Major League Baseball

2022 MLB playoffs: One thing that could make or break each team's postseason

Updated Oct. 6, 2022 8:56 a.m. ET

By Rowan Kavner
FOX Sports MLB Writer

Yes, Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt and Mookie Betts and Manny Machado will all matter in October. But to make a deep October run, every team needs help beyond its superstars.

Every team needs an X-factor.

These players aren’t the best on their teams, but their under-the-radar presence will make an impact. Maybe they’re coming off injury. Maybe they’ve had an up-and-down season. Maybe they’re young. Maybe they’re just not household names yet.

Whatever the case, the performances of these contributors could be the difference between hoisting a trophy and an early exit.

Here’s an X-factor on every playoff club.

THE WILD CARDS

New York Mets: Eduardo Escobar

The Mets rank 16th in the majors in home runs. Who in the lineup will provide them, other than Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor? How about the reigning Player of the Month? The start to Escobar’s first season in New York didn’t go as he might have envisioned, but the 33-year-old has been the Mets’ best hitter since the start of September, launching eight homers with a .321 batting average in that time.

San Diego Padres: Josh Bell

Things have not gone well for Bell since he donned a San Diego uniform. He had a 153 OPS+ in 103 games with the Nationals; since joining the Padres, he has a 75 OPS+ with a negative WAR. He’s striking out more often, he's not hitting the ball as hard and he has just eight extra-base hits in San Diego. But this is a guy who mashed 27 homers last year and had an .895 OPS in the season’s first half. If he gets going in the middle of the Padres’ order, they could make some noise.

Philadelphia Phillies: Seranthony Domínguez

Domínguez has helped keep a scuffling Phillies bullpen afloat for much of the year, but he has seen his ERA nearly double from the 1.57 mark he held Sept. 13. He hasn’t demonstrated the same command since returning from triceps tendinitis. He’ll be an important piece in leverage, and whichever version the Phillies get in October could determine how long they last.

Toronto Blue Jays: Ross Stripling

This offense is one of the best in baseball. The pitching staff has been more shaky, but Stripling has provided stability. The Blue Jays will need someone in the rotation to step up behind Kevin Gausman and Alek Manoah, and considering José Berríos’ volatile nature this year, they'll likely need Stripling for important innings. He has a 2.79 ERA with 44 strikeouts and five walks since coming off the injured list Aug. 17.

Seattle Mariners: Eugenio Suárez

It’s tempting to put Julio Rodríguez here, but the rookie has already vaulted himself into stardom. On the other end of the service-time spectrum, the power and crunch-time production of the veteran Suárez will be crucial for a middle-of-the-pack Mariners offense. After seven years in Cincinnati, Suárez is taking advantage of his chance in Seattle and has been at his best with runners in scoring position (.298/.392/.537). He’s also the team's best hitter against lefties (164 wRC+).

Tampa Bay Rays: Tyler Glasnow

Glasnow returned from Tommy John surgery in the nick of time. All-Star starter Shane McClanahan hasn’t quite looked like himself since returning from a left shoulder impingement in the middle of September, making Glasnow’s presence all the more important for the Rays. The hard-throwing right-hander is still building back up, but he struck out 10 of the 26 batters he faced in his two starts back and averaged 97.4 mph on his fastball — nearly a half-mile per hour faster than last year. He could be a gigantic addition in October.

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THE DIVISION WINNERS

Los Angeles Dodgers: Gavin Lux

For much of baseball’s second half, Lux’s OPS hovered around .800. Then that number took a dive in September. Still, the former top prospect made a sizable step forward in his age-24 season. His consistency played a notable role in helping turn the lineup over to the top half of the Dodgers’ stacked lineup. If the Dodgers get the version of Lux who had a .293/.370/.430 slash line at the end of August, their offense will be much more difficult for pitchers to navigate.

Atlanta Braves: The rookies

You’ll recognize a lot of the same names and faces from last year’s championship run, but there’s a youth movement going on in Atlanta, too. In fact, the top two NL Rookie of the Year favorites reside on the same team, as outfielder Michael Harris II and starter Spencer Strider have blossomed into vital contributors. How will the young guys handle the bright lights for the first time? The health of Strider, whose NLDS availability is uncertain due to an oblique injury, and the play of Harris will contribute considerably to whether Atlanta can repeat.

St. Louis Cardinals: José Quintana

The Cardinals pack the offensive punch to compete in October, but a lengthy run won’t be possible without someone from the rotation stepping up. As much as Jordan Montgomery made waves with the way he pitched out of the deadline, it was Quintana who guided this rotation in September. Maybe he’s the guy in October, too.

Houston Astros: Framber Valdez

This rotation might not boast a ton of national name recognition beyond Justin Verlander, but that could change in October. Valdez went from a solid starter the past two seasons to an All-Star this year, logging the most innings in the American League while amassing a 2.82 ERA. He saw his ridiculous streak of 25 straight quality starts come to an end recently, stumbling in his last two starts of September, but he was back to shoving in the regular-season finale. The Astros will need Valdez, the lone lefty of the rotation, in his usual form to get to where they're hoping to go.

New York Yankees: Giancarlo Stanton

Judge didn’t get much help offensively in the second half of the season, and Stanton’s health was a significant factor. The All-Star Game MVP hasn’t quite looked the same since returning from left Achilles tendonitis in late August, but October seems to have injected life into Stanton’s bat. He homered in three straight games to start the month. The Southern California native has thought about a Yankees-Dodgers World Series. His ability to produce will play a major factor in the Yankees' quest to make it there.

Cleveland Guardians: Steven Kwan

The Guardians’ pitching is elite. Their hitters are pesky and persistent, making a lot of soft contact, stealing a ton of bases and striking out less than any other team in baseball. There’s no better example than Kwan, who has more walks than strikeouts, six homers, 19 stolen bases and the same on-base percentage as All-Star teammate Andrés Giménez. We'd probably be hearing a lot more about him in Rookie of the Year conversations if not for Julio Rodríguez and Adley Rutschman.

Rowan Kavner covers the Dodgers and NL West for FOX Sports. He previously was the Dodgers’ editor of digital and print publications. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.