Offensive Players of the Postseason

Here's a look at the top offensive performers in each league during the postseason:

International League
Michael Choice, Columbus (CLE)
(.417/.488/.833, 11 G, 15-for-36, 6 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R, 5 BB, 8 K, 1 SB, 0 CS)
A disappointing season for the 25-year-old outfielder ended on quite a positive note. Choice hit .244/.309/.399 in 110 games at Triple-A Round Rock in the Rangers system before being designated for assignment Aug. 18 to make room for Will Venable on the 40-man roster. The Indians picked him up for cash considerations three days later, and he spent 14 games at Columbus before the start of the postseason. He saved his best for the Governors' Cup Finals in which he went 9-for-14 in five games against Indianapolis. He homered in Games 2, 3 and 4 after going deep just once in his previous 20 games (including regular season) with Columbus. 

Pacific Coast League
Tyler White, Fresno (HOU)
(.359/.444/.641, 10 G, 14-for-39, 2 2B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 5 R, 4 BB, 4 K)
By comparison, White carried his impressive regular-season form into the PCL playoffs, although it took him a little time to show off that form. After going 4-for-16 in the four-game PCL semis against El Paso, the Astros' No. 30 prospect had multiple hits in three of his five starts in the finals and went deep twice in that span. His two-run homer in the first inning of Sunday's decisive Game 5 gave the Grizzlies a lead they'd never relinquish before capturing their first-ever PCL title with a 7-3 victory. That wraps up an impressive third season for the 2013 33rd-rounder, who hit .325/.442/.496 with 14 homers and 99 RBIs at Triple-A and Double-A during the regular season.

Eastern League
Mike Yastrzemski, Bowie (BAL)
(.406/.452/.906, 9 G, 13-for-32, 6 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 9 R, 5 BB, 5 K)
During the regular season version of Players of the Week, we talk often about ongoing hitting streaks. (Such streaks are an easy way to get spots on such lists.) Yastrzemski did as good as one can do in that department, given the circumstances, by collecting a hit in each of his nine playoff games with first-time Eastern League champ Bowie. Including the regular season, he finishes his second full season in the Minors on an 11-game hitting streak. That's a much-needed bounceback at a great time for the 25-year-old outfielder, who hit .219 from Aug. 1 onward in the regular season and finished with a .246/.316/.372 overall slash line. What's more, his 10 extra-base hits in nine playoff games equaled his total in the category over the final 35 regular-season games.

Southern League
Orlando Arcia, Biloxi (MIL)
(.400/.471/.867, 8 G, 12-for-30, 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 6 R, 4 BB, 3 K)
The Biloxi Shuckers fell one game short of a Southern League title -- falling in the decisive Game 5 to the Chattanooga Lookouts on Monday -- but this spot still goes to the club's starting shortstop, who was tops among the circuit's postseason performers in most offensive categories. Arcia did most of his damage in a three-game semifinals sweep of Pensacola when he went 8-for-13 with two homers, a triple, three doubles and six RBIs. The Brewers' top prospect struggled some in the SL Finals, going 4-for-17 in his five games, but his .400 playoff average was still best in the circuit.

Texas League
Jaycob Brugman, Midland (OAK)
(.429/.520/1.143, 6 G, 9-for-21, 3 2B, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R, 4 BB, 4 K)
The RockHounds lost only one of their seven playoff games en route to a repeat Texas League championship, and perhaps it's no coincidence that the loss was the only game not to feature Brugman. The 23-year-old outfielder provided a pinch-hit RBI single as part of a nine-run ninth in a 9-3 win in Game 2 of the semis at Corpus Christi for his first hit of the postseason and didn't look back from there. He hit a homer in each of his next four games after that -- a notable power boost given he smacked only six long balls in 132 games during the season. 

California League
Cody Bellinger, Rancho Cucamonga
(.324/.342/.676, 8 G, 12-for-37, 4 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 8 R, 1 BB, 15 K)
Despite having hits in his first eight games of the postseason, the Dodgers' No. 9 prospect might not have much of a candidate for this spot until he absolutely went off in the sweep-clinching Game 3 of the California League Finals. Bellinger homered, doubled twice and drove in a pair of runs as Rancho Cucamonga dismissed San Jose, 5-0. The 20-year-old, left-handed first baseman finished that brief championship series 6-for-14 with four extra-base hits, three RBIs and three runs scored. After going deep 30 times and driving in 103 runs this season, it'll be interesting to see how Bellinger's power plays at the higher levels.

Carolina League
Victor Caratini, Myrtle Beach (CHC)
(.474/.542/.684, 6 G, 9-for-19, 4 2B, 7 RBI, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K)
Rehabbing Major Leaguer Jorge Soler grabbed his share of headlines just by participating in the Pelicans' Mills Cup run, but Caratini is the one who did a lot of the grunt work to bring a trophy to Myrtle Beach. The Cubs' No. 22 prospect went 7-for-11 with three doubles and four RBIs in the three-game Mills Cup Finals. Perhaps, we should have seen this somewhat coming. The 22-year-old, switch-hitting catcher entered August with a .248/.339/.350 season line but hit .287/.350/.436 in the final month-plus of the regular season, signaling he was ready to break out at the Class A Advanced level.

