliver their team a championship? Or will it be someone else entirely? Only time will tell.

Jacob Petrarca is a fourth-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email jap6840@psu.edu