2026 World Series: 10 key players who will decide the winner between Brewers and Rays

Are you ready for MLB to crown a first-time World Series champion? For the first time since Washington in 2019, we’ll have just that with the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays squaring off. 

The Rays and Brewers are two very intriguing teams given how much depth each squad has, and because they both play the game very similarly. 

2026 World Series: 10 most important players to watch in Brewers vs. Rays

With SeatGeek serving as the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB, we’ve followed the Rays and Brewers very closely all year long, especially in the postseason. Ahead of Game 1 of the World Series in Milwaukee on Friday, we’re going to look at the 10 players – five for each team – we feel are the most important names to watch in this best-of-seven series. 

Brewers 1B Jake Bauers

Who had Bauers winning NLCS MVP? This is a guy who was set to retire after the 2024 season before his wife became pregnant and he chose to return to baseball for health insurance purposes. Now he’s an NLCS MVP who is four wins away from a World Series title. 

Bauers led the Brewers, who were second-to-last in home runs, with 26 long balls this season. He has hit one this postseason – a massive game-changing blast in Los Angeles in Game 3 – and he drove in six runs in the NLCS. 

Bauers isn’t the only power threat in Milwaukee’s lineup, but he’s the Brewers’ best option when it comes to left-handed hitters. We saw him put that power to good use in the NLCS after a decent NLDS showing. The Rays will lean on right-handers in the rotation, and their best reliever is a right-hander as well. So long as Bauers can handle his own against some of Tampa’s tough lefty relievers, he should get a lot of chances against righties, and that’s where the Brewers will need him to do his damage. 

Rays 1B Yandy Diaz

From one first baseman to another, Diaz is a massive X-factor in this series. Tampa Bay’s veteran infielder isn’t a traditional table setter, to say the least, but he’s hit .290 or better in four of the last five seasons and is one of baseball’s elite bat-to-ball guys who specializes in getting on base. Diaz has had at least a .341 on-base percentage every year since 2020. 

Diaz is also a major threat to do damage atop Tampa Bay’s lineup. He can get on base and get driven in by the likes of Jonathan Aranda and another slugger we’ll discuss soon, but the Rays’ lineup is deep, so Diaz often has chances to drive in runs thanks to the bottom of the order getting on base. In the ALCS, Diaz hit two homers and drove in four runs. He’s the only Ray with multiple home runs this postseason. Among everyday players, Diaz has the best batting average, slugging percentage and OPS on the team.

This is a tough Brewers pitching staff that the Rays will be squaring off with, so they need the professional stability Diaz provides in a bad way. 

Brewers SP Jacob Misiorowski

Misiorowski has not had the October many had hoped to see, but the Brewers are 7-1 so far and won both of his starts, so the likely NL Cy Young winner sure isn’t complaining. 

But still, Misiorowski was the unquestioned best pitcher in baseball this year. No one was better at run prevention or strikeouts than “The Mis,” yet he’s pitched a whopping 8 1/3 innings over two starts this postseason, giving up three runs in the process. 

Like I said, the Brewers’ formula has worked. Manager Pat Murphy has absolutely nailed the majority of his pitching decisions, and taking Misiorowski out early has worked out. Plus, his pitch counts of 88 and 94 are much higher than you’d expect given the lack of innings. 

But Misiorowski is as dominant as they come and is in line to start Game 1 with the Brewers having been off since last Thursday. If anyone can set a tone in this series, it’s him.

Will Murphy give him the chance? That remains to be seen. But I think the bigger question is whether Misiorowski can pitch well enough and efficiently enough for Murphy to give his ace more of a leash on the biggest stage. 

Rays SP Freddy Peralta

What a year it has been for Peralta. A trade to the Mets didn’t work out, and after a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts, he was shipped to the Rays. The reclamation project worked as Peralta pitched to a 3.25 ERA over 10 regular-season starts, including a 0.79 mark over his final six starts of the year.

Peralta has carried that over to the postseason and then some. In four games (three starts), Peralta has a 1.08 ERA. He pitched 12 innings of one-run ball across two starts and a relief appearance in the ALCS, earning series MVP honors as a result. 

His hot play is one reason Peralta is a top name to watch. The other? Revenge. Peralta spent the first eight years of his career in Milwaukee before he was traded to New York this past offseason. The veteran right-hander was fifth in Cy Young voting last year and made two All-Star Games with the Brewers. 

Peralta can show his former squad what they’re missing with more strong performances here. Plus, Peralta is heading into free agency for the first time, so more dominant work in the postseason is sure to help his market. 

