9 under-the-radar players stepping up for division title contenders

Every MLB team needs its stars to lead the way if it wants a chance at securing a playoff spot. But the clubs that make it are often lifted to the postseason by a star turn from an unheralded source.

Here are nine players on contending teams who have performed at an unexpectedly high level. You should know more about them just in case they keep shining into October.

All stats updated through Thursday.

Isaac Collins, OF, Brewers

It feels like this list could honestly be nothing but Brewers, a team of self-proclaimed "average Joes" that nobody knows and the first club to 70 wins this season. Collins stands 5-foot-8, possesses mediocre speed and power, and is a former Rule 5 pick who was claimed off waivers in 2022. But there have been few better position players in the sport over the past two-plus months, so he earns the nod here.

Since June 1, Collins is slashing .331/.433/.516 over 188 plate appearances. His 170 wRC+ since that date ranks fourth among all players with at least 180 PAs. The National League Rookie of the Month for July is also solid in the field. He gets great jumps on fly balls, and his eight outs above average in left field are the most among qualified players at that position.

Addison Barger, 3B/OF, Blue Jays

There are many players responsible for why the Blue Jays are MLB's most improved offense by expected wOBA and are tied for second in wRC+. Bo Bichette, George Springer and Alejandro Kirk have all had resurgent seasons, but most are likely familiar with that All-Star trio. Barger, however, may be a new name to some. The 25-year-old has emerged as a crucial middle-of-the-order basher for Toronto, especially with the club in its third month without marquee free-agent addition Anthony Santander.

The barrel-chested Barger owns an impressively fast bat, and that has helped him produce a lot of firm contact. His 54.2% hard-hit rate is a 16-point jump from his 2024 rookie year and ranks in the 96th percentile of MLB this season. His .506 slugging percentage and .823 OPS are also much better than his 2024 totals (.351 and .601, respectively). He racked up 18 extra-base hits in 225 plate appearances last season; he has 43 XBHs in 351 PAs this season. For more on how Barger has become a much more potent hitter, check out this story from MLB.com's Theo DeRosa.

Romy Gonzalez, 1B/2B, Red Sox

Gonzalez has played only 59 games this season and didn’t start receiving even semi-regular playing time in Boston until June, when he came back from a three-week IL stint. But when he is in the lineup, his bat rivals some of the biggest boppers around.

Gonzalez is hitting .305 with a .567 slugging percentage and a lofty 16.5% barrel rate over 203 plate appearances this year. Among players with at least 100 batted balls, Gonzalez’s 60.4% hard-hit rate is behind only Kyle Schwarber’s 60.8%. And whenever he gets the ball in the air -- he owns a career-best 50.4% airball rate -- Gonzalez finds himself among premier names yet again.

He has been an absolute menace against left-handed pitching, but he’s not so bad against righties either (.256 average, .456 slug). Gonzalez did start six of Boston’s previous seven games before taking a seat on Friday against San Diego. He deserves a spot in the Red Sox’s order -- either at first or second base -- for as long as he’s mashing like this.

Patrick Corbin, LHP, Rangers

Signed just before the regular season began, Corbin has a 3.91 ERA over 112 2/3 innings for Texas, good enough for a 94 ERA+ (100 is league average). So, he has basically been slightly below league average this season -- and that is a gigantic win for the Rangers.

From 2021-24, Corbin was arguably the worst starting pitcher in baseball. His 5.71 ERA and .295 batting average against were unsurpassed among qualified pitchers over that four-season span. His sinker, which he throws about one-third of the time, allowed a .320 average and a .505 slugging in 1,205 at-bats over those four years. This season, those numbers are down to .263 and .419. That's nothing particularly special, but when you're starting from the bottom, "nothing particularly special" is a noted improvement.

The Rangers' rotation, with Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Merrill Kelly and Tyler Mahle (once he's healthy), may not have room for Corbin in a potential playoff series. But if the Rangers make it, the 36-year-old lefty will have been a surprisingly important contributor to that berth.

