October is a month for team achievement, one in which a group of players etch their names in the history books. If you win a World Series, you’ll be invited back every five years to celebrate for the rest of your life, and, as the saying goes, you’ll never have to buy lunch in your town again. Winning the Commissioner’s Trophy is what everybody plays for.

But in the biggest moments, it comes down -- in the end -- to just one guy. One man standing on the mound. One man standing at the plate. And in those moments, with everyone watching, you want to see the biggest, most exciting stars possible. There will be breakout stars, there will be established stars having their brightest moments, there will guys who come out of nowhere with a compelling story and a knack for delivering under pressure.

• Postseason Watch: Bracket, tiebreakers and more

Here is a player from each contending team that we can’t wait to watch in high definition, on screens across the world, this postseason.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Astros: DH/LF Yordan Alvarez
Real talk? Alvarez has a reputation for being an outstanding postseason hitter that is not entirely supported by results. He was the MVP of the 2021 AL Championship Series, and for good reason: He hit a stunning .522 in six games against the Red Sox that year. He also had that massive walk-off homer against the Mariners in Game 1 of last year’s AL Division Series. But did you know he’s hitting .200 in his three (three!) World Series? Or that he has struck out in nearly a third of his World Series plate appearances? Or that if you take away that 2021 ALCS, he’s hitting only .171 for his postseason career? Shouldn’t he just absolutely dominate a postseason at some point? It looks like he will have another opportunity this year.

Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette
Bichette is one of those guys everyone is always sleeping on, a guy who might be appreciated more in a previous generation than now. He led the American League in hits both in 2021 and ’22 and would be on pace to do so again if it weren’t for his injuries. He’s exciting, versatile and consistent on a team that has somewhat lacked stability. And he has never won a single postseason game, with the Blue Jays losing all four of their playoff games across 2020 and ’22 (with Bichette going just 2-for-14). It feels like if he could get hot (and healthy), he could carry this team by himself.

Mariners: CF Julio Rodríguez
Who else? The Mariners have felt like a different franchise entirely since he arrived, and there may be no player more poised to have a full-on coming-out party in front of the entire world this October. Rodríguez is the sort of personality who mints new baseball fans by the minute.

Orioles: CF Cedric Mullins
There aren’t a lot of teams on which the 28-year-old Mullins would be considered a graybeard, but the Orioles are one of them. He’s as grizzled a vet as anyone -- a true O's lifer -- and he’s absolutely impossible not to cheer for. He’s the heart of this team, and no one here deserves a long postseason run more than he does.

Rangers: OF Evan Carter
There aren’t many things more exciting than a young phenom going bonkers for his team in the postseason -- ask Randy Arozarena, or even Francisco Rodríguez. Since debuting on Sept. 8 in place of the injured Adolis García, Carter has already provided a spark that the Rangers -- who had been fading -- clearly needed. That’s the sort of energy this surprisingly old team could need as it tries to make a run. The Rangers have a lot of established players, which is how they got here. Carter, MLB Pipeline’s No. 8 prospect, is a thrilling potential wild card.

Rays: LF Randy Arozarena
Why can’t it be Randy again? The 2020 postseason will be what he’s always known for ... unless he just goes and outdoes himself, of course. Arozarena was also one of the stars of the World Baseball Classic -- maybe the player who made the biggest impression in the Classic and is still out there trying to win a World Series for a contender -- which means another big-time postseason could turn out to be the perfect capper for a transcendent year.

Twins: 3B Royce Lewis
Lewis, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 Draft, has battled significant injury issues to get to this point, but he now seems to be peaking at exactly the right time. The 24-year-old has been a monster of late for the Twins as they’ve pulled away in the AL Central, to the point that he almost feels like the one Minnesota super-talent you can count on.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Braves: RF Ronald Acuña Jr.
This may seem like an obvious answer, and we suppose it is. But remember: The one thing we haven’t seen Acuña do is be the best player on a World Series-winning team. His injury in 2021 was the reason many people didn’t think that team could win a World Series ... until it did. Acuña’s grand slam against the Dodgers in the 2018 NLDS is one of his most famous homers ... but he hasn’t hit a postseason big fly that significant since. That the Braves won the World Series without him in ‘21 is one of the oddest subplots of their recent run. It may be time for them to win one with him.

Brewers: RHP Devin Williams
Here’s a factoid that may surprise you: Williams has never pitched in the postseason. He was going to in 2021, you may remember, but then he punched a wall shortly after the Brewers clinched a postseason berth and broke his hand. Assuming he avoids a last-minute injury in ‘23, we’re finally going to get the chance to see one of baseball’s best relievers in the cauldron of the postseason.

Cubs: DH Christopher Morel
The Cubs are on the cusp of the postseason because of outstanding defense, solid pitching and timely hitting, the three pillars of reliability and straightforward, winning baseball. That’s great and all, but sometimes, they do lack a little pizzazz. Enter Morel, an extremely talented player who hasn’t quite put it all together yet but is a total joy to watch as he tries to figure it out. Morel is excitable, joyous and thrilling, and Wrigley Field gets louder for him than it does for anyone else on this roster.

D-backs: OF Corbin Carroll
As tempting as it is to say Tommy Pham here -- and the veteran is playing like a man possessed lately -- you still have to go with the hotshot rookie who gives off some Evan Longoria-in-2008 vibes. This is a young player who is so good that he elevates everything and everyone around him.

Dodgers: RF/2B Mookie Betts
Not to be too obvious again here, but the guy has won an AL MVP Award and two World Series titles already -- but this still might be his best and most triumphant season. Betts could win an NL MVP Award and the World Series and play 72 games in the infield out of nowhere, because his team badly needed him to do so. Is this the Mookie year?

Giants: 1B LaMonte Wade Jr.
Is there a more “Giants player” -- a guy in his late 20s who was never that highly thought of but found the perfect place for himself -- than Wade? If they win the World Series this year, they may put him on the hat.

Marlins: 2B Luis Arraez
We know we haven’t been talking about him much for a while, but, uh, you know he’s still hitting. 349 through Thursday, right? The ultimate throwback player could make people feel particularly nostalgic this October.

Phillies: SS Trea Turner
The second-half run for Turner has been a blast to watch, as it always is when we see a player remind us who he is. The good vibes with the Phillies fan base may just keep growing and growing ... and maybe make us all reflect on everything we claim to know about Philadelphia fans.

Reds: SS/3B Elly De La Cruz and 1B/DH Joey Votto
There’s no way you can make us pick between these two -- for the exact opposite reasons. One is the young, ultra-talented phenom looking to make his mark. The other is a longtime star trying to win his first ring before his career concludes. Either would be fun to watch this postseason.