Major League Baseball’s regular season has entered its stretch run phase. There are fewer than four weeks remaining on the schedule, bringing the finish line into view for those teams jockeying for postseason positioning. As is tradition here at CBS Sports, we’re bringing in September by highlighting 10 of who we consider to be the month’s most important players.
“Most important” has several meanings. In some cases, it doubles as simply “the best player on a contender.” In other cases, it’s more nuanced, like a player fresh off an injury or debut hoping to assert themselves and solidify their team’s roster into the postseason. In each case, we’ve explained why we consider that particular player to be an important figure worth monitoring. For your reading pleasure, the players are ranked in order of perceived importance.
Now, let’s get to business.
We’ll begin with an obvious inclusion. How Judge performs in September will go a long way in dictating the races of the American League East (the Yankees are attempting to edge out the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox) and the Most Valuable Player Award (Seattle Mariners backstop Cal Raleigh is a formidable foe). There’s also the matter of him returning to the outfield for the first time since injuring his elbow in July. That particular dynamic has clear implications for how the Yankees can and will build their lineups come October. Add it all together, and we think there’s a clear case for naming Judge the month’s most consequential player.
2. Cal Raleigh, C/DH, Seattle Mariners
Raleigh isn’t far behind Judge in more ways than one. He’s already made his share of history by establishing a new single-season record for home runs launched by a catcher, and it’s at least possible that he makes a real run at Judge’s single-season AL record. Additionally, a well-timed heater from Raleigh would boost his own MVP Award odds and the Mariners’ chances of topping the Houston Astros, thereby clinching Seattle’s first divisional title since the 2001 season.
Ohtani is, of course, the most brilliant two-way player in the sport’s history. For our purposes here, we’re focusing only on his pitching. Last time out, he recorded his first win since signing with the Dodgers. More significantly, he cleared the five-inning threshold for the first time since undergoing his second elbow surgery. Ohtani’s continued efforts to stretch out won’t just dictate how the Dodgers employ him come the playoffs, but also whether or not Los Angeles can fend off the San Diego Padres and maintain their long-term grasp on the National League West.
There’s a chance Tucker finishes with the highest OPS+ of his career in a season with more than 100 games played, yet the narrative surrounding him has shifted dramatically since the midway point. He started his Cubs tenure white-hot before going into a recent prolonged slump that seems tied, at least to some extent, to a fractured hand he suffered in June. Tucker has rebounded since a multi-day benching, and still seems likely to enter the offseason ranked as the No. 1 free agent on the market. That said, he could use a strong finish to solidify his standing come this winter. Plus, you know, aid the Cubs in their attempts to win their first NL pennant since 2016.Â
This has been a lost season for Alvarez, who only recently returned after missing nearly four months on account of a fractured right hand. When Alvarez was available earlier in the year, he didn’t play up to his usual standards. As such, he’s all but certain to finish with the worst OPS+ of his impressive big-league tenure. None of that will matter if Alvarez can step up from here on, thereby helping the Astros secure another AL West title and possibly another deep playoff run.Â
6. Dylan Cease, RHP, San Diego Padres
There are some loose parallels to draw between Cease and Tucker given that both are walk-year players attempting to course-correct in September. Cease has had a significantly worse season than Tucker, however, and he doesn’t have a known injury to blame his woes on. Rebounding in September wouldn’t just aid Cease’s offseason prospects, it would improve the Padres’ division chances as well as boost a playoff rotation that looks light at the moment because of Yu Darvish’s struggles and injuries to Michael King and Joe Musgrove.
Mize doesn’t have to worry about free agency, not yet anyway, but the Tigers would feel better about their own playoff rotation if he had a strong finish to the regular season. As it stands, Detroit knows it can count on Tarik Skubal to bring the goods. Beyond that? Manager AJ Hinch may have to get creative — or aggressive with his bullpen anyway — when he’s tasked with guiding the Tigers through a playoff start from Mize, Charlie Morton, or Jack Flaherty. Mize looks to be the best of those options, though even he’s sporting an ERA over 6.00 in the second half.
8. Shane Bieber, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
Bieber was one of the riskier additions at the trade deadline, if only because he hadn’t pitched all season at the big-league level while recovering from elbow surgery. He’s since returned with aplomb, tallying 17 â…“ innings and eight earned runs with 21 strikeouts and two walks (Wednesday’s outing against the Reds was his first hiccup). The Blue Jays have a good and deep rotation, but coming into the deadline they didn’t necessarily have the kind of frontline performer who would match up nicely against a Skubal, or a Garrett Crochet, or a Framber Valdez in a playoff setting. Bieber looks like he may be their answer to that problem. A few more strong starts could convince the Jays to tab him for their biggest games come October.
McLean didn’t factor into the big-league season until he made his MLB debut on Aug. 16. In short order, he’s positioned himself as a potentially key member of New York’s postseason rotation. McLean has authored an impressive start to his big-league career, surrendering just two runs in his first 20 innings while punching out 17 more batters than he’s walked. That dominance, plus continued struggles from veterans like Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea, has opened the door on McLean making important starts in October. He’ll have another month to state his case.
10. Payton Tolle, LHP, Boston Red Sox
We’ll conclude with another rookie, albeit one with just a single appearance to his name. Tolle only debuted last weekend, when he struck out eight of the 21 batters he faced against the Pirates while holding Pittsburgh to two runs on three hits and two walks. It’s too soon to know how the next month will go for Tolle, but it stands to reason that he could pitch himself onto Boston’s postseason roster — be it as a starter or reliever — if he finishes strong. As an added bonus, doing so would improve the Red Sox’s chances of winning their first division title since 2018.