What an MLB postseason!

After a thrilling month of playoff action — so thrilling, in fact, that it stretched into early November — it’s time for our 2025 MLB All-October team.

Though Yoshinobu Yamamoto earned World Series MVP honors for his incredible performance during the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ seven-game triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays, that doesn’t tell the whole story of the month. So to honor the best from every stage of the postseason, let’s hand out hardware to a roster of October stars.

From wild-card-round sensations to World Series standouts, here are the players our ESPN MLB panel of experts voted as the best of the best at every position along with some award hardware for the brightest stars of October.

2025 All-October Team

Catcher: Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners

Why he’s here: Raleigh’s record-setting regular season continued right into October as he belted five home runs and posted a 1.081 OPS before Seattle’s postseason run ended in Game 7 of the ALCS.

Honorable mentions: Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays; Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers

1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays

Why he’s here: If the Blue Jays would have won one more game during the World Series, the introduction of this story would have been all about Guerrero and his incredible October exploits. The Blue Jays’ superstar hit an incredible .412 with a 1.330 OPS during the postseason, delivering signature moment after signature moment while leading Toronto to where it hadn’t been in three decades.

Honorable mentions: Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs; Josh Naylor, Seattle Mariners

2B: Nico Hoerner, Chicago Cubs

Why he’s here: In a down year for the position, Hoerner had the highest OPS (.973) of all second baseman during the postseason while playing stellar defense as the Cubs dispatched the Padres and went on to force a Game 5 against the Brewers in the NLDS.

How little production did second basemen provide this October? One voter chose Miguel Rojas as his pick for the position solely based on one all-important Game 7 swing.

Honorable mentions: Jorge Polanco, Seattle Mariners; Miguel Rojas, Los Angeles Dodgers

3B: Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays

Why he’s here: Clement was instrumental in the Blue Jays’ run, providing consistent production at the plate and solid defense on the field. His 1.032 postseason OPS topped all third baseman and his 30 hits were not only the most of any player this October but set a major league record for most hits in a single postseason.

Honorable mention: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians

SS: Andres Gimenez, Toronto Blue Jays

Why he’s here: The pickings were pretty slim at shortstop and Gimenez earned this spot more for his clutch hits than his overall numbers.

Honorable mention: Trevor Story, Boston Red Sox

OF: Addison Barger, Toronto Blue Jays
OF: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
OF: Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers

Why they’re here: If you didn’t know the name Addison Barger before this, you do now. The 25-year-old, who was called up from the majors in mid-April, had a breakout postseason, slashing .367/.411/.583 with three home runs, nine RBIs and a 1.025 OPS while also making a number of diving catches in right field. But the moment that will ensure Barger’s name is remembered? His pinch-hit grand slam in Game 1 of the World Series — which came after he had slept on a teammate’s pullout couch the night before.

Judge’s postseason performances had long been under scrutiny because of his checkered playoff history compared to his stellar regular-season numbers. But that should all be put to rest after this year, as he accumulated 13 hits in 26 at-bats over seven games and finally met his October moment in the form of a monster three-run, tying home run in a crucial ALDS Game 3 to keep New York’s season alive.

The 21-year-old Chourio came out swinging this October, helping Milwaukee to a hard-won NLDS victory over the Cubs, with a double and two-run single in the first game and a three-run home run — which he hit off a 101.4 mph fastball, the fastest pitch for a postseason home run in the pitch tracking era — to cement another victory in Game 2. Though he didn’t light the world on fire when the top-seeded Brewers were swept in the NLCS, Chourio did hit their lone home run and drove in half of their runs in the series.

Honorable mention: Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners; Kerry Carpenter, Detroit Tigers

DH: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

Why he’s here: It was something of a mixed October for Ohtani, with his .254/.397/.714 playoff slash line heavily carried by a couple of standout games. But those performances just so happened to be two of the best single-game showings in the history of October baseball: a three-home run game (while pitching a gem on the mound) in L.A.’s NLCS clincher and an all-time World Series Game 3 in which he got on base nine times in the Dodgers’ 18-inning triumph.

Honorable mention: George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays

SP: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers
SP: Trey Yesavage, Toronto Blue Jays

Why they’re here: There was simply no better pitcher in the sport than Yamamoto this October, as the Dodgers ace authored one of the best postseasons in recent history. Before he won World Series MVP honors by winning three games in the Fall Classic, Yamamoto was masterful in a complete-game NLCS Game 2 gem against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Yesavage bursted onto the scene this October in a way rarely seen before, becoming the World Series Game 1 starter just six weeks after making his MLB debut. He provided Toronto with two of the best starts of the postseason — Game 2 against the Yankees and Game 5 against the Dodgers.

Honorable mentions: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers; Blake Snell, Los Angeles Dodgers; Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles Dodgers; Cam Schlittler, New York Yankees; Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies

RP: Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers
RP: Will Vest, Detroit Tigers

Why they’re here: Misiorowski played a crucial role on the mound for Milwaukee as a starter coming out of the pen to throw bulk innings of high-leverage relief — with his first eight career postseason pitches clocking in at 102 mph or faster. In 12 innings over three games, he totaled 16 strikeouts while giving up six hits and three runs (two earned) and issuing three walks.

Vest was nearly unhittable in October as Detroit’s primary closer, giving up only two hits — and zero runs, for a 0.00 postseason ERA — and striking out nine over eight innings to help the Tigers beat Cleveland in the wild-card round and stay competitive against Seattle in the ALDS before they ultimately lost in a 15-inning Game 5.