Florida State League
Granden Goetzman, Charlotte (TB)
(.500/.520/.667, 6 G, 12-for-24, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 6 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 SB, 0 CS)
Goetzman had hits in each of the Stone Crabs' six games en route to their Florida State League title and had multiple hits in four of those contests. In Game 2 of the semis against Palm Beach -- one of the games he didn't have more than one hit -- the 22-year-old outfielder hit a two-run homer in the eighth during his only at-bat after replacing the rehabbing Steven Souza Jr. This spot and a Florida State League ring provide a good ending for Goetzman after he hit .240 with a .614 OPS in 93 games in his second go-round at Class A Advanced.

Midwest League
Joey Pankake, West Michigan (DET)
(.297/.381/.459, 10 G, 11-for-37, 3 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 6 R, 4 BB, 11 K, 2 SB, 0 CS)
Other than West Michigan's 14-5 win over Lansing in Game 3 of the MWL semis, the circuit's postseason was one for the pitchers, but that doesn't mean West Michigan position players didn't do their part in helping the club win its first title since 2007. Mike Gerber and Christin Stewart could also make claims to this spot, but it goes to Pankake, who led the playoffs with seven RBIs and tied for the lead with a pair of stolen bases. He plated three runs in that blowout win against the Lugnuts, but his best performance came one game earlier, when he went 4-for-5 with a homer, a double, two RBIs and two runs in Game 1 of that series. The 22-year-old infielder hit .268/.342/.366 in 126 games during the regular season.

South Atlantic League
Jairo Beras, Hickory (TEX)
(.250/.304/.600, 6 G, 5-for-20, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 7 K)
Beras homered in his first at-bat of the playoffs, and that turned out to be a pretty good omen. Sure, the Rangers' No. 22 prospect had only five hits during the Crawdads' run to a Sally League title, but four of those went for extra bases. In what was a postseason mostly devoid of truly standout offensive performances, the 20-year-old outfielder led all South Atlantic League postseason hitters in extra-base hits and total bases (12) was tops in slugging (.600) and OPS (.904) among those who participated in the Championship Series.

New York-Penn League
Carlos Munoz, West Virginia (PIT)
(.444/.524/.778, 5 G, 8-for-18, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K)
Munoz has that fun storyline of being promoted late in the season and pushing his new team to their league title. The 21-year-old first baseman was named the Appalachian League Player of the Year after he hit .325/.427/.587 with 11 homers, 21 doubles and 39 RBIs in 56 games with Bristol before getting the bump to West Virginia on Aug. 29. He spent eight regular-season games with the Black Bears before proving to be plenty comfortable at Class A Short Season in the playoffs. Munoz went 4-for-8 with a homer, a triple, four RBIs and a walk in the two games of the New York-Penn League Finals. His standout game came in Game 1, when he reached three times and hit a three-run triple as part of a 4-3, 11-inning win over Staten Island.

Northwest League
Henry Charles, Tri-City (SD)
(.435/.435/.609, 5 G, 10-for-23, 4 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 CS)
Charles might be the most unlikely hero on this list. After batting just .188 with a .560 OPS in 63 games between Tri-City and Class A Fort Wayne, he led all NWL postseason batters with 10 hits, a .435 OBP and a 1.043 OPS and tied for the lead with 14 total bases. His best game was the Dust Devils' Game 2 clincher at home against Everett when the 21-year-old outfielder went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Unfortunately, Charles' performance alone wasn't enough to push Tri-City to a title as the club fell in three games to Hillsboro.

Appalachian League
Kyle Tucker, Greeneville (HOU)
(.375/.423/.750, 6 G, 9-for-24, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 7 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 SB, 1 CS)
Astros fans should have already liked what they have in Tucker, who is considered the organization's No. 4 prospect after being taken fifth in June's Draft. They may like him even more now that he already has a professional championship under his belt. Tucker led all Appy League position players in the postseason with three homers (matching his regular-season total in 57 fewer games) and two steals and showed up when it counted most, collecting a pair of hits in each of the three Championship Series games and going deep in the final two contests (both Astros wins). Tucker's considered more of a pure hitter than a power guy, so don't take the playoff surge as anything more than a small-sample uptick at the right time.

Pioneer League
Jason Morozowski, Missoula (ARI)
(.480/.500/.920, 6 G, 12-for-25, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 6 R, 1 BB, 4 K)
Morozowski hit one of the two cycles this Minor League postseason -- Columbus' Zach Walters had the other -- in Game 2 of the Pioneer League semis against Billings. Though that's certainly notable, a cycle alone doesn't win a player this spot. Rather, the D-backs' 2015 13th-rounder earned his place by carrying that momentum to the Pioneer League Finals, where he went 6-for-13 with a homer, a double and three RBIs in the Osprey's three-game series win over Idaho Falls. All in all, the product of North Carolina's Division II University of Mount Olive handled the jump to the pros well after hitting .292/.369/.479 with six homers, six triples and 15 doubles in 63 games during the regular season.