Who is hero of the 2026 MLB playoffs?

To try to answer to that question, we're tabulating the cumulative win probability added figures for every player in the postseason. But we've added a twist: The deeper we get into the playoffs, the more weight the WPA carries. The division series counts double the wild-card round, then we'll double it again for the championship series and, finally, once again for the World Series.

This means that players who shine in the early rounds can still get on the leaderboard, but it's more difficult. Coming through when the championship leverage is at its highest is what becoming an October hero is all about.

Monday's hero: A year ago, Chase DeLauter had just made his big-league debut in the postseason for Cleveland, though his after-the-season promotion couldn't get the Guardians back to the ALCS. Cleveland is there this time, and DeLauter was a central part of the Guardians' late-inning explosion against Drew Rasmussen and the Rays' bullpen in Game 1. DeLauter had three hits, one a homer off Rasmussen to get Cleveland on the board, then stroked a go-ahead double in the eighth. Led by Jose Ramirez, the Guardians suddenly-hot offense now lands three hitters in the top 10 of the Hero standings.

Methodology

As mentioned above, each player's win probability added (WPA) is tracked on a per-game basis. Each round of the playoffs counts double that of the previous round. The tabulation is then converted to an AXE-style index in which 100 represents the average for all postseason players. The "Change" column looks in the changes in AXE numbers from the previous day for players who were in action. You can sort this column by clicking on it to see the day's heroes.