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The 20 Best Players In The World Series, Ranked

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The stage is set with Game 1 officially set to begin tonight! Both the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are absolutely loaded with star power. Although there will be 52 players taking part in this year’s World Series, we are only counting down the 20 best. Entering what should be an all-time Fall Classic, here’s how the 20 biggest names stack up against one another.

20. Tommy Kahnle (Yankees)

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The ex-Dodger has been a nice piece in the Yankees’ bullpen. He’s also been doing it in relatively unique fashion. Despite possessing a fastball upwards of 95 miles per hour, Kahnle has thrown 48-straight change-ups this postseason. No, that’s not a typo. Even scarier for hitters, Kahnle has yet to allow a run in postseason play. He’s given up only three hits in seven innings during this time. We’ll see if the Dodgers can adjust to this pitch — which is utterly nasty. Kahnle will surely be used in high-leverage situations throughout the World Series.

19. Jack Flaherty (Dodgers)

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Flaherty has been up-and-down throughout the postseason. The start before giving up eight earned runs versus the Mets in Queens, he shut them down — allowing two hits and zero runs in seven innings. There’s no doubting Flaherty’s competitiveness on the mound. He’ll put pressure on hitters with his mixture of breaking balls. If he can be accurate in locating his fastball, coupled with ironing out some mechanical issues, Flaherty could be the Dodgers’ biggest X-factor in this series.

18. Michael Kopech (Dodgers)

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Kopech is a flamethrower. He has arguably the best stuff of any reliever in this series, capable of dialing it up over 100 miles per hour. The Dodgers rescued him from the South Side at the trade deadline, and he’s turned into an absolute monster in LA. His versatility in being the closer, set-up man, or even starter gives the Dodgers terrific flexibility. With Kopech’s history as a starting pitcher, don’t be shocked if he has multiple outings where he’s asked to get more than three outs.

17. Anthony Volpe (Yankees)

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Volpe is the straw that stirs the drink for the Yankees. An unsung hero of sorts, his proclivity for getting on base makes this lineup much deeper beyond the big three of Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Judge. Volpe plays the game with a lot of energy. While he’s not a huge threat to rack up extra-base hits, he does have a penchant for putting the ball in play — a very valuable skill in the playoffs. He has a .459 OBP in postseason play — second on the team only to Anthony Rizzo (who has half the amount of at-bats comparatively speaking).

16. Will Smith (Dodgers)

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Despite hitting .158 in 38 at-bats this postseason, Smith should in no way be counted out as a non-factor in this series. For one, he’s been masterful behind the plate at both calling games and framing pitches. Those on the Dodgers pitching staff have been constantly praising Smith for his work behind the dish. He also unleashed a bomb versus the Mets beyond the centerfield fence. If he can give the Dodgers a bit more offense, it makes an already deep lineup that much more powerful. He’s been in this spot before, and the moment shouldn’t be too big for Smith.

15. Tommy Edman (Dodgers)

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Edman was a revelation for the Dodgers in the NLCS. Tying a franchise record with 11 RBIs versus the Mets, he was named the NLCS MVP. Time after time, Edman executed with runners in scoring position. He almost always puts the ball in play, and his ability to switch-hit makes him very difficult to prepare against. He was so good, in fact, that Manager Dave Roberts had Edman batting clean-up versus left-handed pitching. Edman’s emergence as a real threat has more than helped to mitigate Freddie Freeman’s recent ineffectiveness.

14. Luke Weaver (Yankees)

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With Clay Holmes blowing upwards of 10 saves this year, Weaver has settled into the closer’s role seamlessly. He might be the single most important player for the Yankees, considering the depth of the bullpen isn’t as good as the one the Dodgers possess. Relying heavily on three pitches (four-seam fastball, change-up, cutter), Weaver has been fantastic of late. He ranks in the 93rd percentile in strikeout percentage and the 94th percentile in whiff percentage. His stuff continues to play up in the postseason, and he’s more than found a home as the closer for this team.

13. Carlos Rodon (Yankees)

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Rodon is tough from the fact that he’s a lefty pumping in fastballs close to 100 miles per hour. He truthfully hasn’t been overly dominant during this playoff run — allowing 15 hits in 14.1 IP. Still, you can’t discount him — he’s a guy who can easily give the Yankees six or seven innings in any start. He leads the team with an average of 13.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Keeping the Dodgers at bay will be key — especially versus a lineup with some real ability from the left side (Freeman, Max Muncy, Shohei Ohtani).

12. Blake Treinen (Dodgers)

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A childhood accident resulted in Treinen’s thumb becoming a bit deformed. In any other profession, that incident probably wouldn’t have been a benefit. As a baseball player gripping the baseball, it’s been a blessing in disguise. The break Treinen gets on his pitches is unlike any other pitcher in the game of baseball. His slider has a tilt reminiscent of that of a frisbee. He has made All-Star hitters look utterly foolish when throwing that pitch. He then follows it up with a sinker that touches 96 miles per hour. Without a doubt, he has been entrusted as the team’s closer for high-pressure situations. In the process, Treinen is also the best reliever in this series.

11. Max Muncy (Dodgers)

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Against the Mets, Muncy broke a postseason record by reaching base 12 straight times. He’s always held the reputation as a guy with a terrific eye. Thus far in the postseason, he’s clearly locked in. Muncy has accrued a team-leading .468 on-base percentage to go along with a .545 slugging percentage (1.014 OPS). He won’t hit for average, but he’ll get on base and put pressure on opposing staffs as a guy who virtually never chases pitches out of the zone. Oh — and he’s always a threat to launch the ball over the fence in any given at-bat. Based on his play and visible leadership skills within the clubhouse, Muncy is unequivocally the unsung hero of this team to date.

