With approximately 30 games left in this MLB season, a few storylines are especially worth keeping an eye on. With plenty of surprises and a few underdog tales, this year of baseball was surely one of the most entertaining to watch in recent memory, but some narratives stand out more than others.
AL West Race
At the beginning of the season, absolutely no-one expected the AL West to be where it is right now. Sure, the Astros are currently in first place, but the Athletics are just one game behind. Moneyball’s Billy Beane keeps turning trash into gems. Guys like Blake Treinen (32 Saves, 0.97 ERA, 12.5 K/9) or Jed Lowrie (21 HR, 82 RBI) have pushed the A’s to an incredible 79-52 record. Right now, the A’s and Astros are going face-to-face at Oakland Coliseum, and whatever team wins the series will get an advantage to earn the Division crown. With Astros star George Springer, and many others, currently dealing with injuries, Oakland might just steal the lead right from the reigning champions hands.
Dodgers Collapsing
Even though they just swept the awful Padres, after the All-Star game the LA Dodgers were expected to run away with the division. Instead, they’ve dropped nine of their last 15 and are currently sitting 2.5 GB the Arizona Diamondbacks for the lead in the competitive NL West. Despite the offense picking up the pace, lead by scorching hot streaks by Cody Bellinger and Justin Turner, and contributions from newly added Brian Dozier and Manny Machado, the Dodgers just can’t seem to consistently win games.
The bullpen, led by Kenley Jansen (who’s now recovered from heart issues) is in shambles. Even All-Star Jansen has gone full Cody Allen mode, blowing leads and losing all control in the process. If the Dodgers don’t right the ship now, they might not win the Division for the first time in what seems like forever. Perhaps the key for them winning the WS was always not winning the Division…
NL R.O.Y.
Although many fans consider this a two-horse race between Juan Soto and Ronald Acuña Jr, there’s also a dark-horse candidate in pitcher Walker Buehler. Right now, Acuña, from the Braves, is the favorite to win, as his unbelievable streak of lead-off homers garnered plenty of media attention, and it also helps that he’s absolutely crushing the ball, with a .290/.358/.928 stat line to go with 21 homers, 45 RBI, and 11 stolen bases.
Right at his tail is teenage standout Juan Soto, from the underachieving Nationals. Soto is slashing .290/.408/.915 with 15 homers and 47 RBI. Statistically, he’s toe-to-toe with Acuña, but what might separate them is team success. The Braves are currently first in the NL East with a 73-57 record while the Nats are 65-66 in the same division.
Behind them is starting pitcher Walker Buehler, from the aforementioned Dodgers. Despite some injury issues early in the season, Buehler is back on track. He’s pitched at least six innings in his last three starts and has allowed just three ER in his last five. For the season, he’s 6-4 with a 2.96 ERA. If he continues his hot streak he might make a push and give the Dodgers their third R.O.Y in a row.
AL MVP
The American League MVP award is up in the air right now, with three clear contenders and another on the fringe. Mookie Betts, from the Red Sox, is my top candidate. Despite a cold streak in his last few games, Betts is averaging an outstanding .336/.422/.1049. He’s leading the league in batting average and has 27 homers and 24 stolen bases, currently on pace for a 30-30 campaign. Betts also leads the league in position player WAR, posting an 8.5.
Despite currently being on the 10-day DL with wrist issues, Mike Trout is still one of the top players in the MLB. Much like Betts, Trout is also a five-tool player. He’s slashing .311/.458/.1080 and also has 30 round-trippers with 21 stolen bases. Yet again, the race between Betts and Trout might be decided by team success, with the Red Sox currently being tabbed as the “Best Team Ever” (just trying to jinx them) with a 90-42 record, pacing the entire MLB.
The third candidate also plays for the favorite to win the World Series, starting pitcher Chris Sale. Despite missing four starts due to injury (Sale is currently on the 10-day DL again), Sale is third in the AL in strikeouts with 219 and has a 12-4 record with a league-leading ERA of 1.97. If it weren’t for his injury, Sale might be above Betts and Trout, but for now, he’s not expected to win the award.
The fourth candidate is Jose Ramirez, of the Indians. Ramirez has established himself as a bonafide superstar this year, absolutely demolishing opposing pitchers. Jose has 37 homers and 91 RBI, with a .408 OBP. He can hit for power and also get on base with superb efficiency, currently ranking second in WAR (behind Betts) with a 7.2.
As a clarification: J.D Martinez isn’t on the list. How can he be the best player in the AL when he’s not even the second-best player on his own team. Unlike the three position players mentioned above, Martinez has little-to-no defensive value, playing half of his games as the designated hitter.
Aaron Nola for NL MVP
The case for Nola being named MVP of the National League has been gaining steam over the last couple months. Nola has been lights out, pitching to a 15-3 record with a 2.13 ERA. He’s leading all pitchers in the NL with an 8.9 WAR, nearly one entire point more than Max Scherzer, who’s second. In his last start, Nola went head-to-head with Scherzer and came out the winner, as the Phillies defeated the Nats 2-0. The 25-year-old pitched eight shutout innings, allowing just five hits and striking out nine batters. Due to the lack of any clear-cut challenger for the award, Nola might end up running away with it. Nola would be the first Phillies pitcher to earn MVP honors since Jim Konstanty in 1950.
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