The under-the-radar MLB players shaping the 2026 playoff race

If you’re a baseball fan following the 2026 season, you know the big names that are driving the ship. 

You know Houston’s Yordan Alvarez is a major reason the Astros are alive in the AL West, you know Ben Rice has been massive for the Yankees, and you know how important a healthy Chris Sale and Zack Wheeler have been to the Braves and Phillies, respectively. 

But there are unsung heroes all across baseball who have been incredibly important for teams, either breaking out as stars or carrying the load while more established players are hurt or have struggled. 

The under-the-radar contributors making a difference for MLB contenders

With SeatGeek serving as the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB, we’ve identified some of the more unsung heroes across baseball for some of the league’s top contenders. 

Chicago White Sox SPs Sean Burke and Davis Martin 

In case you haven’t heard, the White Sox are pretty darn good. Much of the attention is focused on the team’s exciting young lineup, which is understandable. The trio of Munetaka Murakami, Colson Montgomery and Miguel Vargas is very fun, and there are other important pieces like Tristan Peters and Chase Meidroth in the lineup as well. 

But the White Sox wouldn’t be where they are without Burke and Martin anchoring the rotation. Burke was solid in his first full MLB season last year with a 4.22 ERA over 28 appearances (22 starts), but he’s taken his game to another level this year with a 3.19 ERA. He’s striking out 9.9 batters per nine, up from 8.9 last year. As for Martin, he’s having a true breakout season at 29 years old and his fourth MLB campaign. He’s posted a 3.49 ERA on the year and has been elite at keeping the ball in the yard with an excellent 0.5 HR/9 rate. Martin is also striking out more batters while walking fewer opposing hitters. These two lead the Sox in bWAR this year, too. 

Without these two, Chicago isn’t in first place right now.

Cleveland Guardians SP Joey Cantillo

I had Cantillo down as a breakout candidate ahead of this season after a solid rookie year between the rotation and bullpen, and he’s been a very important part of the Guardians’ success. Cleveland’s offense is still a work in progress, which puts more pressure on the pitching staff. Gavin Williams has been excellent and rookie Parker Messick made the All-Star team, so Cantillo gets overlooked. His walk rate of 4.4 per nine needs some work, but a 4.02 ERA over 22 starts is very solid work. Cantillo has been durable and consistent, and for contending teams like the Guardians, sometimes that’s good enough. Cantillo’s numbers aren’t sexy, but this is a good and young middle-of-the-rotation arm for a playoff contender. There’s a ton of value there. 

Los Angeles Dodgers SP Eric Lauer

Lauer began the year in Toronto, where he had an ERA over six, told media members he didn’t like pitching behind an opener and was subsequently DFA’d. That loss has been the Dodgers’ gain as Lauer has an ERA of 3.35 in eight appearances (seven starts) and Los Angeles is a perfect 8-0 when Lauer gets the ball.

The Dodgers are the two-time defending champs and have as loaded a roster as any team in recent memory, so finding unsung heroes isn’t always the easiest thing. But as has been the case in recent years, the Dodgers continue to deal with injuries in the rotation with the likes of Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow missing extended time, so Lauer has been a godsend in that sense, even if some of the underlying metrics aren’t the best. Still, he’s taking the ball once a week and L.A. is winning. It’s hard to argue with the results. 

Milwaukee Brewers OF Garrett Mitchell

The Brewers have a lot going for them. Jacob Misiorowski is the frontrunner for NL Cy Young, Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio are having awesome years, Jake Bauers has provided some much-needed thump in the lineup and the bullpen remains a major force. Mitchell’s breakout 2026 campaign is just icing on the cake, at this point. 

Mitchell, a 2020 first-round pick, has emerged as an important everyday player for Milwaukee after injuries cost him much of the last two seasons. He’s now hitting .272 with a .361 on-base percentage and .807 OPS. Mitchell also has some incredible under-the-hood numbers, rating as one of baseball’s best in terms of bat speed, barrel rate, exit velocity, hard-hit rate, walk rate and staying in the strike zone with one of the lowest chase rates in the game. He’s a valuable part of the Brewers’ success, even if he’s flying under the radar a bit. 

