A look at 10 rookies who could impact the MLB postseason

The Major League Baseball regular season featured a bumper crop of rookies.

The headliner of that group was Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes, who went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts and had one of the best seasons ever by a rookie pitcher.

Skenes won’t be pitching in the postseason, though, which begins Tuesday with four Wild Card Series games. Skenes’ Pirates finished 76-86 and missed the playoffs for the ninth straight year.

However, plenty of other rookies are poised to make a postseason impact. Here is a look at 10 of them:

Jackson Merrill, Padres

The 21-year-old entered the season under daunting circumstances. He was not only making the jump from Double-A to the major leagues but was moving from shortstop to center field.

Merrill handled the transitions with ease. The 2021 first-round draft pick batted .292/.326/.500 with 24 home runs and 16 stolen bases in 156 games. Merrill also held his own in the field with zero defensive runs saved.

It will be interesting to see how the voting goes between Merrill and Skenes for National League Rookie of he Year.

Jackson Chourio, Brewers

Another Jackson helps lead his team into the playoffs as Chourio and the Brewers won the NL Central for the third time in four years. The 20-year-old corner outfielder made a major contribution with a .275/.327/.464 slash line, 21 homers and 22 steals in 143 games.

The Brewers took a leap of faith in December when they signed Chourio to an eight-year, $82-million contract before he had appeared in a big-league game. The Venezuelan has certainly paid dividends already.

Tobias Myers, Brewers

Myers had already been with five organizations when the Brewers signed him to a minor-league contract last November. The 26-year-old right-hander got his first chance in the majors when he was called up on April 23 and turned out to be a key member of the pitching staff.

Myers was 9-6 with a 3.00 ERA in 27 games, including 25 starts. In his last 10 games since Aug. 10, he went 3-1 with a 2.96 ERA and gives the Brewers a solid option as a starter or long reliever in the postseason.

Joey Ortiz, Brewers

Ortiz was part of the return the Brewers got when they traded ace right-hander Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles on Feb. 1. It seemed Milwaukee was punting on this season when they dealt Burnes, but Ortiz helped the Brewers reach the postseason for the sixth time in seven seasons.

Playing primarily third base, the 26-year-old batted .239/.329/.398 in 142 games with 11 homers and 11 steals. While Ortiz’s hitting statistics were right around league average, he shined with the glove by posting seven defensive runs saved.

Colton Cowser, Orioles

It was second baseman Jackson Holliday who got all the prospect hype in the Orioles’ spring training camp. However, it was Cowser who ended up being the most impactful rookie for the Orioles in 2024 as they made the postseason for a second straight year.

The 24-year-old outfielder belted 24 home runs in 153 games and had a slash line of .242/.321/.447. Cowser was the Orioles’ first-round pick and fifth overall selection in the 2021 draft.

Luis Gil, Yankees

A spring training elbow injury sustained by reigning American League Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole opened the door for Gil to begin the season in the New York Yankees rotation. He took advantage of the opportunity and could be the AL Rookie of the Year.

Gil, 26, went 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA in 29 starts while striking out 171 in 151 1/3 innings. The Yankees acquired Gil in a 2018 trade when he was in rookie ball with the Minnesota Twins for outfielder Jake Cave and it turned out to be quite a heist.

Austin Wells, Yankees

Wells stepped up behind the plate for the Yankees when All-Star Jose Trevino was injured and had one of the best defensive seasons of any catcher in the major leagues. Wells had 11 defensive runs saved and threw out 26% of runners who attempted to steal.

The 25-year-old also added some sock to the Yankees’ lineup as he batted .229/.322/.395 with 13 homers in 115 games. Wells was the Yankees’ first-round draft pick in 2020.

Spencer Schwellenbach, Braves

The Atlanta Braves right-hander not only has one of the better names in baseball but was a productive member of their rotation after making his major-league debut on May 29. Schwellenbach had an 8-7 record and 3.35 ERA in 21 starts to go with 127 strikeouts in 123 2/3 innings.

The 24-year-old played primarily shortstop at the University of Nebraska, but the Braves drafted him as a pitcher in the second round in 2021. Schwellenbach underwent Tommy John surgery, delaying his professional debut until 2023 but then made a rapid ascent to the big leagues.

Cade Smith, Guardians

The Guardians have the best bullpen in baseball, led by closer Emmanuel Clase. Smith emerged as Clase’s primary set-up man this season and appeared in 74 games.

The 25-year-old Smith went 6-1 with one save, a 1.91 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 75 1/3 innings. The Guardians signed the Canadian as an amateur free agent in 2020 after he was passed over in that year’s draft that was shortened to five rounds because of the pandemic.

Parker Meadows, Tigers

The Detroit Tigers made a stunning run to the postseason by going on a 31-13 tear to end the regular season. Meadows, 24, played a big part in the rally as the primary center fielder and leadoff hitter after spending 51 games at Triple-A Toledo earlier in the season.

In 82 major-league games, Meadows batted .244/.310/.433 with nine homers, nine steals and five defensive runs saved. He was the Tigers’ second-round pick in 2018.