ALCS: Names to know

Cora was hired by the Red Sox this year after serving as Houston's bench coach last year. The former major league shortstop led the team to 108 wins during the regular season.

A former major league catcher, Hinch is in his fourth season as Astros manager and his sixth season as a manager in MLB. He's led the team to back-to-back 100-plus win seasons.

Vazquez is a tremendous defensive catcher, renowned for both his pitch framing and arm. He struggled at the plate this season, however, hitting just .207-3-16 in 80 games.

McCann shares time behind the plate with Martin Maldonado. At age 34, he had the worst season of his career, hitting just .212-7-23 in 63 games and missing significant time with knee issues.

Moreland got off to a great start this season but slowed in the second half, hitting .245-15-68 with a .758 OPS for the season. He's also known for his great defense, winning a Gold Glove at first base in 2016.

A 34-year-old from Cuba, Gurriel is in his third MLB season. He hit above .290 for the second straight year, finishing the season hitting .291-13-85 in 136 games.

Acquired from the Angels in July, Kinsler has plenty of playoff experience with 41 games under his belt, hitting .293 for his career. He struggled at the plate this season, hitting just .240-14-48 but still brings plus defense at second base.

The 2017 AL MVP, Altuve is one of the true superstars in the game. He had a relative down year in 2018 but still hit .316-13-61 with 17 stolen bases in 137 games, and making his five straight All-Star appearance.

An impressive young talent, Devers hit .240-21-66 this season at age 21. He was 2-for-7 during the ALDS for the Red Sox.

In just his third MLB season, Bregman became an MVP candidate this season. The third baseman hit .286-31-103 with more walks than strikeouts, finishing with a .926 OPS. He's become a middle of the order stalwart in an otherwise down year for the Astros offense.

Bogaerts had a terrific offensive season for Boston, hitting .288-23-103 with a career-high .883 OPS. The 25-year-old shortstop didn't cool down in the ALDS, hitting 5-for-17 with one home run.

The former 2015 AL Rookie of the Year has been plagued by injuries for much of this season, hitting only .239-15-65 during the regular season. Last year he hit .315-24-84 in only 109 games.

Benintendi was on a great offensive pace during the first half of the season, hitting .297-14-57 but had only two long balls after the break. He still had a strong offensive season overall and is off to a nice start in the playoffs, at 4-for-14 with three RBI.

The versatile Gonzalez regressed this year after posting a .907 OPS last year, but he still managed to hit 16 home runs after a strong second half. He's capable of playing several infield positions in addition to left field.

Bradley's offense isn't always on point, but he's become an elite defensive center fielder during his time in Boston. During the regular season, he hit only .234-13-59 with a .717 OPS in 144 games.

Springer was unable to match his huge 2017 season, but he still managed to hit .265-22-71 with a .780 OPS this year. The star outfielder was on fire during the ALDS, launching three home runs in three games.

The likely AL MVP this year, Betts had a historic offensive season as Boston's leadoff man. He won the batting title (.346), led the AL in runs scored (129) and become a 30/30 man while playing only 136 games. He had a relatively slow start in the ALDS, going 3-for-16.

Reddick started his major league career in Boston and has been in Houston since he signed a four-year, $52 million contract before last season. A Gold Glove winning right fielder, Reddick struggled at the plate this year, hitting only .242-17-47 with a .718 OPS in 134 games.

Martinez signed a five-year, $110 million contract with Boston before 2018, and he's been well worth the money so far. He hit .330-43-130, leading the league in RBI and hitting more than 40 home runs for the second consecutive season. He had six RBI during the ALDS.

Gattis brings big power at DH, launching 25 home runs in 128 games during the regular season. However, he hit just .226 during the regular season and has ceded some playing time to Tyler White.

Holt became the first player in baseball history to hit for the cycle during the playoffs, when he did so in Game 3 of the ALDS vs. the Yankees. The utility man had a nice regular season, hitting .277-7-46 in 367 plate appearances.

A highly productive minor league hitter, White finally found his stroke in the majors this year, his third season. He hit .276-12-42 with an .888 OPS in only 237 plate appearances and has gone 3-for-6 during the playoffs this year.

Acquired from Toronto early in the year, Pearce has been terrific as a platoon player for the Red Sox. He hit .284-11-42 in 251 plate appearances during the regular season and was 4-for-12 during the ALDS.

The former starting catcher in Anaheim, Maldonado shares starting duties with veteran Brian McCann. He's just a .220 career hitter but is acclaimed for his defense.

A top AL Cy Young candidate, Sale went 12-4 with a 2.11 ERA and 237 strikeouts in 158 innings during the regular season. He struggled with shoulder issues during the last two months of the season but has looked strong during the ALDS, allowing two runs in 6.1 innings with nine strikeouts in two appearances.

A former Cy Young winner and MVP, Verlander had one of his best seasons at age 35. The right-hander went 16-9 with a 2.52 ERA and led the AL in strikeouts (290) and WHIP (0.90). He won the ALCS MVP last year, allowing just one run in 16 innings.

The 2012 AL Cy Young winner, Price had a strong regular season, going 16-7 with a 3.58 ERA in 30 starts. However, his poor playoff history has continued into this year. After he failed to get out of the second inning in his ALDS start, Price is now 2-9 with a 5.28 ERA in 18 playoff appearances for his career.

Cole was acquired from Pittsburgh in the offseason and put together a Cy Young-worthy regular season, going 15-5 with a 2.88 ERA and 276 strikeouts in 200.1 innings. He was outstanding in the ALDS, allowing just one run on three hits with 12 strikeouts in seven innings in his lone appearance.

Eovaldi was acquired from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline and proceeded to post a 3.33 ERA in 54 innings to close out the year with Boston. He continued to perform well in the ALDS, allowing one run in five innings in Game 3. Eovaldi features elite velocity with a fastball that averages in the upper-90s.

The 2015 Cy Young Award winner, Keuchel had a solid year with a 3.74 ERA in 34 starts, reaching 200 innings for the third time in his career. He allowed two runs in five innings during his ALDS start.

The 2016 AL Cy Young winner, Porcello rebounded from a poor 2017 season to go 17-7 with a 4.28 ERA in 33 starts this year. He made two appearances during the ALDS, including starting the deciding Game 4.

Morton is about to become a very rich man if he continues his career beyond 2018, after going 15-3 with a 3.13 ERA in 30 starts this season. A late bloomer now at age 34, Morton has gained velocity late in his career and also features a great curveball.

One of the game's elite closers, Kimbrel finished the regular season with 42 saves with a 2.74 ERA. He had 333 saves for his career and was able to eke out two saves during the ALDS.

Osuna was acquired from Toronto at the trade deadline in an extremely controversial deal after he was suspended 75 games for being accused of domestic violence. The court case has since been resolved. A former All-Star, the 23-year-old closer had a 2.37 ERA and 21 saves in 38 appearances during the regular season.