{"id":235489,"date":"2025-10-23T22:45:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T22:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/235489\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T22:45:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T22:45:13","slug":"stars-role-players-and-wild-cards-tiers-for-key-world-series-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/235489\/","title":{"rendered":"Stars, Role Players, and Wild Cards: Tiers For Key World Series Players"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Blue Jays<\/a> and Dodgers<\/a> are both great teams, we know this \u2014 they\u2019re in the World Series<\/a> and all. We\u2019ll find out which team is the better one when the two face off and a champion is crowned.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Which\u00a0players are better, though? No one has to wait for a resolution for that topic. We\u2019ve broken down the key players from each of the Dodgers and Blue Jays into ranked tiers. Let’s get right into it.<\/p>\n

JUMP TO: Stars<\/a> | Supporting Cast<\/a> | Role Players<\/a> | Wild Cards<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Shohei Ohtani, left, and Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., right (Getty Images) <\/p>\n

The Stars<\/p>\n

Shohei Ohtani<\/a>, Dodgers, Designted Hitter\/Right-Handed Pitcher: The fun thing about MLB’s two-way dynamo is that you could put him among the stars in the World Series twice, as he\u2019s a Cy Young-caliber starter now that he\u2019s all stretched out, as he showed in Game 4 of the NLCS, and also an MVP-caliber bat, as he\u2026 also showed in Game 4 of the NLCS.<\/p>\n

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.<\/a>, Blue Jays, First Baseman:\u00a0The son of Vladimir Guerrero is much more than “just” that, as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is also a genuine star in his own right. The 26-year-old first baseman made his fifth All-Star team in 2025, has won multiple Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove, picked up MVP votes in two of the last five seasons and has hit .442\/.510\/.930 with 6 homers this postseason.<\/p>\n

Rob Manfred on Vlad Jr. following his father’s footsteps, Ohtani hype, Blue Jays’ clubhouse party \"Rob<\/a> <\/p>\n

Mookie Betts<\/a>, Dodgers, Shortstop:\u00a0Through the first few months of the year, it was looking like Mookie Betts was either having an off year or maybe even entering his decline, but then he hit a much more Betts-like .317\/.376\/.516 with 9 homers over his last 47 games, and led shortstops in Defensive Runs Saved in his first full year at the position, too. A five-win off year? Sure, why not.<\/p>\n

Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/a>, Dodgers, Right-Handed Pitcher: A year ago at this time, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was a promising rookie \u2014 in MLB<\/a>, anyway \u2014 starter. Now with another stateside campaign under his belt, he\u2019s a genuine top-of-the-rotation force for Los Angeles, and one who has been dominating this postseason.<\/p>\n

Blake Snell<\/a>, Dodgers, Left-Handed Pitcher:\u00a0Blake Snell is the active leader in strikeout rate, has won two Cy Young awards in his career and twice led his league in wins above replacement as a pitcher, too. While injury caused him to miss most of 2025, he has pitched like a guy with multiple trophies on the mantle when healthy: Snell followed up a 2.35 regular season ERA over 11 starts with just 2 runs allowed in 21 postseason frames.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Freddie Freeman, left, and George Springer (Getty Images) <\/p>\n

Freddie Freeman<\/a>, Dodgers, First Baseman:\u00a0Freddie Freeman is now 36 years old, and while injuries have kept him off the field on occasion, they haven\u2019t meaningfully slowed him down on it: he hit .296\/.367\/.502 with 39 doubles and 65 extra-base hits overall in 147 games in 2025 while making his ninth All-Star team.<\/p>\n

George Springer<\/a>, Blue Jays, Outfielder\/Designated Hitter:\u00a0George Springer wasn\u2019t an MLB star any longer heading into 2025, as he was playing like a guy in his mid-30s often does over the past couple of years. This summer, though, he was basically as good as he\u2019s ever been: the 35-year-old hit 32 homers, the third-most in a season in his career, while batting .309\/.399\/.560. He has four home runs this postseason already, because of course he does \u2014 his ALCS-clinching dinger moved him into a tie for the third-most ever, with 23, five of which came in the 2017 World Series against the Dodgers.<\/p>\n

