As the calendar flips to September, we’re entering the final weeks of the regular season and gearing up for the postseason.
There are plenty of storylines to follow in the coming weeks, with much left to be decided across MLB.
Here’s a breakdown of everything to watch for in the final calendar month, from postseason battles to award races to stat chases and more.
The following statistics are entering Monday’s games. Team records and games back are entering Tuesday.
At 85-54, the Brewers have baseball’s best record by a whopping five games over the next-best team, the 80-59 Tigers. With a 5 1/2-game lead over the Cubs, Milwaukee is one of three teams comfortably in first place, along with the Tigers (nine games ahead of Kansas City) and Phillies (six games over the Mets).
In the AL East and out in the west is where the serious divisional battles are taking place. The Dodgers have a 2 1/2-game lead over the Padres, but hold the vital tiebreaker advantage thanks to going 9-4 against San Diego this season. The Astros have a three-game lead over the Mariners. The Blue Jays have a 2 1/2-game lead over the Yankees, who have been surging in recent weeks.
While there’s uncertainty about which of the AL or NL West teams will win the division, the Wild Card picture has become more certain. The Mariners, in possession of the third Wild Card spot, have a 1 1/2-game edge over the Rangers and a 2 1/2-game lead over the Royals right now. The Mets, while unlikely to win the division, are four games ahead of the Reds for the third Wild Card position.
The AL MVP debate will be a fascinating one. The Yankees’ Aaron Judge is looking for his second straight MVP and third of his career as he enters September with an MLB-leading 1.117 OPS and 7.9 Wins Above Replacement (FanGraphs), along with 43 home runs. Seattle’s Cal Raleigh, however, isn’t far behind Judge with his 7.3 WAR and has 50 home runs as a switch-hitter, all while being an excellent defensive catcher.
In the National League, Shohei Ohtani looks like a good bet to join Barry Bonds (2001-04) as the only players to win three straight MVPs. Ohtani won in 2023 with the Angels and last season with the Dodgers when he created the 50-homer, 50-steal club and looks like he could win yet again this year, thanks to his .986 OPS, 45 home runs and 17 stolen bases, along with his 4.18 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings on the mound.
Ohtani, however, could face competition in the form of Kyle Schwarber (49 home runs and .948 OPS), Trea Turner (6.0 WAR, .802 OPS and NL-leading 169 hits) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (5.2 WAR, 28 home runs and 31 stolen bases).
Similar to the AL MVP race, the battle for Cy Young in the American League is shaping up to be a fun one. Tigers ace Tarik Skubal (2.18 ERA, 216 strikeouts, 27 walks and 6.3 WAR) is looking for a second straight AL Cy Young Award, but Red Sox lefty Garrett Crochet (2.40 ERA, 214 strikeouts and 5.4 WAR) is right on his heels.
There’s less drama for the NL Cy Young Award. Paul Skenes looks like he’s in firm control to take home his first Cy Young in his second season. Skenes has an MLB-leading 2.05 ERA in 167 innings and his 5.5 WAR is second only to Skubal. Cristopher Sánchez (2.66 ERA and 5.2 WAR) is also having an excellent season and looks like a lock for a top-three finish.
For much of the year, A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson looked like a strong bet to win AL Rookie of the Year. Instead, his teammate Nick Kurtz, who debuted on April 23, looks like the frontrunner, thanks to his 1.033 OPS and 27 home runs in 94 games. Kurtz could very well receive significant MVP consideration, too, and finish in the top 10.
In the National League, the Brewers’ Isaac Collins (.796 OPS and 2.8 WAR in 113 games) and Atlanta’s Drake Baldwin (.813 OPS and 15 home runs in 100 games) look like the favorites. Collins’ teammate Chad Patrick (3.60 ERA and 2.1 WAR in 105 innings) could also be in the mix, despite the fact that he was just optioned to the Minors thanks to an overcrowded Milwaukee rotation.
Judge leads the Majors in OPS, batting average (.324), on-base percentage (.443) and slugging percentage (.674), which would be the first time he’s led the Majors in those three categories. Judge led the Majors in OBP and SLG in his MVP-winning seasons in 2022 and ’24, but this would be his first time leading the American League or Majors in batting average. While the Triple Crown is unlikely, Judge could secure his first career batting title — he has an 18-point advantage over Bo Bichette.
Raleigh became the first player to reach 50 home runs this season and he looks like a strong bet to lead the Majors in the category. However, after Schwarber homered four times against the Braves on Thursday, the Phillies slugger is up to 49 homers this season. Schwarber also leads the Majors with 119 RBIs, nine more than the next-closest player (Pete Alonso at 110).
Ohtani, meanwhile, has scored a whopping 124 runs, 14 more than the next-closest player (Judge at 110). Ohtani is chasing the rare 150-run season, something that hasn’t been done since Jeff Bagwell in 2000.
Bichette has had a huge bounceback season for the Blue Jays with an MLB-leading 172 hits. While he led the American League in hits in both 2021 and ‘22, this would be his first time leading the Majors. Turner, however, is right on Bichette’s heels with 169 hits.
Milestones and historic feats
Raleigh’s 50 home runs are already the most by a catcher (minimum 50 percent of games at the position). Next up is breaking the switch-hitting home run record, which belongs to Mickey Mantle and his 54 home runs in 1961. With just under a month to play, Raleigh looks like he’ll clear that mark, potentially by a comfortable margin.
After Skubal and Chris Sale both won the pitching Triple Crown (leading one’s league in ERA, strikeouts and wins) in 2024, Crochet has a shot to do it this season, although it’s looking increasingly unlikely. Crochet’s 2.40 ERA is 22 points higher than Skubal’s 2.18 mark, he has 214 strikeouts compared to Skubal’s 216 punchouts, and his 14 wins are one behind Carlos Rodón for the most in the American League.
Mike Trout has been stuck at 398 home runs after a weeks-long slump, but he should join the 400-homer club this month. Giancarlo Stanton (446 home runs) is the only other active member of that club.
At 296 home runs, Salvador Perez could become the eighth primary catcher (minimum 50 percent of games at the position) to hit 300 or more home runs. At 993 RBIs, Perez could also reach 1,000 this month.
