11 underperformers who can flip the script in the postseason

Baseball is a fickle game, and every season has its share of players who don’t live up to expectations.

With the regular season winding down, some of these underperforming players will have to wait until next year for redemption. Others, though, still have an opportunity to change the tenor of their seasons, as their teams have either already qualified for the playoffs or remain in contention for a berth. The players below fit the bill.

Here are 11 underperformers who can flip the script and turn disappointment into triumph this postseason. (All stats below are through Monday.)

Byron Buxton, DH, Twins
Buxton has been injury plagued throughout his career, and this year has been no different. What has been different, though, is his production when he has been healthy enough to play. Buxton has hit .207 with a .438 slugging percentage and 98 OPS+, which is down significantly from 2019-22 (.258/.316/.558, 136 OPS+). Moreover, the once elite defender hasn’t played a single inning in center field, spending all his time at designated hitter after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee last September. Despite Buxton’s shortcomings in 2023, the Twins are headed to the postseason as the AL Central champions. Expected to return from the IL soon, the 29-year-old could erase a season's worth of disappointment if he can help the club end its record 18-game playoff losing streak and win its first postseason series since 2002.

Jazz Chisholm Jr., OF, Marlins
Like an NL version of Buxton, albeit with a shorter track record, Chisholm has flashed a dynamic skill set between numerous injuries, which have limited him to 276 of a possible 480 games since the beginning of 2021. Also like Buxton, Chisholm’s performance has taken a step backward this season, as he has gone from a .254/.325/.535 slash (138 OPS+) in 2022 to .248/.299/.451 (100 OPS+) in 2023. If Miami can find a way into the playoffs, the club is going to need the 25-year-old to step up.

Carlos Correa, SS, Twins
With every other AL Central team set to finish below .500, the Twins were able to run away with the division crown despite getting a combined 2.0 WAR (per Baseball-Reference) out of Buxton (0.7) and Correa (1.3). The shortstop, who re-signed with Minnesota for $200 million over six years after reported deals with the Giants and Mets fell through, has battled plantar fasciitis in his left foot for much of the season. He hit .230 with a .711 OPS over 135 games before finally succumbing to the injury earlier this month, going on the 10-day IL on Sept. 20. Likely to return for the playoffs, Correa can still make this season a success if he can find the October form he frequently showed with the Astros. The 29-year-old is a career .272/.344/.505 hitter with 18 homers -- tied for seventh most all time -- in the postseason.

Ty France, 1B, Mariners
France was one of the Mariners’ best hitters in 2021-22, slashing .283/.353/.440 (126 OPS+) with 38 homers and 156 RBIs. That hasn’t been the case in 2023, as the first baseman has produced a .249 average, 10 homers, 56 RBIs and a .694 OPS (96 OPS+) over 152 games, including an active 36-game home run drought. With the Mariners in the midst of a September tailspin and fighting for their playoff lives, now would be as good of a time as any for France to rediscover his swing.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays
Guerrero certainly hasn’t had a bad season, but his numbers have declined for the second straight year after he put up 48 home runs and a 167 OPS+ in 2021. The 24-year-old still has some outstanding metrics in the contact-quality realm, including an average exit velocity of 92.3 mph, a 50% hard-hit rate and a .377 expected wOBA, but it hasn’t translated to top-level production on the surface. Over 151 games this season, Guerrero has recorded 26 homers and a 118 OPS+, leaving a lot to be desired as the postseason looms. Of course, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if the ultra-talented slugger went off in October, given the power potential he brings to the table.

Cedric Mullins, OF, Orioles
While Mullins’ rate stats are fairly similar to what he produced in 2022, it’s hard not to be disappointed by his season when you consider what might have been. Before he strained his groin in May, Mullins had an .835 OPS and was on pace for a 24-homer, 39-steal campaign, closer to his breakout 2021 season (30 HR, 30 SB, .878 OPS) than his production in 2022 (16 HR, 34 SB, .721 OPS). Mullins, who returned in June but went back on the IL in July with another groin issue, has hit .217 with seven homers, six steals and a .647 OPS in 57 games since the initial injury. If he can get back on track in October, he could be a postseason X-factor for Baltimore.

Aaron Nola, SP, Phillies
One season removed from a fourth-place finish in the NL Cy Young race, Nola is wrapping up a rough free-agent walk year, having posted a 4.57 ERA over 31 starts. The righty has had trouble building any momentum in 2023, posting an ERA over 4.00 in five of the six calendar months, including a 6.86 ERA in September. Nola, though, has an opportunity to go out on a high note if he can put together a strong postseason as Philadelphia’s likely No. 2 playoff starter behind Zack Wheeler.

Jeremy Peña, SS, Astros
Expectations were high for Peña after the young shortstop followed up a strong rookie campaign by becoming the ninth player (and the second rookie) to win LCS and World Series MVP honors in the same year. While Peña has improved his on-base percentage by 32 points from 2022, his slugging percentage has dropped 46 points, as he has gone from 22 homers to 10. However, the 26-year-old’s disappointing sophomore season will become a distant memory if he has another playoff run like last year’s, forever putting his name among some of the greatest clutch performers in baseball history.

Jameson Taillon, SP, Cubs
The Cubs crushed free agency this year by virtue of their deals with shortstop Dansby Swanson and center fielder Cody Bellinger, but their signing of Taillon to a four-year, $68 million contract has been less successful, with the righty pitching to a 5.05 ERA over 28 starts. Taillon has been better of late, though, posting a 3.57 ERA in his past 14 starts, and he could be an important part of Chicago’s postseason roster should the club capture a Wild Card spot. With Marcus Stroman still working his way back into form after missing time with a rib cage cartilage fracture, Taillon is lined up to be the Cubs’ No. 3 playoff starter behind Justin Steele and Kyle Hendricks.

Rowdy Tellez, 1B, Brewers
After making his mark on Milwaukee’s lineup with 35 homers, 89 RBIs and a .767 OPS (113 OPS+) in 2022, Tellez went deep nine times in his first 28 games of 2023. However, his power has since vanished, with the first baseman producing only nine extra-base hits (four homers) in his past 72 games. Tellez has a .664 OPS on the year, but the Brewers are counting on the left-handed slugger to show up in the postseason and provide some much-needed pop for a lineup that ranks 24th in the Majors in homers (162).

Kyle Wright, SP, Braves
One year after recording 21 wins and a 3.19 ERA over 30 starts in a breakout 2022 campaign, Wright has thrown just 28 2/3 innings this season, missing most of the year with a right shoulder injury. The 27-year-old’s numbers in that small sample aren’t pretty: a 7.22 ERA, a 5.42 FIP and a 1.85 WHIP. Wright, though, could work his way into an important postseason role for Atlanta. Expected to pitch out of the bullpen, the 27-year-old could provide valuable innings for a Braves team that will be without Charlie Morton (strained right index finger) until the NLCS.