The Supporting Cast <\/p>\n

Alejandro Kirk, left, and Max Muncy, right (Getty Images) <\/p>\n

Alejandro Kirk<\/a>, Blue Jays, Catcher:\u00a0Alejandro Kirk isn\u2019t as obviously great as the stars on these teams, but he\u2019s immensely valuable thanks to his defense and pitch framing. He was one of the AL\u2019s most impressive backstops offensively, non-Cal Raleigh division, but his work behind the plate made him worth nearly five wins above replacement.<\/p>\n

Kevin Gausman<\/a>, Blue Jays, Right-Handed Pitcher:\u00a0Kevin Gausman was a star just a couple of years ago, when he received Cy Young votes in three consecutive seasons, but he has seen his performance dip since. When you were as good as Gausman was, however, that dip still leaves you capable of going face-to-face with any arm the Dodgers can toss out.<\/p>\n

Will Smith<\/a>, Dodgers, Catcher:\u00a0Will Smith is an even better hitter than Kirk, as he batted .296\/.404\/.497 in 2025, powering the Dodgers\u2019 lineup as much as anyone not named Ohtani. They grade out about the same overall, however, as Kirk has the better glove by far, leaving them together in this tier.<\/p>\n

Ernie Clement<\/a>, Blue Jays, Infielder:\u00a0The 29-year-old veteran infielder has been a utility marvel for the Blue Jays in 2025, playing 89 games at third, 60 at second, 29 at short and even 15 at first. His bat is barely average, but his party trick is high-quality defense played anywhere \u2014 vital for a team that hasn\u2019t had Bo Bichette<\/a> in the lineup for well over a month now.<\/p>\n

Max Muncy<\/a>, Dodgers, Third Baseman:\u00a0Missed time remains the only thing standing between Muncy and stardom, but if he\u2019s healthy he\u2019s nearly as valuable as anyone else in the Los Angeles lineup. Between a .376 on-base percentage and 19 homers in 100 games, Muncy is reliable when the Dodgers need runs.<\/p>\n

Andy Pages<\/a>, Dodgers, Outfielder:\u00a0Pages\u2019 power improved in his second year in the majors, as he hit 27 homers, but just as important are his defensive skills that make for a better Dodgers\u2019 outfield \u2014 and made it that much easier to fully transition Betts to the infield these past two seasons.<\/p>\n

Daulton Varsho<\/a>, Blue Jays, Center Fielder: Don\u2019t be fooled by the low batting average: Varsho has the power to make up for that, and is a fantastic defensive outfielder, too. While he appeared in just 71 games recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and then later hamstring tightness, he was still a 3-win player for Toronto.<\/p>\n

Tyler Glasnow<\/a>, Dodgers, Right-Handed Pitcher: Tyler Glasnow might not be an ace like his postseason rotation mates, and health is an ongoing, and significant, concern. He\u2019s healthy now, however, and would be better than the fourth option out of the rotation for most postseason teams. The Dodgers are not most postseason teams.<\/p>\n

Trey Yesavage<\/a>, Blue Jays, Right-Handed Pitcher:\u00a0Trey Yesavage is a new name for most fans, but one to remember. The Jays selected him 20th-overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, and debuted him in the majors in September after he mowed down minor-league batters all season long. He allowed five runs across three regular season starts, and has struck out 22 batters in 15.1 playoff innings.<\/p>\n

Addison Barger<\/a>, Blue Jays, Outfielder\/Third Baseman: Addison Barger\u2019s defensive versatility, combined with power that saw him hit 21 homers in 502 plate appearances, makes him a useful piece in the Blue Jays\u2019 lineup, especially when, again, it\u2019s unclear just what the team can get from the usual starting shortstop, Bo Bichette.<\/p>\n

Teoscar Hernandez<\/a>, Dodgers, Right Fielder:\u00a0While he wasn\u2019t the offensive force of 2024 this past season, Hernandez still hit 25 homers, and a power bat is the kind of thing that can swing the series in your team\u2019s favor in the World Series.<\/p>\n

