10 Crucial MLB Players That Will Decide September Pennant Race Outcomes
Yoenis Cespedes has been a game-changer for the New York Mets ever since landing in Queens.
As the MLB playoff chase hits the stretch drive, there isn't a single major leaguer who will have a bigger impact in determining how the race will shake out for his given team than the Cuban masher.
In the process of compiling the list of the 10 crucial MLB players who will decide the September pennant race outcomes, three types of big leaguers made the grade.
The first group includes stars like Cespedes who have been indispensable to the success of their respective clubs so far. The second group consists of prominent players like Max Scherzer who were key cogs at one point in the season but who need to rapidly rediscover that vintage form. And the third group is made up of players like Marcus Stroman who are set to make a late-season impact after recovering from a serious injury.
A wide array of players made the cut, including a 22-year-old rookie and a 40-year-old vet. Plus, there's room on the list for both the American League and National League MVP award favorites.
Bryce Harper, RF, Washington Nationals
1 of 10
The Washington Nationals would already be buried if not for Bryce Harper.
The 22-year-old has cracked 34 home runs and leads the bigs with a 1.114 OPS, and yet the Nats are still staring at a five-game deficit in the NL East. After the club slumped to an 8-5 defeat on Monday in the opener of a three-game set with the New York Mets, Harper didn't hesitate to dish out some criticism for what he perceived as a lack of support from the home crowd.
"They left in the seventh, so that was pretty brutal," Harper said, via Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post. "I don’t know. Whatever.”
Lashing out against the fanbase is always a risky move, but if anyone has earned the right to do so, it's Harper. The right fielder has been on a tear all year and has been unreal in the last week. In his previous seven contests, Harper is swinging at a clip of .474 with three bombs and 10 walks.
With five games left against the Mets, Harper still has time to put the Nationals on his back and carry the squad to an improbable division crown.
Marcus Stroman, SP, Toronto Blue Jays
2 of 10
One of the primary reasons why the Toronto Blue Jays have taken off in the second half is that the pitching staff has emerged as one of the best in baseball. Since the Midsummer Classic, the group checks in with a 3.08 ERA, which is the third-best mark in baseball.
The scary part is that the staff is about to get even nastier.
According to Mike Scandura of MLB.com, Marcus Stroman, who tore his left ACL back in spring training, is on the verge of rejoining the Blue Jays.
"I'm 100 percent," Stroman said after allowing four earned runs in three frames during a rehab assignment on Monday. "I know some people are going to say he didn't have a good start. But stuff-wise, arm-wise, knee-wise and health-wise, I'm ready to go. I feel great. It's just a matter of getting up there, getting into the bullpen, fine-tuning and I'll be ready to go."
Whether the Blue Jays opt to utilize Stroman out of the rotation or the pen, the 24-year-old will have one major advantage over every other pitcher in baseball: His arm will be completely fresh when everyone else's is anything but.
Miguel Sano, DH, Minnesota Twins
3 of 10
A trip to October is a very real possibility for the Minnesota Twins.
The club, which was nothing more than an afterthought in the AL Central when the season began, is just a game and a half out of the second wild-card spot. One player who deserves all sorts of credit for the unexpected run is Miguel Sano.
The 22-year-old, who arrived in the majors at the beginning of July, has already smashed 15 home runs in 56 contests. Remarkably, eight of those yard shots have either tied the game or put Minnesota ahead, as noted by Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press. Thanks to his power surge, Sano is making a serious push for the AL Rookie of the Year award.
Unfortunately for the Twins, it won't be easy for the rising star to continue rolling along at his current clip. According to Berardino, Sano has been fighting through a right hamstring strain.
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Alex Rodriguez, DH, New York Yankees
4 of 10
With the New York Yankees trailing the Toronto Blue Jays by half a game, the AL East squads are locked in the fiercest divisional race in baseball.
One player who has the potential to help the Yankees overcome the Jays in that chase is Alex Rodriguez. The 40-year-old designated hitter recently connected on home run No. 29 of the campaign. As noted by the club's Twitter account, A-Rod is now one blast away from posting his 15th 30-home run season, which would tie Hank Aaron for the most of all time. Reaching the 30-home run plateau would also mark the first time he's done so since way back in 2010.
While achieving that milestone would be an incredible accomplishment for the right-handed hitter, the truth is that Rodriguez has been mired in a funk for the past month. In his last 30 contests, the veteran checks in with a .179 average. One encouraging sign for the Yankees is that Rodriguez's power hasn't disappeared along with his average. Over that stretch, Rodriguez has clocked five bombs.
A.J. Burnett, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
5 of 10
The Pittsburgh Pirates are about to add an All-Star back to the mix.
According to Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, A.J. Burnett is slated to take the mound on Thursday for the Bucs. The righty hasn't pitched since July 30, as he's been recovering from a flexor strain in his right elbow.
