Zack Wheeler is one of the most important ALDS and NLDS players to keep an eye on

The number of participants in the World Series was reduced from a dozen to just eight teams. And after what seems like an eternity, the big boys head to the postseason and face the remaining underdogs.

Both the American League and the National League Division Series have rosters that look very complete from top to bottom, from starter to reliever, along with a handful of ad hoc upstarts that still retain the atmosphere of dangerous October teams carry yourself.

As the Division Series prepares to begin, USA TODAY Sports is focusing on the four players most crucial to the outcome of their series:

Phillies vs. Mets: Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia

It’s not often that the main man throws the very first pitch of the series, but here we are. The Phillies flirted with baseball’s best record all year, but fell into a few dips in the second half. Her star-studded lineup can be out at any time – but there’s still a risk that any team will run into her if she’s stuck in a short series after a break.

And the Mets soar into Citizens Bank Park on the wings of Pete Alonso’s wonderful home run in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series in Milwaukee, capping a stretch of about 100 games in which the atmosphere is flawless. The final leg of the journey: four games in three days, first just to get in and then to get through the first round.

It’s Wheeler’s job to make sure they finally run out of adrenaline.

With No. 3 starter Ranger Suarez pushed to the back of the rotation for health and performance reasons and No. 2 starter Aaron Nola moved up in Game 3 to allow Cristopher Sanchez to play at home, the Phillies are a little out of form, especially for a team that won 95 games. Wheeler is the closest thing Philly has to a sure thing.

In his last 11 starts, he posted a 1.89 ERA, giving up two runs or fewer in all of them. Best to do even better in Game 1 so the Mets don’t think they’ve gotten hot again.

Dodgers vs. Padres: Teoscar Hernandez, LA

So many superstars and just as many oddities in the Dodgers lineup.

How will Shohei Ohtani fare in his first taste of the postseason? Can Mookie Betts put out the fire of an 0-for-11 performance in the ’23 ALDS? Can Freddie Freeman (1 of 10) do the same while recovering from an ankle sprain?

There is one All-Star hitter surrounded by little noise, and that would be the affable Hernández, who hit 37 homers this year and posted an OPS of .840. Sure, it’s a pretty nice gig batting behind Ohtani, Betts and Freeman, but Hernández absolutely made the most of it.

Hernández had a two-homer game for Toronto in his final postseason series, but is otherwise 1-for-14 in the playoffs. He is 1-for-11 lifetime against Padres ace Dylan Cease, who will start Game 1 and would also start Game 5.

Small samples, everything, but it’s that time again. The Dodgers enjoy home-field advantage in this series, but lost their final three games of the 2022 NLDS, two of them at noisy Petco Park. It would be wise to keep the pitch at Dodger Stadium, especially since the back end of their rotation is even more problematic than the front and leaving Petco with their season intact will be a challenge.

If Hernández hits a few balls, it would take the pressure off a lot of guys – especially if they end up on base before him.

Yankees vs. Royals: Austin Wells, New York

Would you beat Aaron Judge in a hard-fought playoff game?

Some have tried and survived to tell the tale. The Houston Astros held Judge to one hit in 16 at-bats in the 2022 AL Championship Series, just weeks after Judge set an AL record with 62 home runs. And Judge’s career playoff slash line — .211/.310/.462 — pales in comparison to his mark of .288/.406/.604.

But Judge was at another level once again this year – .322/.458/.701 and 58 home runs earned him another AL MVP plaque – and remains the best all-around hitter in the game. And heck, the man has already hit 13 postseason home runs in 171 at-bats — all without Juan Soto batting in front of him.

So we’ll see how aggressive the very good Kansas City Royals pitching staff is against the 6-7 giant from the Bronx. Still, it stands to reason that the Royals will beg the Yankees not named Juan or Aaron to beat them until they prove otherwise.

Enter Wells. Since August 30, the rookie catcher has been the Yankees’ most frequent cleanup hitter behind Judge, a span in which he batted .148 and struck out 21 times in 92 plate appearances.

But Wells doesn’t have to make the Royals pay – and he has hit 13 home runs this year – every time they duck Judge. Competitive plate appearances will force the Royals to reach into the bullpen sooner than they would like.

Hey, it’ll be up to a lot of guys — Giancarlo Stanton, Jazz Chisholm, maybe Jason Dominguez or Alex Verdugo — to make sure Judge doesn’t spend more time taking off the elbow pads and jogging to first than he does rounding the bases.

But Wells is mostly the first line of defense. And he needs to get the Royals to at least think about him a little.

Guardians vs. Tigers: Beau Brieske, Detroit

Yes, you knew we had to get weird for this series.

With only one dominant starter on the roster for this game against AL Central – and Tigers left guard Tarik Skubal not pitching until Game 2 after dominating the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Series – the onus falls on Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt and his Detroit colleague AJ Hinch to make optimal use of their excellent bullpens.

And that’s what makes Detroit so dangerous in this series: The Tigers have been living like this for two months. Maybe that’s why it looked so easy for them to beat the Astros in two games: Aside from an ill-advised outing from prospect Jackson Jobe, Detroit’s bullpen went 10 ⅓ innings in two games and gave up one run.

And Brieske could be their most important weapon. As closer Jason Foley struggled to shut out Houston after Skubal’s six-inning performer, Brieske came in to absorb the final two outs. A day later, he was called up with one out and one on in a scoreless game in the fifth inning.

Brieske recorded the next four outs, with a walk nullified by a double play as Detroit finally took the lead on a home run by Parker Meadows.

That was the case throughout September as Detroit went 17-8 and clinched a playoff spot. Brieske started five games and finished two more last month. He appeared in games in the first, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and 12th innings – posting a 1.06 ERA in 17 innings.

So when you see Hinch Brieske calling against Cleveland, you know this may be the deciding point in the game. And that Brieske will probably manage the job.

Zack Wheeler is one of the most important ALDS and NLDS players to keep an eye on

ByJasper

Phillies vs. Mets: Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia

Dodgers vs. Padres: Teoscar Hernandez, LA

Yankees vs. Royals: Austin Wells, New York

Guardians vs. Tigers: Beau Brieske, Detroit

By Jasper

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