We are now nearing the middle of September, which means the playoff races in Major League Baseball are as hot as they can get. While the National League divisional races all appear to be settled—the closest second-place team is San Diego, which is 5.5 games back of the Dodgers entering Tuesday—the wild card race is white hot.
In the American League, the East is still wide open, with the Yankees and Orioles battling for the top of the division. The Wild Card race in the AL is also hot right now, with three teams within three games of the third and final postseason berth.
With that in mind, here are 10 players who could make the biggest impact on the playoff races down the stretch.
American League
Juan Soto, Yankees—the easy answer in the Bronx is Aaron Judge, who may run away with the MVP this year. But, if he’s going to see anything to hit as the Orioles remain close in the standings, Soto needs to remain one of the best hitters in the game. His ability to consistently make opponents pay for pitching around Judge will be critical for the pinstripes to get into the playoffs in a good position and make a run in October.Adley Rutschman, Orioles—there has been so much talk about the marvelous season of Anthony Santander and the MVP candidacy of Gunnar Henderson, but the team’s everyday backstop needs to pick things up down the stretch. He has as many strikeouts as hits (six each) entering Tuesday and has only a .563 OPS in the month. He’s a leader on that club and they need his bat.
Steven Kwan, Guardians—one of the better hitters in the Guardians’ lineup, Kwan has struggled in September. He has only two hits in seven games to start the month (.077 average and slugging). Cleveland’s lead in the Central is down to 3.5 ahead of Kansas City. They need Kwan to improve to hang onto their lead.
Pablo López, Twins—the Twins were in a great position until they started a 1–6 slide that opened the door for teams chasing them. They now own the third wild card spot but can see three teams in their rearview mirror. López is their ace and needs to stay hot in the second half for the Twins to hold that spot and right the ship.
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Riley Greene, Tigers—Greene is young, but he’s off to a fast start in September. The Tigers have quietly arrived in the wild-card mix in the American League thanks to a 12–6 run. Greene has a .887 OPS in seven games to start September.
National League
Jack Flaherty, Dodgers—although LA’s playoff spot feels fairly comfortable (they lead San Diego by 5.5 games entering Tuesday), they’ve dealt with injuries all over their roster this entire season. Since acquiring Flaherty from Detroit before the trade deadline, he’s been fabulous. He’s 5–1 with 47 strikeouts in 41.1 innings pitched for the Dodgers.Francisco Lindor, Mets—while Shohei Ohtani will likely win the MVP in the National League this year, Lindor has been tremendous for the Mets in the second half. The Mets cling to the third and final wild-card spot in the NL, and their offense has been driven by Lindor’s greatness.
Jackson Merrill, Padres—the 21-year-old shortstop-turned-outfielder leads the Padres with 17 total bases in seven games to start September. Veterans Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts have been in playoff races before, but the offense in San Diego has been carried by their youngest bat. He’ll need to stay hot for the Padres to have a chance for a deep run.
Marcell Ozuna, Braves—Atlanta has been without some of their most important bats all season. Even with big names missing, Ozuna is putting up MVP-caliber numbers with 37 home runs and 98 runs batted in entering Tuesday. While Austin Riley is missing and other players are in and out of the lineup, he needs to continue leading the lineup every day.
Geraldo Perdomo, Diamondbacks—there are more recognizable names in the Arizona lineup, but Perdomo has been so important for their offensive attack. He has had 20 runs batted in since the All-Star break while primarily batting either leadoff or in the bottom third of the lineup. His 12 doubles and seven stolen bases both rank second on the team since the break.
