2021 MLB playoffs: Ranking top 20 players in baseball's postseason, with three Dodgers in top five

Stop what you're doing; players have been ranked (according to 2021 performance)

In advance of the 2021 MLB postseason, let us now rank human beings.  Specifically, let us now rank the top 20 players who will be a part of these playoffs. That means that in order for them to be eligible for inclusion on this list -- spoiler forthcoming -- they must currently play for one of the 10 teams in the postseason. For purposes of advancing the word count, we shall now list those 10 postseason teams in descending order of uniform aesthetics: the Brewers, Cardinals, Giants, Yankees, Astros, Dodgers, Red Sox, White Sox, Rays, and Braves. 

The players to come will be ranked primarily according to their value provided during the 2021 season. How they fared in seasons prior to the current one and how they figure to fare in 2022 and beyond has no bearing whatsoever. Also, players who were acquired via trades during the season -- e.g., Max Scherzer and Trea Turner of the Dodgers -- are considered based on their entire 2021 bodies of work, not just what they did after being acquired by their current teams. In rare cases, we'll include players whose playing time was limited thanks to starting the season in the minors (e.g., Wander Franco of the Rays) or injury (Corey Seager of the Dodgers) but figure to be difference-makers in the postseason. 

As for what matters in these rankings, with position players it's a mix of batting, defense, and baserunning. On offense, we're not concerned with things like RBI. Getting on base and hitting for power matter above all, as do playing time, context of the player's home ballpark, and production relative to positional peers (e.g., the offensive bar is lower for shortstops and catchers than it is for first basemen and DHs). For pitchers, run prevention and workload will be the drivers, but we'll also give some consideration to underlying fundamental indicators like strikeouts and walks. 

Finally, consider that we're picking just 20 players from the 10 of the very best rosters in baseball, which means some quite excellent players are going to be left off. Not cracking this list is not tantamount to a grave insult. 

Disagree with these? Feel free to reach out to the author at his personal email address -- hotmail@hotmail.jpg -- with all your complaints …

20	Xander Bogaerts Boston Red Sox SS
It says here the Boston shortstop remains one of the most underrated players in the game. In 144 games, Bogaerts slashed .295/.370/.493 with 23 home runs and 34 doubles.
19	Austin Riley Atlanta Braves 3B
Riley was huge for the Braves this season, particularly in light of Ronald Acuña Jr.'s season-ending knee injury. He played in 160 games, manned three different positions, and batted .303/.367/.531 with 33 homers.
18	Brandon Lowe Tampa Bay Rays 2B
Thirty-nine home runs and 68 walks from a primary second baseman who also spent time at three other positions? Lowe indeed makes the cut.
17	Kevin Gausman San Francisco Giants SP
Like a number of other players this season, Gausman has leveled up on the Giants' watch. He made 33 starts for the NL West champs, ran a 2.81 ERA, and struck out 227 batters.
16	Wander Franco Tampa Bay Rays SS
Franco, recently the top prospect in baseball, has already shown his future-MVP upside for the AL East champs. He played in just 70 games this season, but a 129 OPS+ and plus fielding as a 20-year-old hint at his limitless potential. He already looks like one of the best players in baseball.
15	Lance Lynn Chicago White Sox SP
Lynn emerged as the staff ace for the AL Central champs. In 157 innings, he put up an ERA of 2.69 with almost four times as many strikeouts as walks.
14	Kyle Tucker Houston Astros RF
Tucker's age-24 effort for Houston did not disappoint: .294/.359/.557 with 30 homers and 37 doubles with plus fielding in right.
13	Corey Seager Los Angeles Dodgers SS
A hand fracture cost Seager roughly two-and-a-half months this season, but when healthy -- and he's healthy right now -- he remained a force at the plate (145 OPS+) and a steady defensive presence at short.
12	Gerrit Cole New York Yankees SP
Cole remains an ace of the first order. He registered a 133 ERA+ in 181 1/3 innings, and he led the AL with a K/BB ratio of 5.93.
11	Tyler O'Neill St. Louis Cardinals LF
The five-tool outfielder crushed the ball in his age-26 campaign: .286/.352/.560 with 34 home runs in 138 games. Additionally, O'Neill has a plus glove in left, and he stole 15 bags.
10	Paul Goldschmidt St. Louis Cardinals 1B
Goldbird enjoyed his best season in St. Louis to date. This season, he graded out as one of the top defensive first basemen in baseball, and he had a 143 OPS+ with 69 extra-base hits to go with 12 stolen bases in 12 attempts.
9	Brandon Woodruff Milwaukee Brewers SP
Woodruff forms the other half of Milwaukee's formidable one-two punch. He made 30 starts this season with a 2.56 ERA and 211 strikeouts in 179 1/3 innings.
8	Will Smith Los Angeles Dodgers C
The best offensive catcher in the game today? That question can be plausibly asked of Smith, who this season hit 25 home runs with an OPS+ of 130 with more than 1,000 defensive innings behind the plate.
7	Brandon Crawford San Francisco Giants SS
The stalwart San Fran shortstop had one of his best seasons in 2021. In addition to the typically strong glovework, Crawford in 138 games batted .298/.373/.522.
6	Aaron Judge New York Yankees RF
When healthy, he remains a dominant force, and in 2021 Judge was as healthy as he's been since his rookie season. In 148 games for the Yanks this year Judge cracked 39 homers with an OPS+ of 149 and strong defense.
5	Max Scherzer Los Angeles Dodgers SP
The future Hall of Famer remains at the top of his game at age 36. In a combined 179 1/3 innings for the Nationals and now Dodgers, Scherzer has pitched to a 2.46 ERA with 236 strikeouts.
4	Corbin Burnes Milwaukee Brewers SP
Burnes is another leading NL Cy Young candidate on the strength of his MLB-leading 176 ERA+ and MLB-leading 6.88 K/BB ratio in 167 innings.
3	Walker Buehler Los Angeles Dodgers SP
Buehler is very much in the NL Cy Young discussion with a 165 ERA+ and a 4.08 K/BB ratio. His 207 2/3 innings ranked second in the NL this season.
2	Carlos Correa Houston Astros SS
Correa in 2021 has enjoyed health and has put up a 131 OPS+ with 60 extra-base hits and 75 walks. As well, the walk-year shortstop has enjoyed his best ever season with the glove.
1	Trea Turner Los Angeles Dodgers 2B
Turner has provided significant defensive value at two premium positions, shortstop and second base, and at the plate he's put up an OPS+ of 146, which is an exceptional figure for a middle infielder. On top of all that, he's a difference-maker with his elite speed, as evidenced by the fact that Turner has taken the extra base 60 percent of the time in 2021.

A non-exhaustive list of notable and difficult omissions in no particular order? Sure: Mookie Betts, Nolan Arenado, Max Fried, Max Muncy, Rafael Devers, Julio Urias, Freddie Freeman, Adam Wainwright, Tim Anderson, Randy Arozarena, Tim Anderson, Charlie Morton, Mike Zunino, Yuli Gurriel, Buster Posey, Willy Adames, Lance McCullers Jr., and others. 

What about the guy you're upset about right now? The author assures you he was heavily considered but ultimately left off out of caprice and unexampled ignorance.