The NLCS names to know

Shildt is in only his first full season as an MLB manager after replacing Mike Matheny in the middle of 2018. St. Louis went 41-28 under Shildt last year and 91-71 during the regular season this year.

Martinez had a 16-year MLB career and was named manager of the Nats in 2018 after serving as bench coach of the Cubs. Washington finished a disappointing 82-80 during his first season but won a wild-card spot this year at 93-69.

Molina arrived to the majors in 2004 and has won two World Series with the Cardinals. The nine-time All-Star and Gold Glover hit .270-10-57 during the regular season.

Suzuki had a strong year after signing with Washington in the offseason. The 13-year veteran hit .264-17-63 in 85 games. His status for the NLCS is up in the air after taking a pitch to the wrist that ricocheted to hit him in the head in Game 5 of the NLDS.

Goldschmidt was acquired from Arizona last offseason and signed a lucrative five-year contract extension. He hit .260-34-97 with an .821 OPS in his first year with St. Louis, though those numbers are significantly below his usual standard. The first baseman did have a good NLDS, going 9-for-21 with two home runs.

Zimmerman is a fan favorite who has been with the Nationals since 2005. He's had injuries in recent seasons and played only 52 games during the regular season, hitting .257-6-27.

Wong had a strong season offensively and defensively for the Cardinals. He hit .285-11-59 with a career-high 24 stolen bases.

The versatile Kendrick was one of the heroes of the NLDS for the Nationals, hitting a Grand Slam in Game 5. He had a great regular season, hitting .344-17-62 in only 370 plate appearances.

After hitting a career-high 36 home runs in 2018, Carpenter has struggled this season. He's hit just .226-15-46 and spent time on the injured list. He was just 1-for-5 during the NLDS and has shared time at third base with rookie Tommy Edman.

Rendon is an NL MVP candidate after hitting .319-34-126 with a 1.010 OPS during the regular season. He's looking to cash in as a pending free agent, where he's expected to earn a lucrative nine-figure contract. He was 7-for-17 with one home run and five RBI during the NLDS.

DeJong hit .233-30-78 during the regular season and has also graded as one of the top defensive shortstops in the game, according to advanced metrics. He made his first All-Star appearance this year and went 4-for-18 during the NLDS.

One of the fastest players in the game, Turner hit .298-19-57 with 35 steals and 96 runs scored in 122 games during the regular season. He serves as Washington's leadoff man.

Ozuna is a strong power hitter, hitting more than 20 home runs for the fourth consecutive season in 2019. The left fielder hit .243-29-89 in 130 games and was on fire during the NLDS, going 9-for-21 with two home runs and five RBI. He will be a free agent after this season.

Soto has established himself as one of the top young hitters in baseball. He hit .282-34-110 with a .949 OPS this season and still won't turn 21 until late this month. Soto also launched two home runs during the NLDS.

Fowler had a brutal 2018 season with the Cardinals but has successfully rebounded this year. He hit .238-19-67 with a .754 OPS during the regular season at age 33.

Robles was effectively Bryce Harper's replacement in Washington this year, hitting .255-17-65 with 28 steals. The speedy outfielder missed time during the NLDS due to a hamstring injury, and his availability for the NLCS is unknown.

Edman has been one of the MVPs of the Cardinals this season, hitting .304-11-36 with 15 steals and an .850 OPS in 92 games as a rookie. He's played all over the diamond, spending most of his time at third base this year. The Cardinals have also used him in the outfield during the playoffs, and he went 6-for-19 during the NLDS.

Eaton overcame injury issues from 2017 and 2018 to have a fine year this season, hitting .279-15-49 with 15 steals and a .792 OPS. He was acquired in a controversial trade from the White Sox in 2016 that netted Chicago young pitchers Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning.

Bader hit well in 2018 but has spent the late part of the season and playoffs as more of a defensive specialist due to his struggles at the plate. He hit .205-12-39 with 11 steals in 406 plate appearances during the regular season.

Taylor struggled for much of 2019, spending the majority of his season at Triple-A. However, he has significant experience as a regular for Washington, now in his sixth season. He filled in for the injured Victor Robles during the NLDS.

Flaherty is a Cy Young candidate in only his second full season after going 11-8 with a 2.75 ERA and 231 strikeouts in 196.1 innings over 33 starts. He was particularly dominant during the second half of the season, with an 0.91 ERA in 15 starts. After starting two games in the NLDS, including Game 5, Flaherty will likely slot in toward the end of the Cardinals rotation in the NLCS.

