Four Players To Watch In The National League Championship Series

The San Diego Padres have already sprung two upsets in Major League Baseball’s postseason.

The Padres won its National League Wild Card series on the road against the 101- win New York Mets. San Diego then knocked off the 111-win Los Angeles Dodgers in a National League Division Series.

Now, the Padres are the favorites going into the National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Game 1 is scheduled for 8:03 p.m. ET Tuesday night at Petco Park in San Diego.

The Phillies have also pulled off a pair of upsets. They beat the Cardinals in an NLWCS in St. Louis then knocked off the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves in an NLDS.

Here is a look at four key players in the NLCS:

J.T. Realmuto, Phillies

Realmuto is among the most productive catchers in the major leagues. But what also sets him apart from other players at the position is his athleticism.

That athleticism was on full display when the Phillies beat the Braves in Game 4 of NLDS to clinch the series. Realmuto became the first catcher ever to hit a home run in an MLB postseason game.

Realmuto was successful on 21 of his 22 stolen base attempts in the regular season while hitting .276/.342/.478 with 22 home runs. He led the NL by throwing out 44% of runners attempting to steal and had 11 defensive runs saved, providing good value in the second season of a five-year, $115-million contract.

Playing in the postseason for the first time in his nine-year career, Realmuto is 6 for 24 (.250).

Aaron Nola, Phillies

Nola is also experiencing the postseason for the first time in his eight-year career. He has been dominant in his two starts.

The right-hander pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings to beat the Cardinals in the clinching Game 2 of the NLWCS. He got the win in Game 3 against the Braves in the NLDS when he allowed one unearned run in six innings.

That follows a fine regular season in which Nola’s record was just 11-13 but his ERA was 3.25 ERA. He had 235 strikeouts in 205 innings with a 0.961 WHIP.

Nola is scheduled to start Game 2 against the Padres’ Blake Snell.

Nola in the last guaranteed season of a four-year, $45-million contract. However, the Phillies are likely to exercise their $16-million option on Nola for 2023 rather than pay a $4.25-million buyout.

Manny Machado, Padres

The Padres stunned the baseball world when they won the bidding for Machado in free agency prior to the 2019 season. They signed the third baseman to a 10-year, $300-million contract and vowed to build a championship team around him.

Now the Padres’ grand plan is getting closer to fruition as Machado has led them to their first NLCS appearance since 1998.

In 150 games during the regular season, Machado hit .298/.366/.531 with 32 homers and 102 RBIs. Machado’s fielding has been shaky this year as he had minus-3 defensive runs saved, but the Padres aren’t complaining.

Machado is 8 for 27 (.296) in the postseason with two doubles and two homers.

Ha-Seong Kim, Padres

The Padres have advanced to the NLCS despite star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. not playing a game this season.

Tatis reported to spring training with a broken wrist reportedly sustained in a motorcycle accident in his native Dominican Republic. As he was nearing a return to the active roster, Tatis was suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball for testing positive for a performance enhancing drug, ending his season.

However, Kim has played well at shortstop in Tatis’ place. The native of South Korea batted .251/.325/.383 with 11 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 150 games during the regular season. He also had 12 defensive runs saved.

Kim is just 5 for 26 (.192) in the postseason but has three doubles and seven runs scored.

Kim is finishing the second season of a four-year, $28-million contract he signed with the Padres after playing in the Korea Baseball Organization for seven seasons.