Dominic Canzone, OF, Mariners

Juan Soto. Aaron Judge. Mike Trout. That's the company Canzone has kept since he was recalled by Seattle on June 9.

From that date, Canzone is batting .293 with an .840 OPS and has steadily become the Mariners' everyday right fielder. His 140 wRC+ since his return is eighth-best among primary right fielders (min. 150 PAs), directly behind those aforementioned luminaries.

The lefty-swinging Canzone came through with a walk-off knock on Thursday. That hit came off a southpaw, and that's something he has done more often, as detailed by MLB.com's Daniel Kramer. Canzone has also registered a strong 14.2% barrel rate, and his .528 expected slugging percentage ranks 24th in baseball among players with at least 150 PAs over the past two months.

Cade Horton, RHP, Cubs

The Cubs and starting pitching were perhaps the most obvious team-need fit at last month's Trade Deadline. However, Chicago made one add to its needy rotation in Michael Soroka, and he lasted all of two innings before suffering a shoulder injury that will shelve him indefinitely.

Thus, the Cubs need everything Horton can give them, and the rookie righty has given them a lot recently. The former Top 100 prospect has posted a 1.05 ERA over six starts (34 1/3 innings) since the beginning of July. And after another stellar outing Wednesday, Horton is riding a streak of 23 1/3 scoreless innings. That's the longest by a Cubs rookie pitcher, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, besting Kerry Wood's 21 consecutive zeroes during his 1998 NL ROY campaign.

• Hoyer discusses Soroka injury, pitching plans going forward

Dillon Dingler, C, Tigers

The Tigers got plenty of good glovework behind the plate last season between Jake Rogers, Carson Kelly and Dingler, who played 27 games. But offensively, Detroit's backstops combined to hit .208 with a .635 OPS, ninth-lowest in the Majors.

This year, Dingler has taken over the lead role and recorded 2.7 fWAR. That is tied for fourth among catchers with at least 300 PA, trailing three 2025 All-Stars: Cal Raleigh, Will Smith and Alejandro Kirk. Dingler's defense -- specifically his framing and blocking -- has a significant impact on that WAR total, but he complements it with above-average offense (105 wRC+). In just his second MLB season, the 26-year-old has quickly become one of the game's most well-rounded catchers.

Mauricio Dubón, INF/OF, Astros

The Astros have become the Black Knight from Monty Python: No matter what you take away from them and how much damage they sustain, they remain undaunted. Despite having 14 players currently on the injured list -- including leading slugger Yordan Alvarez since early May -- Houston is on course for its fifth consecutive AL West title and its eighth in nine years.

Dubón has been a key glue guy over the past few years for the Astros and has already compiled a career-best 2.5 fWAR through 91 games this year. He has been one of this season's most valuable defenders while playing his customary position of ... well, anywhere. And Dubón has been a plus at the plate recently, logging a .304 average and a .360 on-base percentage since the beginning of July (112 PAs).

Jack Dreyer, LHP, Dodgers

The Dodgers invested more than $100 million this offseason in free-agent relievers Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates and Blake Treinen. The first two are currently on the injured list, and Treinen returned from the IL less than two weeks ago after a three-month absence. This 'pen has also had to deal with injuries to Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol and Michael Kopech. And yet, it's almost like that doesn't matter because the Dodgers have MLB's third-best bullpen by fWAR, thanks in part to this 26-year-old in his debut season.

Dreyer doesn't light up the radar gun -- his four-seamer averages 92.5 mph -- but he mixes his fastball with a high-80s slider to optimal effect. His 3.3% barrel rate ranks in the 97th percentile of MLB, and his 2.30 expected ERA is third-best in the Majors (min. 200 PAs). Opposing hitters, with their .590 OPS against Dreyer, are finding out that he's tougher to solve than a Rubik's Cube.