Major League Baseball’s postseason resumes Saturday with four Division Series.
The Baltimore Orioles play the Texas Rangers in one American League Division Series. The Houston Astros face the Minnesota Twins in the other.
Both best-of-five series begin Saturday afternoon with the Orioles hosting the Rangers at 1:03 p.m. ET and the Twins visiting the Astros at 4:45 p.m.
The Orioles and Astros drew byes into the ALDS by virtue of winning division titles. The Rangers swept the Tampa Bay Rays in two games in one best-of-three American League Wild Card series while the Twins were sweeping the Toronto Blue Jays.
Here is a look at four key players in the ALDS round:
ADLEY RUTSCHMAN, ORIOLES
The Orioles used the first overall pick in the 2019 amateur draft to draft Rutschman, a switch-hitting catcher from Oregon State. The idea was that Rutschman would eventually become a cornerstone player on a winning team and he has lived up to the expectations.
Rutschman, 25, had a fine first full season in the major leagues this year, hitting .277/.374/.435 with 20 home runs in 154 games. He was also selected to his first All-Star game and wowed the crowd during the Home Run Derby in Seattle by going deep from both sides of the plate.
The only drawback is Rutschman’s defense wasn’t nearly as strong this year as during his rookie season in 2022. Rutschman went from 18 defensive runs saved last season to two this season.
EVAN CARTER, RANGERS
The rookie left fielder is just 21 years old and made his major-league debut on Sept. 8. Yet Carter has already become a key member of the Rangers’ fearsome lineup.
Carter reached base in seven of his eight plate appearances against the Rays in the ALWCS, going 3 for 4 with two doubles, a home run, two walks and a hit by pitch. That came after he batted .306/.413/.645 with five homers in 23 regular-season games, called up when All-Star outfielder Adolis Garcia was placed on the injured list.
The Rangers drafted Carter in the second round in 2020 following his senior year of high school in Elizabethton, Tenn. Barely three years later, he is becoming an October sensation.
JUSTIN VERLANDER, ASTROS
The future Hall of Famer is scheduled to start Game 1 against the Twins. Verlander pitched two-hit ball over five shutout innings to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks last Saturday in his final regular-season start for his 257th career win.
Verlander pitched for the Astros from 2017-22 before signing with the New York Mets as a free agent in the offseason. The Astros then reacquired him in July in a trade after the $355-million Mets fell out of contention.
The 40-year-old was 7-3 with a 3.31 ERA in 11 starts following the trade and has more year left on his two-year, $86.67-million contract. That came after he had a 6-5 record and 3.15 ERA in 16 starts for the Mets.
CARLOS CORREA, TWINS
The veteran shortstop wound up re-signing with the Twins for six years and $200 million after a rocky time in free agency over the winter. Correa agreed to deals with the San Francisco Giants then the Mets but both teams had concerns about an old ankle injury and withdrew their offers.
Compounding matters, Correa had the worst season of his nine-year career in 2023. He batted just .230/.312/.399 with 18 home runs in 135 games while finishing with minus-2 defensive runs saved.
Correa shined in the ALWCS sweep of the Blue Jays, though. He went 3 for 7 with an RBI while making some outstanding defensive plays. Correa is also October-tested as he has played in 81 postseason games.
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