As noted by Nesbitt, Burnett's return allows the Pirates to skip Gerrit Cole's next start in an effort to limit the 25-year-old's innings. His return also provides the club with a starter who could supply the pitching staff with a much-needed boost as the Pirates continue to pursue the St. Louis Cardinals in the division race and to hold off the Chicago Cubs for the top wild-card spot.
In the first half of the season, the 38-year-old was one of the filthiest starters in the Senior Circuit, posting a 2.11 ERA in his first 18 outings. Now that he's healthy again, the Pirates will be hoping that Burnett can return to that form.
George Springer, RF, Houston Astros
6 of 10
All it takes is one look at the record to understand just how vital George Springer is to the Houston Astros.
As noted by Richard Justice of MLB.com, the AL West front-runners are 46-31 when Springer starts and 29-32 when he misses out. As Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle put it, the energetic 25-year-old is "the heart, blood and soul of the new Astros."
The good news for Houston is that Springer rejoined the lineup last Friday after a broken right wrist wrecked his summer and stranded him on the disabled list for a couple of months. The right fielder has only picked up two hits in first three games back, but his return comes at the ideal moment for the Astros.
Houston is clinging to a two-game advantage over the Texas Rangers in the West and still has seven head-to-head matchups against the second-place club. Four of those games will be on the road, where Houston owns a dismal 27-39 mark. Plus, the team has yet to shake the Los Angeles Angels, who are 5.5 games back and still have six cracks at the Astros.
Max Scherzer, SP, Washington Nationals
7 of 10
The second half of the season hasn't gone to script for Max Scherzer, as the right-hander has run up a 5.12 ERA since the All-Star break.
Scherzer has been putting up some stat lines that are downright strange. On September 2, the 31-year-old allowed two earned runs in six innings of work while striking out 10 and also serving up 11 hits. The fundamental issue for the starter is that way too many of those hits have been leaving the park.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Scherzer has given up 14 bombs in the second half (56 innings) after allowing just 10 in the first half (132 innings). Whatever is leading to all those yard shots, the Nats need Scherzer to figure it out fast, as the club's faint playoff hopes are slipping away but haven't vanished just yet.
Luis Severino, SP, New York Yankees
8 of 10
Luis Severino has been electric ever since joining the New York Yankees at the beginning of August.
In his six starts for the Yanks, the 21-year-old has ripped off a 2.04 ERA and a 8.7 strikeout-per-nine ratio. As noted by ESPN Stats & Info, Severino's shiny ERA is actually the sixth-lowest mark dating back to his arrival in the big leagues.
Manager Joe Girardi has been so impressed with the rookie that he suggested he's already capable of handing the postseason stage.
"We haven't seen anything that's said he wouldn't," Girardi said, via Brendan Kuty of NJ.com.
Of course, with the Yankees looking up at the Toronto Blue Jays in the standings, a trip to the Wild Card Game could be in the club's future.
In such a situation, Masahiro Tanaka would be the top candidate to get the nod. But the way that Severino has been dealing, it would be unwise not to at least consider him for such an assignment.
Josh Donaldson, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays
9 of 10
There's just no way to write up a list of the most crucial players in the postseason chase and not include Josh Donaldson.
In his first year north of the border, the Toronto Blue Jays third baseman absolutely owns the offensive leader board. Donaldson is third in the AL in home runs (37), leads the circuit in slugging percentage (.591) and tops the bigs in runs (107) and RBI (115), per ESPN Stats & Info.
Jose Bautista recently told Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star that only a "fool" wouldn't recognize that Donaldson is on his way to becoming the AL MVP. The way Donaldson keeps swinging the bat, the 29-year-old is making Joey Bats look awfully smart.
With the Blue Jays holding a half-game edge over the New York Yankees, Donaldson is hitting .400 with a .720 slugging percentage and nine RBI in his last seven games. If the Blue Jays maintain the top spot in the AL East, Donaldson will be a lock to take home the AL MVP trophy.
Yoenis Cespedes, LF, New York Mets
10 of 10
David Wright put it best when asked by reporters how to explain the impact of Yoenis Cespedes.
"He's been amazing," Wright said, via ESPN Stats & Info.
Amazing, indeed. In just 34 games with the New York Mets, Cespedes has been an extra-base hitting machine, crushing eight doubles, three triples and 13 home runs. He checks in with a .311 average, .358 OBP, .669 slugging percentage and 1.027 OPS.
The effect that Cespedes has had on the rest of the lineup has also been amazing. Last month, the Mets ranked first in the NL (and second in the majors) with 168 runs.
A strong end to the season for Cespedes will go a long way toward helping the Mets hold onto their perch atop the NL East throne. Plus, it will also set up the free-agent-to-be to flat out cash in this winter.
Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com.
If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.
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