MLB Stars with the Most to Prove in Pennant Race's Final Weeks
As MLB's playoff picture begins to come into focus, stars around the game are finding themselves with plenty to prove over the season's final weeks. Over the next few slides, we'll identify a handful of big names that figure to be under the microscope.
Why do the names on this list have something to prove? There are a variety of different reasons.
For Johnny Cueto and Jason Heyward, it's about improving their free-agent stock before the upcoming winter. For Yasiel Puig, the next few weeks can go a long way toward rehabilitating his plummeting star power. Greg Holland, Kelvin Herrera and Joe Mauer can prove that they're still capable of being key contributors in October.
Make sure to let your voices be heard in the comments section below. What can the players on this list prove to you over the next few weeks? How confident are you in these stars to make an impact in October?
In sports, legacies are built and money is made when the lights shine the brightest. How the players on this list perform over the next month will go a long way toward their future perception in the big leagues.
Joe Mauer
1 of 5
The Minnesota Twins still have a few weeks to leapfrog the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels in the AL wild-card standings. Making the postseason would be a remarkable achievement for a Twins team that never figured to contend in 2015.
Ironically, Minnesota has overachieved without elite contribution from Joe Mauer. For the first time in his career, Mauer has a wRC+ below 100, meaning he's considered a below league-average player at his position. Some of that can be chalked up to a deeper talent pool league-wide at first base, but there's no question that Mauer's skills are diminishing.
Mauer's current .265 batting average would qualify as the lowest mark of his career. His .339 on-base percentage and .370 slugging percentage are also well below his lifetime averages. Mauer still walks at a high clip, but he's not making hard contact consistently.
However, Mauer's presence in the lineup has still done wonders for the Twins this season. He's on pace to play more than 150 games for the first time in his career and is still hitting a robust .353 with runners in scoring position.
"The days of Joe Mauer being one of the most feared hitters in baseball are long gone and will probably never come again, and you might never see him playing in another All-Star Game during his career, but Mauer means more to the success of the 2015 Minnesota Twins than any other player on the roster," said James B. Terry of BaseballEssential.com.
At 32, Mauer still has plenty of career ahead of him. But if he can put together a productive final two weeks and lead the Twins into the postseason, he'll cement his place as one of the franchise's all-time greats.
Greg Holland and Kelvin Herrera
2 of 5
The Kansas City Royals dominated the American League in the 2014 postseason with an electric bullpen. Greg Holland, Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera locked down games in the final innings, dramatically shortening the game for manager Ned Yost.
The Royals will return to October once again this season, but that once-dominant bullpen is beginning to show chinks in its armor. Davis is still virtually unhittable, but both Holland and Herrera have struggled in the second half.
Holland's struggles are particularly worrisome. The right-hander has saved 32 games, but his velocity is nowhere near where it was last season. Holland's heater has been clocked at two miles per hour slower than last season and has recently dipped into the upper-80s.
Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star wrote this week that Holland's once-secure job closing games for K.C. could be in jeopardy.
"Yet as October approaches, the Royals are coming to grips with the possibility of shifting Holland into a different role in the bullpen. On Wednesday afternoon, a day after Holland threw fastballs in the upper 80s in a messy save against the Indians, Yost insisted Holland remained a ninth-inning fixture—unless, of course, the Royals saw a reason to make a switch.
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Herrera's struggles are less concerning. He does have a 3.90 ERA in the second half, but he's still throwing hard and holding opponents to a .210 average. The 25-year-old seems to be going through a rough patch that all players experience throughout the course of a season.
Still, two-thirds of Kansas City's bullpen monster is scuffling as October approaches. If Holland and Herrera want to be used in high-leverage situations next month, they'll need to turn it around over the season's final weeks.
Yasiel Puig
3 of 5
The Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in a familiar position as the season ends: atop the National League West.
But while the Dodgers have defended their divisional superiority in 2015, they've done so without a productive season from star Yasiel Puig. Due to injuries and inconsistent play, the Cuban phenom has failed to replicate his incredible 2014.
