The final days of the regular season are here and we can start to look forward to another exciting postseason.

The playoffs present a wonderful time for individual players to show their best on the biggest of stages. While we will see many returning players who have excelled in October -- think Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Bryce Harper -- there will be plenty of potential new names to showcase their skills in their first postseason.

With this in mind, here are 10 players who could make an impact in their first taste of October.

The following numbers are entering Tuesday's games.

Miguel Vargas, 3B, White Sox

Vargas has been one of the true breakout performers of the 2026 season. A former top Dodgers prospect who broke in with the club in 2022, the White Sox acquired Vargas at the ‘24 Trade Deadline in a three-player trade that sent Tommy Edman and Michael Kopech to L.A. That meant Vargas finished his 2024 season with a White Sox club that had a Modern Era-record 121 losses, rather than a Dodgers team that won the first of two straight World Series titles.

While Vargas had mixed results in his first two seasons with the White Sox, that has not been the case this year. Vargas has an .845 OPS and 33 home runs, is tied for seventh among position players in WAR, per FanGraphs. He made the most of his first All-Star selection by crushing a 433-foot homer in Philadelphia. And he’s undoubtedly been the poster boy for Chicago’s epic turnaround to potentially make the playoffs in 2026.

Drake Baldwin, C, Braves

Baldwin wasted no time establishing himself as one of the best catchers in baseball. He won NL Rookie of the Year in 2025, posting an .810 OPS with 19 home runs and ranking as a top 10 catcher with 3.2 WAR. It has been more of the same in 2026, as Baldwin has an .813 OPS and 24 home runs in 133 games.

With so much fluctuation in performance and injuries for several key Braves players the last few seasons, Baldwin’s level of consistency has been a huge boon for Atlanta. While the Braves missed out on the postseason last year, they’re on their way back this year, and Baldwin has played a big part of that.

Logan Henderson, RHP, Brewers

Everyone knows about Jacob Misiorowski’s dominant season, but he’s not the only Brewers starter to experience a huge breakout. Henderson has been downright incredible in his 17 starts this season, posting an 2.51 ERA with 107 strikeouts strikeouts in 17 starts.

Henderson uses an elite four-seamer/changeup combination to get huge results, in terms of run prevention, swing and miss and commanding the ball. With questions beyond the top two starters in the Brewers’ rotation, Henderson could make a serious impact on this upcoming postseason, and presumably many more to come for Milwaukee.

Josue De Paula, OF, Dodgers

De Paula, the Dodgers’ No. 1 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and No. 6 overall prospect in baseball, was promoted to the Majors earlier this month after Shohei Ohtani landed on the injured list and he’s more than made an impression. The 21-year-old has a .974 OPS with 10 walks and just four strikeouts in his first 10 MLB games. And his first home run was a mammoth 416-foot homer at Miami’s loanDepot park.

When Ohtani returns, there might not be a clear spot on the postseason roster for De Paula, who has mainly handled DH duties in his absence. But there could be time for him in left field in shared duties with Teoscar Hernández or a spot on the bench for pinch-hit duties if the Dodgers are looking for some pop off the bench. Regardless of what happens, De Paula is going to play an integral part in the Dodgers’ future.

Chandler Simpson, OF, Rays

Simpson is a one-of-a-kind player in 2026. Seriously. The young Rays outfielder could snag the AL batting title this week, is approaching 50 stolen bases and has drastically improved his outfield defense this year. And, notably, Simpson has not hit a single home run this season, which hasn’t been done by a qualified player since Myles Straw in 2022. But even that’s underselling this unique situation -- the last qualified player with anything resembling a league-average OPS with no home runs was Jamey Carroll in 2011.

Despite not leaving the yard this season, Simpson is going to finish with a 2.5-ish-WAR season, a remarkable achievement in this era. Simpson might be overshadowed by the likes of Junior Caminero, Yandy Díaz and Drew Rasmussen, but his unique and diverse skillset could make him one of baseball’s most exciting October performers.

Luis García Jr., INF, Yankees

This could have also gone to rookie Spencer Jones, but we’ll go with García, who has had a huge breakout season at the plate. Having entered the season with a career .266/.299/.410 slash line in parts of five seasons with the Nationals, García had an .873 OPS with 23 home runs in 104 games with the Nationals before the Yanks acquired him at this year’s Trade Deadline. He’s continued to crush the ball in New York, posting a .769 OPS with seven home runs in 39 games.

Having never hit more than 18 homers in a season, García has smashed that high with 30 homers between both clubs. García has both hit the ball harder and lifted more baseballs in the air to the pull side, an optimal combo for more pop. On a team with so many stars and household names, García could play a big role for the Yanks come October.

Travis Bazzana, 2B, Guardians

It’s been a busy year for the No. 1 overall pick from the 2024 Draft. He was the most notable player representing his home country of Australia at the World Baseball Classic, made his MLB debut in April, made the AL All-Star team in July and has been one of the best players on a Guardians team looking for a third straight postseason appearance. Talk about living up to some lofty expectations.

In 118 games, Bazzana has a .746 OPS and, perhaps just as importantly for a Guards team barely hanging onto a playoff spot, has had some key clutch hits. He clubbed his first walk-off home run on July 18 and had an all-timer of a game on September 4, when Bazzana hit a game-tying homer in the 8th inning vs. the Tigers and a walk-off single in extras. It’s been a wild run for the Australian rookie and Bazzana could be a key X-factor in October.

Wyatt Langford, OF, Rangers

Langford was drafted fourth overall in a star-studded 2023 Draft class, the same year the Rangers won their first World Series title. Texas has not returned to the postseason since then, but has a chance to do this year either as winners of the AL West or winning the final Wild Card spot. Langford has been consistently good in his first three MLB seasons, with a career .764 OPS and an ability to impact the game in the field and on the bases.

Just 24 years old, the general feeling is Langford can reach an even higher level in the future. Perhaps that moment comes in the playoffs and kickstarts Langford’s rise as a legitimate star.

Andrew Painter, RHP, Phillies

With Jesús Luzardo on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation, putting his playoff status in question, Painter could be an important part of the Phillies' postseason equation. The Phillies rookie struggled to the tune of a 7.06 ERA in his first dozen MLB outings, leading to a demotion to the Minors for roughly six weeks. Since returning, though, Painter has a 3.88 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 10 starts.

Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler will assuredly start the first two games of the postseason for the Phillies but if Luzardo isn't ready, Painter and Aaron Nola will be in line for a potential next start.

Mickey Gasper, DH/C, Red Sox

Gasper is an unlikely candidate for this list and the 2026 Red Sox team. The 30-year-old Gasper, who debuted with the Red Sox in 2024, spent some time with the Twins in the Majors in 2025, but was designated for assignment in January. The Red Sox claimed Gasper on waivers in February and it's proven to be one of the most shrewd moves by any club last offseason.

Gasper has an .823 OPS with nine home runs in 63 games and has become a mainstay in the Red Sox lineup. Based on how his season has gone, he could provide even more surprises in October.