October has arrived, and so has playoff baseball.
As the field begins to narrow toward a World Series champion, San Joaquin County has plenty of connections still playing.
For some, this was home. For others, Stockton was simply one stop during the long climb through the minor leagues.
What followed included MVP awards, All-Star selections, Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers and World Series championships.
Here’s a closer look at the players with county ties in the 2026 MLB playoffs.
Nick Allen (Stockton Ports)
Position: SS/2B
Team: Astros
San Joaquin County notable: A San Diego native, Allen was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the third round with the No. 81 overall pick of the 2017 MLB Draft. He played 72 games with the Stockton Ports in 2019, hitting .292 with 84 hits, 22 doubles,
five triples, three home runs, 25 RBIs, 45 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. Allen was also named a California League midseason All-Star.
MLB accomplishments: 2025 NL Gold Glove finalist at shortstop
Grant Holmes (Stockton Ports)
Position: RHP
Team: Braves
San Joaquin County notable: Holmes spent parts of the 2016 and 2017 seasons with the Stockton Ports after being acquired by the Athletics from the Dodgers. In 18 starts with Stockton, he went 7-6 with a 4.19 ERA and 97 strikeouts over 103 innings. Holmes, a Conway, South Carolina, native, was selected by the Dodgers in the first round with the No. 22 overall pick of the 2014 MLB Draft.
Aaron Judge (Linden)
Position: OF
Team: Yankees
San Joaquin County notable: Long before the Yankees, Judge was a two-sport star at Linden. He hit .436 with 45 RBIs and 11 homers in 48 games while adding 54 catches for 969 yards and 17 touchdowns at tight end. Stanford, Notre Dame and UCLA offered full football scholarships, and the Athletics drafted him No. 935 overall in 2010, but Judge chose Fresno State.
MLB accomplishments: Three-time AL MVP (2022, 2024, 2025) • 2017 AL Rookie of the Year • Eight-time All-Star (2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026) • Five-time Silver Slugger (2017, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025) • Three-time AL home run leader (2017, 2022, 2024) • 2025 AL batting champion • 2017 Home Run Derby champion • Three-time AL Hank Aaron Award winner (2022, 2024, 2025) • 2023 Roberto Clemente Award
Jesús Luzardo (Stockton Ports)
Position: LHP
Team: Phillies
San Joaquin County notable: Born in Lima, Peru, Luzardo was selected by the Washington Nationals in the third round with the No. 94 overall pick of the 2016 MLB Draft. He pitched for the Stockton Ports in 2018 and 2019, going 3-1 with a 1.10 ERA and 43 strikeouts over 24 2/3 innings.
MLB accomplishments: 2026 NL All-Star
Max Muncy (Stockton Ports)
Position: 3B/1B
Team: Dodgers
San Joaquin County notable: A Midland, Texas, native who played at Baylor, Muncy was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the fifth round with the No. 169 overall pick of the 2012 MLB Draft. He played 93 games with the Stockton Ports in 2013, hitting .285 with 100 hits, 13 doubles, 21 home runs, 76 RBIs and 67 runs scored while posting a .400 on-base percentage and .907 OPS. He was also named a California League midseason All-Star.
MLB accomplishments: Three-time All-Star (2019, 2021, 2026) • Three-time World Series champion (2020, 2024, 2025)
Sean Murphy (Stockton Ports)
Position: C
Team: Braves
San Joaquin County notable: A native of Peekskill, New York, Murphy attended Wright State before the Oakland Athletics selected him in the third round with the No. 83 overall pick of the 2016 MLB Draft. He played 45 games with the Stockton Ports in 2017, hitting .297 with 49 hits, 11 doubles, nine home runs, 26 RBIs and 22 runs scored with an .870 OPS. Murphy was also named a California League midseason All-Star.
MLB accomplishments: 2023 NL All-Star • 2021 AL Gold Glove winner
Matt Olson (Stockton Ports)
Position: 1B
Team: Braves
San Joaquin County notable: Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Olson was selected by the Oakland Athletics with the No. 47 overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft. He spent the 2014 season with the Stockton Ports, hitting .262 with 134 hits, 31 doubles, 37 home runs, 97 RBIs and 111 runs scored in 138 games. His 37 homers ranked third in the minors and left him two shy of the Ports’ single-season record. Olson also led the minors with 117 walks and finished with a .404 on-base percentage and .947 OPS.
MLB accomplishments: Four-time All-Star (2021, 2023, 2025, 2026) • Three-time Gold Glove winner (2018, 2019, 2025) • 2023 Silver Slugger • 2023 NL home run and RBI leader
Daniel Palencia (Stockton Ports)
Position: RHP
Team: Cubs
San Joaquin County notable: Palencia’s stay in Stockton was brief but came at the very beginning of his professional career. The San Carlos, Venezuela, native made six starts for the Ports in 2021, going 0-2 with a 6.91 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 14 1/3 innings. Oakland, which signed Palencia as an international free agent in 2020, traded him to the Chicago Cubs later that season.
MLB accomplishments: First Cubs pitcher since 1901 to win his MLB debut in an extra-inning game (2023)
Blake Treinen (Stockton Ports)
Position: RHP
Team: Dodgers
San Joaquin County notable: Originally from Wichita, Kansas, Treinen played collegiately at South Dakota State before the Oakland Athletics selected him in the seventh round with the No. 226 overall pick of the 2011 MLB Draft. His time in Stockton came the following year, when he went 7-7 with a 4.37 ERA and 92 strikeouts across 103 innings in 24 appearances for the Ports.
MLB accomplishments: 2018 AL All-Star • Three-time World Series champion (2020, 2024, 2025)
This article originally appeared on The Record: Yankees' Aaron Judge among 9 players with San Joaquin County ties in 2026 MLB playoffs
