For baseball fans, October starts a day early this year. The postseason starts on Sept. 30, less than three MLB betting weeks from now. Fourteen teams that made it through the 162-game grind will see their seasons come down to three-, five- and seven-game sprints over a monthlong stretch until there's one team celebrating a World Series championship.
Whatever team winds up winning the World Series this year will have at least a few players who will be celebrating their first title, but will those first-timers be among the best players in the game?
Best Current MLB Players Without A World Series Win
So many great players never got a chance to be part of a World Series winner or even play in a World Series at all. That's why it's always great to see well-respected veterans finally get a World Series ring, even if they aren't on your favorite team.
Who could fit that description this fall? RotoWire.com, your home for top betting promotions, used BaseballReference.com to identify the best players who have never won a World Series and are currently on a team projected to be in this year's MLB postseason. We used that site's career Wins Over Replacement (WAR) to rank the players we feel are most deserving to win it all this season:
Player | Position | Team | Career WAR |
1B | Yankees | 63.9 | |
3B | Padres | 61.2 | |
3. Aaron Judge | OF/DH | Yankees | 60.1 |
SS | Mets | 54.1 | |
OF/DH | Yankees | 46.4 | |
OF/DH | Brewers | 45.3 | |
7. Zack Wheeler | SP | Phillies | 40.2 |
OF/DH | Mets | 39.3 | |
DH | Cubs | 39.2 | |
10. J.T. Realmuto | C | Phillies | 39.0 |
Yankee Trio Seeking First Title
Paul Goldschmidt, who turned 38 on Wednesday, has reached the postseason six times in his 15-year MLB career. However, the venerable first baseman never has been to a World Series. He has a chance to get there this season as a member of the New York Yankees, who have odds of +850 to win it all this year at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Goldy would have company should the Yankees end their 15-year title drought this season. Aaron Judge, the heavy favorite (-300 at DraftKings Sportsbook) to win his third AL MVP award, finally made it to the Fall Classic last season but saw the Los Angeles Dodgers win their second trophy in five seasons. The 33-year-old slugging outfielder is in his 10th season with the Yankees and leads the AL in WAR this season (7.6).
Giancarlo Stanton might not be the MVP-caliber player he once was, but he still wields a dangerous bat. He also won the ALCS MVP last season to help the Yankees get back to the World Series for the first time since 2009.
Veterans Seeking World Series Return
Manny Machado and Francisco Lindor both reached the World Series earlier in their careers but have since moved on to new teams. They're both in their early 30s and should still have some prime years ahead of them, but there's no guarantee their teams will be in this position in the years to come. Machado's Padres have odds of +1300 at BetMGM to win it all this season, while Lindor's Mets are priced at +1600 at Caesars.
Carlos Santana was a teammate of Lindor's in Cleveland in 2016 when they lost to the Chicago Cubs. The 39-year-old first baseman and designated hitter signed with the Cubs this month to help them get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The Cubs have odds of +1600 at DraftKings to win a second title in less than a decade – the best price among a handful of MLB betting sites that we surveyed on Sept. 10.
Zack Wheeler and J.T. Realmuto were key players for the Phillies in their improbable run to the World Series in 2022. However, it would be a bittersweet accomplishment for Wheeler, who will not pitch the rest of this season because of a blood clot found near his right shoulder. The 35-year-old was having a stellar season and was in the running for his first Cy Young Award.
The Phillies are among the favorites to win it all this season, with Caesars offering odds of +650 for Philadelphia to win its third title.
Pair Seeking Their First World Series Trip
Christian Yelich and Starling Marte seek their first trip to a Fall Classic.
Marte, 36, is on the tail end of his career and is a part-time starting outfielder for the Mets. He has been to the playoffs six times, but last season's NL Championship Series was the furthest his team has advanced in a postseason.
Yelich, a former MVP, is enjoying a bounce-back season for the Brewers as his 27 home runs and 93 RBIs are the most he's had since 2019. As it stands, Milwaukee would have homefield advantage throughout the playoffs because the Brewers have the league's best record at 89-57. Oddsmakers have the Brewers up with the Phillies and Dodgers as the favorites, with DraftKings giving Milwaukee odds of +750 to win its first title.
Whoever wins it all, our best MLB betting promos will await you at RotoWire.com.