New York Yankees 1B/DH Paul Goldschmidt

Goldschmidt looked pretty cooked the last two years, OPSing just .722 with 32 homers and 110 RBIs between his last year in St. Louis and first year in New York. The former MVP isn’t playing up to his former All-Star caliber, but he’s certainly been a nice piece for a Yankees team that has needed more bats to step up. Goldschmidt has seen his power numbers increase this year with a .483 SLG and 16 homers and 43 RBIs. He’s flirted with an .800 OPS for much of the year, and while the Yankees have gotten a breakout year from another first baseman in Ben Rice, the veteran Goldschmidt has also been a solid force, which has been much needed with Aaron Judge missing considerable time and Trent Grisham and Jazz Chisholm disappointing after impressive 2025 campaigns. Goldschmidt is a big name, but at this stage of his career, this production is very impressive – especially after two down years. 

Pittsburgh Pirates IF Nick Gonzales

Gonzales didn’t do too much across his first three MLB seasons, but the 2020 first-round pick has turned into a very important part of an impressive Pittsburgh lineup. The Pirates, even with some big names injured, field one of the best offenses in baseball, and Gonzales has quietly been a big reason why. The young infielder, who has played shortstop, third base and second base this year, is hitting .313 and is OPSing .780 as his on-base and power numbers are the highest they’ve ever been. Gonzales doesn’t strike out much, either, which is always a bonus. The Pirates have leaned on their lineup quite a bit this year, and Gonzales has stepped up in a major way. He now looks like an important piece moving forward after entering 2026 in a bit of a make-or-break situation. 

San Diego Padres 1B/DH Ty France

A former All-Star in Seattle, France has bounced around from team to team after getting DFA’d in July 2024. He’s back with the Padres, the team that drafted him and with whom he made his MLB debut, and after beginning the year in more of a bench role, France has suddenly become a go-to guy for the Padres. In 80 games, the veteran infielder is hitting .275, is OPSing .887 and has 16 homers and 46 RBIs – all of which are among the team leaders. The Padres long had baseball’s worst offense in 2026, but they’ve started to heat up of late at the plate with France playing a key role. Will that be enough to make a run into October? That remains to be seen. But for now, France is doing his part to try and keep San Diego in the hunt. 

Seattle Mariners OF/DH Dominic Canzone

The Mariners’ offense has been wildly inconsistent this year, with Cal Raleigh struggling and missing more than a month due to injury, Julio Rodriguez hitting at roughly a league-average clip and Josh Naylor taking a big step back after signing a long-term contract. Randy Arozarena has been great and made the All-Star Game as a result, but few outside of Seattle likely understand Canzone’s importance to the lineup. He’s been hitting third for the Mariners for quite some time now, and he’s also been seeing time against left-handed pitchers after starting the year in more of a platoon role. Canzone is OPSing .844 thanks largely to a .502 SLG, and his 16 homers and 46 RBIs have been very important for a Seattle lineup that has struggled to score runs on a consistent basis this season. Canzone leads the team in home runs this year and is second in RBIs. The Mariners’ numbers are poor, but they’d be much worse if Canzone were struggling like many of the team’s other big bats. 

St. Louis Cardinals SP Michael McGreevy

The Cardinals are just 9-11 across McGreevy’s 20 starts this year, but that’s not his fault. The former first-round pick has been a breakout star for the Cardinals in 2026 with a 3.07 ERA over 114 1/3 innings pitched. He’s not the flashiest pitcher, by any means, with just 74 strikeouts (5.8 K/9), but the UC Santa Barbara alum has been a steadying force for a Cardinals rotation that has been searching for answers for years. 

McGreevy is a throwback arm of sorts, but who cares? He posts, eats innings, limits runs and baserunners and keeps runs off the board. He’s gotten three or fewer runs of support nine times and his team has been shut out four times and scored one run two other times. McGreevy has quietly been an excellent pitcher for the Cardinals in 2026. 

Texas Rangers 1B/DH Jake Burger

Burger’s style of play isn’t for everyone. He’s hitting just .238 with an on-base percentage of exactly .300, and he strikes out in more than a quarter of his at-bats. But Burger’s 18 home runs and 64 RBIs pace the Rangers by a wide margin, which is welcome news for a Texas team that, last year, had one of the worst offenses in baseball. Texas’ lineup still isn’t great, and Corey Seager’s injury-plagued 2026 sure hasn’t helped, but Burger has been a massive bright spot with his power and run production, even if some of his other numbers don’t look particularly pretty.