Ranking all 50 players on the 2016 World Series rosters (2024)

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The 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner has been terrific so far in the postseason, with a 0.98 ERA in three starts in his career. He won 18 games for the second time in three years, with a 3.14 ERA that was among the best in the AL this season.

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The likely NL MVP, Bryant hit .292-39-102 with a .939 OPS while splitting time between third base and the outfield corners this season. He's 13-for-39 so far in the postseason.

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Lester put together a third straight phenomenal year and is very much in the running for the NL Cy Young. The lefty finished the season with 19 wins and a 2.44 ERA and has allowed only two earned runs in 21 innings this postseason.

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The defending NL Cy Young Award winner, Arrieta had another good year with a 3.10 ERA but faced some struggles during the second half. His struggles vs. the Dodgers the NLCS are slightly concerning.

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Rizzo has been quite the consistent offensive force over the last three seasons for the Cubs, combining to hit 95 home runs. He finished 2016 with a career-high .928 OPS and is coming off a huge NLCS in which he hit .320-2-5.

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The Indians have been a different team since Lindor's promotion in 2015, and he's been incredibly consistent as a hitter and fielder. He's shown elite range at shortstop and hit .301-15-78 this season.

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Hendricks won the NL ERA title this season and is coming off the start of his life against the Dodgers. The soft-tossing right-hander is naturally compared to Greg Maddux.

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The clear ALCS MVP for Cleveland, Miller has been unstoppable this postseason with 11.2 scoreless innings and 21 strikeouts. That follows an incredible regular season in which he had a 1.45 ERA and 123/9 K/BB in 74.1 innings between the Yankees and Indians.

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Andrew Miller's former teammate with the Yankees this season, Chapman took over as the Cubs' closer and posted a 1.55 ERA and 36 saves this season between the two clubs. He has an insane 15.2 K/9 for his career, regularly hitting triple digits on the radar gun. However, Chapman hasn't been perfect this postseason, with three earned runs in eight innings.

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One of the staples of the Cleveland lineup, Kipnis hit .275-23-82 with an .811 OPS during the regular season. He's had an up-and-down postseason, going 5-for-30 with two home runs.

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Lackey had another very good regular season after signing with the Cubs in the offseason, posting a 3.35 ERA in 29 starts. He hasn't been as good in the postseason, allowing five earned runs in eight innings over two starts.

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A clear hero for the Indians this season, Ramirez hit .312-11-76 with an .825 OPS while splitting time between third base and left field. He's just 6-for-27 this postseason.

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Coming off a career year, the sweet-swinging Santana had two home runs during the ALCS. The regular DH had an .865 OPS during the regular season with a career-high 34 home runs and 87 RBI. He will likely come off the bench at Wrigley Field without the use of the DH in the NL park.

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Zobrist was everything the Cubs could have hoped for in the first year of a four-year deal. After winning a World Series with the Royals last season, Zobrist hit .272-18-76 with a .386 on-base percentage.

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Allen had a very good year as Cleveland's closer, posting a 2.51 ERA and finishing with 32 saves. He also had 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

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Salazar hasn't pitched in the playoffs due to an elbow injury, but he's been added to the World Series roster. The team has said Salazar can throw 65-70 pitches, though it remains to be seen if he will start or pitch in relief. He will be a key arm, regardless, after going 11-6 with a 3.87 ERA in 25 starts during the regular season.

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One of the rangiest shortstops in baseball, Russell showed big power for the Cubs this season with 21 home runs and 95 RBI. He made his first All-Star Game at age 22.

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Bauer had a 4.26 ERA in 190 innings during the regular season, finishing the year with 12 wins. He had to leave in the first inning of his ALCS start when a sutured cut on his finger opened up, but he hopes to pitch in the World Series.

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Chicago didn't get its money's worth offensively in the first year of Heyward's eight-year deal, but he showed terrific defensive range. He's just 2-for-28 during the postseason.

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Fowler re-signed with the Cubs in spring training and had one of his best seasons, hitting .276-13-48 with 84 runs scored. He traditionally smashes left-handed pitching, which could make a difference late in games vs. Andrew Miller.

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Naquin was one of the AL's top rookies this season, hitting .296-14-43 in only 116 games. He platoons in center field vs. right-handed pitching.

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Napoli has appeared in World Series with Texas and Boston and now gets his opportunity with Cleveland. He had a huge offensive season, hitting .239-34-101.