Chris Bassitt<\/a>, Blue Jays, Right-Handed Pitcher: The 6-foot-5 Chris Bassitt strikes out about a batter per inning and keeps walks to a relative minimum \u2014 if he can keep the ball in the park, he should be golden even against the Dodgers. That\u2019s a not-insignificant if, of course, but he\u2019s a legit mid-rotation arm who’s been pushed into the bullpen in the postseason.<\/p>\n

The Role Players <\/p>\n

Myles Straw, left, and Tommy Edman, right (Getty Images) <\/p>\n

Myles Straw<\/a>, Blue Jays, Utilityman:\u00a0Yet another utility piece for the versatile Blue Jays, Myles Straw\u2019s value is almost entirely tied up in his defense.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Davis Schneider<\/a>, Blue Jays, Utilityman:\u00a0Superstar-tier mustache, real good bat, middling glove for a guy who bounces around the diamond. But Davis Schneider will help more than he\u2019ll hurt by a wide margin.<\/p>\n

Nathan Lukes<\/a>, Blue Jays, Outfielder:\u00a0Nathan Lukes is a reliable glove with an average bat who can plug in at whatever outfield position that Toronto needs him to.<\/p>\n

Tommy Edman<\/a>, Dodgers, Utilityman:\u00a0The Blue Jays don\u2019t have a monopoly on guys who can slot in all over the diamond and help when needed, as the Dodgers have Tommy Edman for those purposes.<\/p>\n

Miguel Rojas<\/a>, Dodgers, Infielder:\u00a0Miguel Rojas picked up 317 plate appearances around the infield in the regular season, but the Dodgers left their utility infielder off of the NLCS roster against the Brewers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Wild Cards <\/p>\n

Max Scherzer, left, and Clayton Kershaw, right (Getty Images) <\/p>\n

Shane Bieber<\/a>, Blue Jays, Right-Handed Pitcher:\u00a0The thing about Shane Bieber is that he\u00a0could be a star-level pitcher for Toronto \u2014 he did win the 2020 AL Cy Young award, and has a 3.17 ERA in the years since despite dealing with injury. He\u2019s in the first few months of his return from Tommy John surgery, though, without as lengthy of a lead-up to this moment as Ohtani had in his own recovery, so while he\u2019s capable of dueling a Dodgers\u2019 ace, he\u2019s also truly a wild card in this series.<\/p>\n

Max Scherzer<\/a>, Blue Jays, Right-Handed Pitcher:\u00a0For Max Scherzer, the problem is one of consistency. Which version of the 41-year-old is going to take the mound in the Fall Classic? Will it be the regular season starter with a 5.19 ERA who kept allowing homers, or the one that buckled down and turned back the clock to help the Blue Jays come back against the Mariners in the ALCS?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bo Bichette<\/a>, Blue Jays, Shortstop:\u00a0Bo Bichette expects to be on the World Series roster after missing almost all of September and the postseason so far recovering from a knee injury suffered on the basepaths in a collision with Yankees\u2019 catcher Austin Wells. When healthy, he\u2019s one of the Blue Jays\u2019 best players, but it\u2019s unclear until he\u2019s out there again what condition he\u2019s in and how much rust there is to shake off.<\/p>\n

Jeff Hoffman<\/a>, Blue Jays, Right-Handed Pitcher: Toronto\u2019s bullpen is not a strength, and the struggles of Jeff Hoffman have been a significant part of that. If he can keep the ball in the park, like he did in his entire career before 2025, then there shouldn\u2019t be a problem. The Dodgers are built to make it a problem.<\/p>\n

Blake Treinen<\/a>, Dodgers, Right-Handed Pitcher:\u00a0The Dodgers bullpen is their Achilles heel, one they have avoided exposing to this point in the postseason mostly due to starting pitching that has handled the bulk of the innings, along with the reflexes of one Brice Turang. Treinen entered September with a 3.12 ERA, and exited it at 5.14. The postseason did not automatically fix his problems.<\/p>\n

Clayton Kershaw<\/a>, Dodgers, Left-Handed Pitcher:\u00a0Will Clayton Kershaw even pitch in the World Series? That\u2019s unclear, given both his pending retirement and given that he was shelled in his one postseason appearance back in the NLDS, allowing five runs in two innings on a pair of homers.<\/p>\n

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