Willson Contreras, Austin Barnes Among The Secret Stars of October

Nobody saw Daniel Murphy saving the Mets in October 2015, just like nobody anticipated David Freese saving the Cardinals in 2011. Who will be 2017's unlikely October heroes?

Nobody saw Daniel Murphy coming in 2015, just as nobody saw David Freese coming in 2011, just as nobody saw Billy Hatcher coming in 1990. Each of those players began those Octobers with relatively modest profiles, and emerged as never-to-be-forgotten playoff heroes.  Who might join them this month?  Here are four leading candidates—one from each of the championship series clubs—whose production, in fact, already exceeds their reputations.