That's not to say 2015 has been a total disaster for Puig. In 77 games, the 24-year-old has hit 11 homers and is slugging .460. But after being one of L.A.'s most important players in 2014, he's become just another guy this season.
As Puig tries to convince L.A.'s higher-ups that he's 100 percent, the Dodgers face an interesting decision. Joc Pederson, Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford, Enrique Hernandez and Scott Van Slyke have held down the fort in the outfield all season.
If Puig is healthy, it'll be hard to leave him off the playoff roster. But a 75 percent Puig? L.A. will at least think about going with the four or five healthy outfielders that have made it happen all season in October.
"Which, if nothing else, is to say it'll be interesting to see what the Dodgers do," said Bleacher Report's own Zachary Rymer. "The signs say Puig's recovery is going to leave them with a tough decision to make: the allure of Puig's talent or the depth that's allowed them to survive just fine without it?"
When Puig is right, he's as dangerous as any hitter in the big leagues. But if he continues to struggle to close the season, his postseason role could change dramatically.
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Jason Heyward
4 of 5
Jason Heyward has been quite the enigma throughout his career with the Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals. But if the talented outfielder can lead a banged-up St. Louis offense to October glory, there will be much more in it than the adoration of the Cardinals fan base.
With Matt Adams and Matt Holliday dealing with injury issues, Heyward has become the focal point of the St. Louis lineup. That's suited the 26-year-old just fine, as he's hit .290 with 12 homers and 22 stolen bases this season.
Heyward has been especially good in the second half. He's hitting .317 with 31 runs and 25 RBI since the All-Star break. Heyward has been asked to hit cleanup for the first time in his career, answering the bell with a .281 average and more walks than strikeouts.
With a lucrative payday looming this winter, Heyward has played well in 2015. He's stayed healthy and productive, combining his usual elite outfield defense with a well-rounded offensive game. If anything, he's only enhanced his value this season.
But a few bad weeks when the lights shine the brightest can erase that goodwill. Heyward is an elite talent, but he's been inconsistent at times in his career. Coming up small when the Cardinals need him the most wouldn't be good for business.
Can Heyward take the next step in his career and lead St. Louis to a World Series victory? We'll find out soon enough, but if he does, he'll be a happy man come free agency.
Johnny Cueto
5 of 5
Remember when Johnny Cueto was supposed to be the missing link for the Kansas City Royals in their pursuit of a World Series championship? That can still be the case, but Cueto's second-half performances haven't been very reassuring.
Before being traded, Cueto had a 2.62 ERA and was holding opponents to a .193 average with the Cincinnati Reds. After a fast start in K.C., the right-hander has a 5.12 ERA and opponents are hitting at a .303 clip while with his new team.
Cueto's struggles are hard to comprehend. He's definitely not missing as many bats in Kansas City, but there aren't significant changes in his batted ball data. Yet he's coming off one of the worst stretches of his career. In five starts from August 21 to September 13, the 29-year-old surrendered 28 earned runs in 26.1 innings.
Despite the struggles, Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star has reported that Cueto isn't feeling any added pressure from being a coveted deadline trade target:
"In that last outing, Cueto shied away from using his fastball, Yost said. The team wanted Cueto to relieve the internal pressure they felt he had placed on himself, trust his arsenal and stop over-manipulating his delivery. Cueto denied an excess of weight on his shoulders, after joining the team before the trade deadline in July, but that opinion has been offered by Yost, Eiland and general manager Dayton Moore in recent days.
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Cueto quieted some those concerns in a seven-inning, two-run outing earlier this week. Still, the Royals' postseason hopes hinge mightily on his ability to give the team quality innings every time he toes the rubber.
Forget the money he'll lose in free agency by struggling in October, Cueto's legacy will take a huge hit if he doesn't pitch well for Kansas City in October. Fortunately, he still has a few weeks to figure it all out.
Stats courtesy of FanGraphs and accurate as of Sept. 20.
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