The story below is a collaboration between writers from MLB.com and Yahoo Sports, who are joining forces this season to cover topics from around baseball.
In the pressure-packed, small-sample theater that is October baseball, it isn’t always the biggest names who deliver when it matters most.
Sure, there are plenty of times when it’s an established superstar who takes over a playoff series. Corey Seager, Bryce Harper, Yordan Alvarez and Stephen Strasburg are among those who have won an LCS or World Series MVP in the past five years.
MLB playoffs 2024 tracker: Follow along as the postseason picture comes into focus
But you never know who else is going to rise to the occasion and make a name for themselves under the bright lights. Some under-the-radar postseason series MVPs from recent years include rookies (Randy Arozarena in 2020, Jeremy Peña in 2022), as well as veteran role players who authored career-defining moments at the best possible time (Howie Kendrick in 2019, Eddie Rosario in 2021). Just last year, rookie outfielder Evan Carter (.917 OPS) and veteran reliever Josh Sborz (0.75 ERA) were two key figures in the Rangers’ championship run.
With that in mind, who will be the breakout star of the 2024 postseason, which begins next Tuesday? We posed that question to six experts from Yahoo Sports and MLB.com.
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1. Tommy Edman, CF/SS, Dodgers
Part of the return in the three-way swap involving the Cardinals and White Sox, Edman was one of the more fascinating July acquisitions, considering he hadn’t yet appeared in the big leagues this season while working his way back from offseason wrist surgery. But so far, any risk associated with acquiring Edman has proven to be a worthy gamble. The 29-year-old has posted a .780 OPS as the Dodgers’ primary center fielder since being activated in mid-August.
Edman’s versatility on both sides of the ball primes him for a wide range of opportunities to make an impact this postseason. The switch-hitter is a legitimate offensive threat batting righty, but can more than hold his own from the left side, affording manager Dave Roberts the flexibility to deploy him in a variety of ways in the lineup or off the bench as a pinch-hitter — and that’s before you get to his glove. Edman won a Gold Glove as a second baseman in 2021, but has mainly bounced between shortstop and center field since then.
With Los Angeles, Edman has become the go-to option in center while…