Gomes was acquired from Cleveland in the offseason but had a forgettable year at the plate, hitting just .223-12-43 in 358 plate appearances. He could see significant playing time if Kurt Suzuki's injuries are serious.

Mikolas joined the Cardinals in 2018 after a stint in Japan and was terrific, going 18-4 with a 2.83 ERA in 32 starts. He had more difficulties this season, going 9-14 with a 4.16 ERA in 32 starts. He fared well in two appearances during the NLDS and is likely to start Game 1 of the NLCS.

A 13-year MLB veteran, Cabrera began the year as the Rangers starting third baseman. He was cut in early August due to his struggles at the plate but has turned his season around with Washington and his former hitting coach, Kevin Long. Since joining Washington, Cabrera has hit .323-6-40 in 146 plate appearances and added two RBI during the NLDS.

Wainwright was first promoted by the Cardinals in 2005 and has won two World Series with the team. He had a strong sseason after struggling to stay healthy over the last two years, going 14-10 with a 4.19 ERA in 31 starts. The 38-year-old right-hander was outstanding during the NLDS, throwing 7.2 scoreless innings in his lone start.

A three-time Cy Young Award winner, Scherzer signed with Washington in 2015 and has a cumulative 2.74 ERA and 11.7 K/9 during that time. He's also a native of the St. Louis area and a Missouri alum, creating an intriguing backstory for the NLCS. Scherzer is likely to start in Game 1 for Washington.

Hudson pitched well in relief during his MLB debut last season and has transitioned well back to starting. The extreme groundball pitcher went 16-7 with a 3.35 ERA over 174.2 innings during the regular season and allowed just one run in 4.2 innings during his NLDS start.

The first overall draft pick in 2009, Strasburg has spent his entire career with Washington. He's coming off one of his best seasons, going 18-6 with a 3.32 ERA in 33 starts and leading the NL with 209 innings. He pitched well in his two NLDS starts, allowing four runs in 12 innings with 17 strikeouts.

A starting pitcher for most of his career, Martinez has spent all of 2019 in the bullpen after missing the start of the year with shoulder issues. He took over closer duties after Jordan Hicks was injured and converted 24 saves during the regular season. Martinez has struggled in the postseason, allowing six earned runs in 3.1 innings over three appearances.

Corbin had a breakout 2018 season with Arizona and cashed in this offseason on a six-year deal with Washington. The lefty had another fine season, going 14-7 with a 3.25 ERA and 238 strikeouts in 202 innings. He appeared in three games during the NLDS, going 0-2 with a 7.88 ERA in eight innings.

Once an elite reliever with the Yankees and Indians, Miller signed a two-year contract with the Cardinals in the offseason. He's had issues with his control for much of the year, finishing with a 4.45 ERA over 54.2 innings. The lefty made three scoreless appearances during the NLDS, spanning two innings.

The likely Game 4 starter, Sanchez is in his 14th MLB season. He went 11-8 with a 3.85 ERA in 30 starts after signing with Washington in the offseason. He also allowed just one run in five innings during his NLDS start.

Acquired last year from the Yankees, Gallegos has arguably been the Cardinals' best reliever this season. He had a 2.31 ERA over 74 innings with 93 strikeouts during the regular season. Gallegos threw two scoreless innings in the NLDS.

Acquired from Toronto at the trade deadline, Hudson has been lights out since joining the Nationals. He had a 1.44 ERA in 24 appearances for the team during the regular season and has served as the closer during the playoffs, with three scoreless appearances.

Brebbia is in his third season with the Cardinals and had another fine year. Over 66 appearances, he posted a 3.59 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 72.2 innings. He's known for growing his beard out since the beginning of spring training.

Doolittle was Washington's closer for most of the regular season and has spent time in that role for the team since 2017. The lefty had 29 saves and a 4.05 ERA during the regular season and made three appearances during the NLDS.

Helsley made only 24 appearances for the Cardinals during the regular season but showed electric stuff, posting a 2.95 ERA over 36.2 innings. He managed two scoreless appearances during the NLDS.

The 42-year-old Rodney is now in his 17th MLB season and has served as a closer for much of that time. He struggled with Oakland earlier this season before joining Washington. As a National, he posted a 4.05 ERA in 38 appearances and made two scoreless appearances during the NLDS.