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Baez was a versatile utilityman for the Cubs this season and has been an X-factor in the playoffs. He hit .273-14-59 during the regular season and is 13-for-38 during the playoffs.

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Rondon was the Cubs' closer until the team acquire Aroldis Chapman and now serves as a right-handed setup man. He finished the season with a 3.53 ERA in 51 innings.

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Contreras emerged as the Cubs' starting catcher at midseason and has done a terrific job offensively and defensively. He hit .282-12-35 in 76 games.

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A crafty control pitcher, Tomlin finished the year with a 4.40 ERA over 174 innings. He rarely walks batters but has had issues keeping the ball in the park.

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Schwarber was the Cubs' left fielder to start the year but suffered a nasty knee injury near the beginning of the season. He's expected to serve as a DH in Cleveland, added punch to the lineup after hitting 16 home runs in 69 games last season.

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A very solid defensive catcher, Perez has started since Yan Gomes went on the DL at midseason. He hit only .183 during the regular season but is terrific at controlling the running game.

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The hard-throwing Strop finished the season with a sub-3.00 ERA for the third consecutive year. He had a 2.85 ERA in 47.1 innings.

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Guyer demolishes left-handed pitching and will be a key weapon against Jon Lester and Aroldis Chapman. He finished the season with a .372 on-base percentage between the Rays and Indians.

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Montgomery is a key left-handed weapon in the Chicago bullpen. He had a 2.52 ERA over 100 innings between starting and relief work this season.

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Chisenhall performed well against right-handed pitching this season as the Cleveland right fielder. He hit .286-8-57 in 385 at-bats.

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A key middle-relief arm for Cleveland, Shaw led the AL in appearances for the second time in three years. He had a 3.24 ERA during the regular season and has allowed three earned runs in 5.2 innings this postseason.

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An impressive right-handed bullpen weapon for the Cubs, Edwards had a 3.75 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 36 innings this season. He's had five scoreless appearances so far this postseason.

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The speedy Davis led the AL with 43 stolen bases this season. He also hit .249-12-48 with 74 runs in 134 games.

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Otero rebounded from a subpar season in 2015 with Oakland to have a terrific year this season. He finished the season with a 1.53 ERA over 70.2 innings and has allowed one earned run over three appearances in the playoffs this season.

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Wood is a former starter who has found a home in the Chicago bullpen. He made 77 appearances this season with a 2.95 ERA and has already made six appearances in the postseason.

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McAllister has pitched mostly in middle relief for Cleveland this season. He had a 3.44 ERA in 52.1 innings during the regular season.

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A former first-round pick, Almora is terrific defensively and has hit for average in the minors. He's played in six games so far during the postseason but has yet to get a hit.

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Crisp already has two home runs this postseason after hitting 13 over 122 games during the regular season. The veteran outfielder finished the season with a .698 OPS, mostly with Oakland.

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Soler failed to step up for the Cubs this season following Kyle Schwarber's knee injury but still hit 12 home runs in 227 at-bats. He will add power for the Cubs off the bench.

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Montero was the Cubs' starting catcher at the beginning of the season but spent much of the year injured. He hit only .216-8-33 during the regular season and now comes off the bench.

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Jon Lester's personal catcher, Ross will retire at the end of the season. He hit 10 home runs during the regular season and hit a home run during the NLDS.

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Grimm pitched in short relief for the Cubs during the regular season, posting a 4.10 ERA in 68 appearances over 52.2 innings. He's made three appearances this postseason.

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Merritt made only four appearances during the regular season and had the start of his life in the ALCS, throwing 4.1 scoreless innings against the Blue Jays.

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Clevinger struggled in his rookie season with Cleveland, posting a 5.26 ERA between starting and relief in 53 innings. He will likely pitch out of the pen during the World Series.

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A veteran utilityman, Coghlan was traded to Oakland during spring training before finding his way back to the Cubs later in the year. He will likely serve as a pinch-hitter during the World Series.

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Gomes' 2016 regular season was one he'd like to forget, hitting only .167 and missing significant time with a shoulder injury. He did hit .278-21-74 as Cleveland's starting catcher in 2014.

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Manship struggled with his control during the regular season, but the journeyman reliever did post a 3.12 ERA in 53 appearances.

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Martinez played 63 games during the regular season between Boston and Cleveland. He's capable of serving as a defensive replacement and pinch runner.