Brewers C William Contreras

Christian Yelich is the Brewers’ captain, but Contreras, in my opinion, is the heartbeat. Milwaukee often goes as he goes given his importance both to the lineup and the pitching staff, and the star backstop is having an October to remember. 

Contreras leads the Brewers in hits (11), extra-base hits (4), home runs (3) as well as batting average (.367), on-base percentage (.457), slugging percentage (.700) and OPS (1.157)  among regular Brewers starters this postseason. 

Contreras has simply been the Brewers’ best and most reliable hitter to date this postseason. Against a dangerous Rays pitching staff, he’ll need to keep that up. He’ll also need to keep the Brewers’ pitching staff in top form if the team is to win the franchise’s first World Series title. 

Rays 3B Junior Caminero

The Rays’ star third baseman has been solid this postseason with a .273/.351/.455 (.806 OPS) slash line. They need him to be great this World Series. 

Caminero is the best hitter in this series for either team. He has the most power, and he also is just a really good and well-rounded hitter overall. Caminero can change games and series with one swing, but he’s also more than able to work counts, draw walks and put together quality at-bats. 

But Caminero is the biggest run-producing threat for both the Rays and this series as a whole. He had an injury scare in the ALCS but appears to be feeling good. In fact, he hit his first homer of the postseason in the Game 6 ALCS clincher against Cleveland. 

If Caminero gets hot, even an amazing Brewers pitching staff will have its hands full. But Caminero’s presence alone is an important one, and Milwaukee may pitch around him as a result. If the Brewers don’t, Caminero has to make them pay for the Rays to have a shot of winning it all.

Brewers RP Aaron Ashby

Ashby is an incredibly important part of the Brewers’ success. The hard-throwing lefty is absolutely disgusting on the hill with a four-pitch mix led by an amazing sinker, and he’s Milwaukee’s go-to guy. 

Ashby has been called on to do a lot this postseason. From getting out of jams to facing top hitters to ending games to working multiple innings, Ashby has done it all. He actually leads the Brewers with 12 1/3 innings pitched this postseason with two saves. He’s allowed no runs while striking out 11 and posting an absurd 0.57 WHIP. 

The Rays’ best hitters are right-handed, but that doesn’t matter with Ashby. He’s arguably the Brewers’ most important reliever given his incredible stuff on the hill and ability to work multiple innings. Based on what we’ve seen so far, Ashby may be the most important reliever in this entire series. 

Rays SP Drew Rasmussen

Rasmussen has long been one of baseball’s most underrated pitchers. A two-time All-Star, he has a sub-3 ERA over the last six years and was Tampa’s Opening Day starter in 2025 and 2026. 

Rasmussen has stepped up in October this year. Alongside Peralta, Rasmussen has also carried the load for Tampa Bay this postseason. The star right-hander has made three starts, pitching 21 innings to a 1.29 ERA with a 0.76 WHIP and 23 strikeouts to three walks. Rasmussen has worked at least six innings in all three starts, and he pitched seven innings in Game 5 of the ALCS and gave up one hit in eight innings in Game 1 of the ALDS. 

The bullpens will be of utmost importance, but Rasmussen has been the most dominant starter in the entire postseason to date. If he can continue to pitch deep into games and keep the Rays’ bullpen more fresh and ready for later spots, then Tampa Bay will be in much better shape when it comes to trying to knock off the Brewers. 

Brewers RP Trevor Megill and Rays RP Bryan Baker

I’ll lump these two into one because they’re both there to do one thing – close out games. 

The Rays and Brewers are hardly old school in terms of pitching. They lean heavily on matchups and analytics and, as a result, these are two of the best pitching staffs in baseball. But one thing the Brewers and Rays agree on is having a dedicated closer. For Milwaukee, that’s Megill. For Tampa Bay, that’s Baker. 

Megill is a flamethrower who has been an elite arm for the Brewers for each of the last three years. He’s electric and is fantastic at closing out games with 81 saves over the last three years. Megill has been amazing in the postseason with four saves in five outings, and he hasn’t allowed a run. Megill actually has an 0.69 ERA over 13 postseason games since 2023. 

As for Baker, he was arguably baseball’s best closer this year. He was tied for the MLB lead with 41 saves, and he had a 1.44 ERA in the regular season. Baker has five saves and has pitched seven scoreless innings this postseason. Not bad for a guy who was basically cast away by Baltimore last year. 

These closers have been essentially perfect this postseason. Can the Rays get to Megill? Can the Brewers get to Baker? Can the Brewers bridge things out to give Megill the ball with a late lead? And can the Rays do the same with Baker? Given the Rays and Brewers want to utilize designated closers, those are some of the top questions we will be asking all series long.