The Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks didn't clinch playoff spots until the final weekend of the regular season -- and now they're meeting in the 2023 World Series.
But just because this is a surprising matchup doesn't mean there aren't stars on both sides, so let's look at the top players taking the field starting with Friday's Game 1 in Arlington.
Here's how we're looking at both rosters for the sake of this exercise: If MLB embraced fantasy draft mechanics and had the Rangers and Diamondbacks re-draft their teams for the World Series, which players would go first?
Given how sample sizes and projections work in baseball, you'd generally rather have the best overall player than one who is hot right now -- but recent performance is a clear factor and usually serves as a tiebreaker.
Now, let's rank all 52 players in this World Series -- from a group of elite sluggers to the backups for both squads.