10. Gleyber Torres (Yankees)

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Torres is a key cog in this Yankees machine. Since taking over the leadoff spot, he’s been brilliant. In postseason play, he’s hitting .297 with a solid .832 OPS. He rarely chases pitches out of the strike zone, and as such, has been setting the table very well for the thumpers who follow him in the order. His ability to get on base will be a major narrative for this series. It’s one thing to try and pitch around Soto/Judge/Stanton with the bases empty, but with runners on base, things get far more complicated.

9. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers)

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Yamamoto has looked more and more like the guy LA gave north of $300 million. In his last start versus the Mets, he struck out eight and allowed only two runs. This came on the back of a magnificent start in Game 5 of the NLDS, where he allowed two hits over five shutout innings in the win over San Diego. Yamamoto was lights out versus the Yankees earlier this year, striking out seven and allowing zero runs/only two hits in a seven-inning outing. There are signs he’s starting to feel more comfortable on the mound post-shoulder issues. If Yamamoto can be that ace for the Dodgers, you’ve got to feel pretty good about their chances to win it all.

8. Freddie Freeman (Dodgers)

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Freeman’s severely sprained ankle held him out of multiple games versus the Mets in the NLCS. However, this might end up being the best thing for his involvement moving forward. With Game 1 set to kick off today, Freeman has had a week to rest his ankle. The Dodgers coincidentally are undefeated in games where he didn’t play. Regardless, the team is a lot more dangerous with him in the lineup spraying balls to all parts of the park.

7. Teoscar Hernandez (Dodgers)

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The man they call Teo had a monster regular season, which included an All-Star appearance and a Home Run Derby trophy. After a good series versus San Diego, Hernandez was mired in a lengthy NLCS slump where he had an 18-at-bat hitless streak. He seemed to have reversed those fortunes in Game 6, where he collected two hits and looked far more comfortable at the plate. Hernandez destroyed the Yankees earlier this year in the Bronx and has plenty of experience versus this pitching staff. If he reverts to regular season Teo — where he was arguably the team’s MVP runner-up — the middle of that Dodgers order behind Ohtani and Betts figures to give New York’s pitching staff a difficult time.

6. Giancarlo Stanton (Yankees)

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Welcome home, Mike. Growing up a Dodgers fan in the shadow of Dodger Stadium, Stanton gets to play at what he’s described as his favorite park in front of family and friends. He’s been on another level this postseason — staying on pitches and racking up extra-base hits. He might not be as nimble as he was with the Marlins. Still, he’s a massive threat at the plate and can turn the game on its head with one swing of the bat. The Dodgers cannot leave anything over the plate with Stanton at bat. A cement mixer-breaking ball that hangs in the zone could very well be hit out of the stadium (something Stanton has done in the past).

5. Gerrit Cole (Yankees)

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Cole is the best starting pitcher in this series. Coming back home to Southern California, all the pressure will be on him to lead the Yankees to their first World Series in nearly two decades. His stuff hasn’t looked Cole-esque thus far in the postseason. Regardless, he will be tasked with potentially starting three games in this series. If he can challenge the Dodgers accurately with his high-end velocity up in the zone, he could give the Boys in Blue some major issues. The combination of his fastball plus an assortment of off-speed pitches (knuckle curve, slider, chance-up) makes him extremely tough to hit against. Also, watch for Cole’s ability to run cutters in on left-handed hitters.

4. Mookie Betts (Dodgers)

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Betts has been consistently good throughout postseason play. He leads the Dodgers in homers, OPS, extra-base hits, and RBIs during this stretch. With many opting to pitch around Ohtani, Betts has taken full advantage. There’s seemingly a chip on his shoulder, and he’s been playing the game with far more outward emotion than he usually does. Easily one of the best hitters in the game today, you can expect Betts to continue with his hot streak. Game 1 should be telling — as he’s a career .429 hitter versus Cole.

3. Aaron Judge (Yankees)

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Throw out the slow start to the playoffs. You’re talking about arguably the best hitter on the planet. If you need any proof, go look at what Judge did versus Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase. Hitting an opposite-field homer against that pitcher is truly the stuff of legends. Judge is an obvious threat to make any pitcher pay. Now in the World Series, you can feel Judge getting up for the occasion. Like Cole and Stanton, he gets to return to his home state where a large contingent of his family resides specifically in Los Angeles. It just feels as if he’s due for a breakout series.

2. Juan Soto (Yankees)

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Soto is as professional a hitter as we have in the game. He seemingly stalks pitchers on the fly when patiently waiting for his pitch. His chase rate is excellent, and his ability to hit to all fields is simply special. Soto has the talent to carry a team. He’s been on this stage before, and will not let the moment get too big for him. The Dodgers simply cannot afford constant situations where he comes up with runners on base. Soto will make LA pay when given the opportunity.

1. Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)

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Ohtani has lived up to the hype — and then some — during postseason play. We’ve seen a bit of everything — from moonshot homers to clutch hits with two outs. His penchant for cashing in runners in scoring position is otherworldly at this point. When Ohtani comes up to bat without any runners on base, he’s tended to struggle. This is the stage he’s been waiting for all his life. The only other similar situation he’s competed in occurred during the World Baseball Classic. As one recalls, he struck out Mike Trout to win the tournament for his native Japan. Instead of shrinking in the moment, expect Ohtani to thrive.

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