Honorable mentions: Roki Sasaki, Los Angeles Dodgers; Andres Munoz, Seattle Mariners; Louis Varland, Toronto Blue Jays

All-October award winners

October MVP: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Pitcher of the month: Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Best October introduction: Trey Yesavage, Addison Barger

Clutch performer: Yamamoto

The NCAA sent a letter to Kalshi, a company that offers prediction markets on college basketball and football, expressing its concern about the company’s “commitment to contest integrity and the protection of contest participants,” according to a copy of the letter obtained by ESPN.

In the letter, dated Oct. 30, NCAA chief legal officer Scott Bearby asked Kalshi how it monitors collegiate sports markets for integrity concerns and activity by prohibited customers, who it considers a prohibited customer, whether it will report integrity concerns to the NCAA and whether the company will cooperate with NCAA investigations.

“We welcome Kalshi’s stance on its efforts to protect the integrity of NCAA competitions and to reduce instances of abuse and harassment directed at student-athletes and other participants,” Bearby wrote.

The NCAA also asked if Kalshi would ban prediction markets similar to prop bets, which the company began offering this fall.

Prop betting markets, Bearby noted in the letter, heighten “the risk of integrity and harassment concerns.” In March last year, NCAA president Charlie Baker called for a ban on prop bets on college athletes in states with legal sports wagering.

The NCAA also asked Kalshi in the letter to review language on its website that the NCAA says implies a relationship between them.

“Kalshi has robust market integrity provisions required by our status as a federally licensed financial exchange,” a Kalshi spokesperson said in a statement to ESPN. “We value the NCAA’s feedback and are working on adjusting the language on our site. We are currently reviewing and addressing their additional requests.”

Prediction markets like Kalshi have emerged over the past year and are competing with traditional sportsbooks in the betting market. Kalshi is battling multiple lawsuits by state gambling regulators, who allege that the company is violating state laws by offering event contracts that mimic sports bets. Kalshi argues that it does not fall under state jurisdiction and is instead regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a federal agency.

In March, Kalshi announced a partnership with IC360, an integrity monitor used by many collegiate and professional leagues.

The NCAA has faced an increasing number of alleged betting violations by players in recent years. In September, the NCAA announced that a Fresno State men’s basketball player had manipulated his performance for gambling purposes and conspired with two other players in a prop betting scheme. In total, the association has opened investigations into potential betting violations by approximately 30 current or former men’s basketball players.

Headed into its season opener against Texas on Tuesday night (8:45 ET, ESPN), No. 6 Duke boasts a 2-0 exhibition record, with its last win coming against No. 18 Tennessee.

That’s due in large part to freshman star forward Cameron Boozer‘s video game-like numbers in those wins: The former five star prospect averaged 28.5 points, 17.5 rebounds and five assists in Duke’s wins over the Vols and Central Florida.

Still, as mind-boggling as that production is, Andrew Moran — Boozer’s former coach at Columbus High School in Miami — said he expects Boozer to produce at that level consistently all season. Boozer was picked by three ESPN experts as a preseason first-team All-American.

“He’s that good,” said Moran, now an assistant coach at the University of Miami. “He just understands the game at a high level, he’s a machine on the glass and he scores so easy. That’s not to say he won’t have adjustments and times when he’ll have to regroup and figure it out, but he’ll always respond. He’s just a winner, bottom line.”

We had Moran dish on his top five Boozer moments during his reign at Columbus.

First state title (2022)

Boozer anchored a talented but young roster against an experienced Dr. Phillips squad. Against all odds, Boozer showed the full array of his skill set, pumping in 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a 45-44 championship game win.

In Moran’s words: “We were not supposed to win that game. They had three Power 4 kids and one All-American, but we found a way to get it done. He was killing in that game, and it was just a big moment because we’d never won a title before.”

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The Georgia takeover (2023)

Boozer led his team into a hostile environment at national hoops powerhouse Wheeler High School (Marietta, Georgia) against its duo of top-ranked point guard Isaiah Collier and four-star big man Arrinten Page. After falling behind in the first half, Boozer shot 100 percent from the field in the second to lead his team to the win.

In Moran’s words: “That was one of those games where I was really like, ‘Wow, this is really impressive.’ He was just so skilled and strong and always made the right plays. He just had it.”

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Winning a second Gatorade National Player of the Year award (2025)

Boozer is on a short list of players to win the prestigious award twice, first taking home the hardware as a sophomore, when he averaged 21.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2 blocks and won a state title. He was even more impressive as a senior, when he averaged 22.6 points, 12 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2 steals to win his fourth state title and first Chipotle Nationals title.

In Moran’s words: “It’s a big deal to win that award once, but to win it twice was just surreal. It just speaks to how dominant a player that he is.”

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Triple-OT win over Gonzaga College High School (2024)

Boozer pulled out his clutch gene for a big win in a top-five matchup vs. Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) in his senior year. He drained a 3-pointer at the end of regulation to force overtime and then another one at the end of the second overtime. Boozer finished with 31 points in an 85-79 win.

In Moran’s words: “He just wasn’t going to lose that game; he just wasn’t. He’s got that gene that kicks him into another gear. He steps up to the challenge every time.”

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Bringing home the Chipotle Nationals title (2025)

After getting rolled by Montverde Academy (Florida) in the Chipotle semifinals the previous year, Boozer came into the 2025 Chipotle Nationals on a mission, leading Columbus to the title after posting 11 points and eight rebounds in a 67-49 romp over Dynamic Prep (Irving, Texas).

In Moran’s words: “It wasn’t one of his big-time statistical games, but once again, he was never going to let us lose. He was just focused on winning; didn’t care about the stats. It was a surreal moment that we’ll never forget. He’s just one of those special players that are rare.”