MLB All-October Team: Stars who ruled the 2026 playoffs - ESPN

What an MLB postseason!

After a wild month of playoff action — it's time for our annual MLB All-October team.

While William Contreras took home the World Series MVP hardware for his performance during the Milwaukee Brewers' five-game triumph over the Tampa Bay Rays, that doesn't tell the entire story of the month. So to honor the best from every stage of the postseason, we hand out awards to a roster of October stars along with our player, pitcher and breakout stars of the month.

From wild-card-round sensations to World Series standouts, here are the players our ESPN MLB panel of experts voted as the best of the best at every position and some additional honors for the very brightest stars of October.

Catcher: William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers

Why he's here: Because we're afraid he'd challenge our call if we picked anyone else? Contreras was simply THE position-player star of the entire month, changing games with his offense, defense and work with Milwaukee's pitchers.

The 28-year-old posted a 1.037 OPS; his challenges overturning ball/strike calls on pitches that caught a fraction of the zone became the stuff of internet memes; and his combination of toughness and swagger set the tone for a team that rolled through the entire month.

Honorable mentions: Patrick Bailey (Guardians)

1B: Ty France, San Diego Padres

Why he's here: Because if not for one blast off his bat that hit the American Family Field roof, the entire postseason might have looked completely different. France's October was about more than just that controversial might-have-been-a-home-run in the ninth inning of the NLDS opener, though, as he also collected three multihit games in six postseason games.

And full disclosure: The player some of you might