What an MLB postseason!
After a wild month of playoff action -- it's time for our annual MLB All-October team.
While William Contreras took home the World Series MVP hardware for his performance during the Milwaukee Brewers' five-game triumph over the Tampa Bay Rays, that doesn't tell the entire story of the month. So to honor the best from every stage of the postseason, we hand out awards to a roster of October stars along with our player, pitcher and breakout stars of the month.
From wild-card-round sensations to World Series standouts, here are the players our ESPN MLB panel of experts voted as the best of the best at every position and some additional honors for the very brightest stars of October.
Catcher: William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers
Why he's here: Because we're afraid he'd challenge our call if we picked anyone else? Contreras was simply THE position-player star of the entire month, changing games with his offense, defense and work with Milwaukee's pitchers.
The 28-year-old posted a 1.037 OPS; his challenges overturning ball/strike calls on pitches that caught a fraction of the zone became the stuff of internet memes; and his combination of toughness and swagger set the tone for a team that rolled through the entire month.
Honorable mentions: Patrick Bailey (Guardians)
1B: Ty France, San Diego Padres
Why he's here: Because if not for one blast off his bat that hit the American Family Field roof, the entire postseason might have looked completely different. France's October was about more than just that controversial might-have-been-a-home-run in the ninth inning of the NLDS opener, though, as he also collected three multihit games in six postseason games.
And full disclosure: The player some of you might be looking for here won our voting at both first base and designated hitter and appears at DH below.
Honorable mentions: Jake Bauers (Brewers), Jonathan Aranda (Rays), Nathaniel Lowe (Guardians)
2B: Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers
Why he's here: Did you see that left-on-left opposite-field home run he hit against Tarik Skubal in the NLCS? That alone was worthy of consideration for this spot, and Turang also put up an .817 OPS for the entire postseason, including six hits, a trio of doubles and a pair of RBIs in the World Series.
Honorable mentions: Chase Meidroth (White Sox), Ozzie Albies (Braves)
3B: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians
Why he's here: If there was a non-Brewers signature moment of this postseason, it was Ramirez golfing a ball just 10 inches off the ground into the right-field bleachers to win the ALDS for the Guardians. Teams often say as one player goes, we all go, but that cliché is the reality for a Cleveland team that climbed back from an 0-2 hole against the White Sox when its superstar started playing like one.
Honorable mentions: Manny Machado (Padres), Junior Caminero (Rays), David Hamilton (Brewers)
SS: Cooper Pratt, Milwaukee Brewers
Why he's here: Let's start with this: Pratt played his last game for the Triple-A Nashville Sound on June 14. Six months later, he became a breakout sensation manning a premium position for the best team in baseball.
The 22-year-old hit .354 for the entire postseason, saving his best work for the World Series, when he hit .421 with seven RBIs and a Game 4 home run that briefly appeared to be the capper on Milwaukee's dominant postseason until a 12th-inning rally by the Rays forced Game 5.
Honorable mentions: Xander Bogaerts (Padres)
OF: Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers
OF: Chandler Simpson, Tampa Bay Rays
OF: Chase DeLauter, Cleveland Guardians
Why Chourio is here: Just three years into his MLB career, Chourio has already established himself as a clutch postseason performer. He was never more clutch than when he delivered the biggest hit of the entire 2026 postseason, his two-out, two-run, walk-off single to beat Mason Miller and the Padres in Game 2 of the NLDS. Without that hit, that series is tied ... and who knows what happens after that.
For the entire postseason, Chourio hit .288 with two home runs and nine RBIs that tied for the most in this low-scoring October. He raised his game in the World Series, hitting .458 with four multihit games, including four hits in the Game 3 blowout.
Why Simpson is here: An anomaly in today's game, Simpson is a throwback to the Astroturf era of the '70s and '80s, relying on his speed and contact ability to get on base by chopping at the ball or slapping singles. He hit .311 through the playoffs, including .400 in the World Series. He stole five bases and even drove in seven runs, delivering several key hits with runners on base. He also made several spectacular plays in left field, including his "Superman" play in Game 3 of the World Series when he crashed into the wall on a full sprint.
Why DeLauter is here: DeLauter famously made his MLB debut in the 2025 ALDS and now followed up an excellent rookie season with a strong effort as the Guardians reached the ALCS. He hit .310/.396/.452 with one home run, three doubles and six RBIs.
What stood out, however, was his approach at the plate, as he drew six walks while striking out four times. The White Sox and then the Rays both tried to match up lefty relievers against him and he kept getting hits off them anyway. That plate discipline and ability to hit lefties (he hit .323 against them in the regular season) should lead to more big postseasons in his future.
Honorable mentions: Michael Harris II (Braves), Kyle Tucker (Dodgers)
DH: Ben Rice, New York Yankees
Why he's here: He's the one Yankee who showed. He had a two-homer, six-RBI game in Game 1 of the wild-card series against Boston and had another two-homer game against the Rays in the ALDS. Unfortunately, those were the only two Yankees runs in that game. Rice's four home runs led the postseason and his nine RBIs tied for the most despite playing just five games.
Honorable mentions: Yandy Diaz (Rays), Kyle Schwarber (Phillies)
SP: Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers
SP: Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay Rays
Why Misiorowski is here: You know you're good when everyone says you didn't pitch as well as you did in the regular season and still went 2-0 in four starts with a 1.89 ERA. OK, so Misiorowski had a couple short outings in the first two rounds and wasn't generating as much swing-and-miss as the regular season, but he battled and got big outs when he needed them -- and the Brewers won all four of his starts. Misiorowski's best game came in the final one: 5⅔ scoreless innings in the World Series clincher. Relying on his fastball, he threw 51 pitches at 100-plus mph, allowing just two hits.
Why Rasmussen is here: Baseball fans got a good look at what has made Rasmussen so good while being overlooked as one of MLB's top starters. He went 2-1 with a 2.20 ERA in five starts, topping all postseason pitchers in innings and finishing second in strikeouts. His eight-inning gem against the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALDS was one of the best playoff starts in recent history, allowing just one hit and striking out 10. He had another gem against the Guardians in the ALCS, allowing one run in seven innings.
Honorable mentions: Robert Gasser (Brewers), Gavin Williams (Guardians)
RP: Aaron Ashby, Milwaukee Brewers
RP: Bryan Baker, Tampa Bay Rays
Why Ashby is here: Ashby wasn't just the best relief pitcher of the 2026 postseason, but the best relief pitcher of any postseason ever. He pitched 18 scoreless innings, allowing just five hits -- that's an .089 average -- with 20 strikeouts and three walks. That was not only the most scoreless innings ever by a relief in one postseason but tied with Whitey Ford in 1960 for the third most among all pitchers (Christy Mathewson threw three shutouts in the 1905 World Series and Kenny Rogers had 23 scoreless innings for the Tigers in 2006). But it was also clutch pitching: Only Curt Schilling in 2001 -- and he pitched 48 innings -- had a higher win probability added than Ashby.
Why Baker is here: The Rays didn't lose a game all regular season in which they led going into the ninth inning and they didn't in the postseason either as Baker was perfect in 10 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and going 5-for-5 in save opportunities.
Honorable mentions: Trevor Megill (Brewers), Abner Uribe (Brewers), Cade Smith (Guardians), Grant Taylor (White Sox)
All-October award winners
October MVP: William Contreras
Pitcher of the month: Aaron Ashby
Best October introduction: Cooper Pratt
Clutch performer: Jackson Chourio