With one month left in the regular season, the MLB postseason race is beginning to take proper shape. There is still plenty left undecided at this stage, especially in the American League, where mediocrity abounds. But we’re starting to understand which teams are built for a deep run — and which teams simply are not.
Let’s dive now into MLB’s top 30 players for the stretch run. This will not include players who are out for the year due to injury (Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers), nor those eyeing a late return after spending the entire season on the IL (Corbin Burnes). This list strives to blend 2026 impact, current trajectories and each player’s overall track record.
Honorable mentions: Chase Burns (CIN), Munetaka Murakami (CWS), Otto Lopez (MIA), Mason Miller (SDP), Max Muncy (LAD), Kevin McGonigle (DET), Mike Trout (LAA), Willson Contreras (BOS), Gerrit Cole (NYY), José Ramírez (CLE), CJ Abrams (WAS), Jordan Walker (STL), Freddie Freeman (LAD)
30. LHP Parker Messick | Cleveland Guardians
Parker Messick has been far too overlooked this season, both overall and more specifically in the AL Rookie of the Year race. That’s a function of playing in Cleveland, but the Guardians pitching factory presses onward, undeterred. Messick is so damn precise for a 25-year-old, with a 2.46 ERA and 1.02 WHIP, notching 161 strikeouts in as many innings. He has one of the best fastballs in the business, even if he does not overpower hitters. Messick pounds the edges of the zone and generates plenty of soft contact.
29. OF Ronald Acuña Jr. | Atlanta Braves
There is a vast difference between expectation and reality with Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. these days, largely because he cannot seem to stay healthy. He’s far more inconsistent in the field than an athlete of his caliber should be, although his arm is still second to none. He’s also putting up fairly pedestrian numbers at the plate, with a .754 OPS and 111 wRC+. Still, at the end of the day, we know Acuña is capable of monumental heights. You want him on your team for the stretch run. When the power and speed are working in unison, it’s a wonder to behold.
28. C Dillon Dingler | Detroit Tigers
Cal Raleigh’s sudden collapse opened the door for another catcher to claim the positional mantle, and Tigers backstop Dillon Dingler seized the opportunity. We knew the 27-year-old was a savant behind home plate, but Dingler has generated unexpected power with his bat this season. He’s up to 26 homers with a .781 OPS and 117 wRC+. An elite game manager who doubles as a potent right-handed bat in the middle of the order? That’s a rare breed. Dingler is threatening to show up on quite a few MVP ballots as a result.
27. OF Bryce Harper | Philadelphia Phillies
Dave Dombrowski famously questioned whether Bryce Harper was “still elite” after Philadelphia’s 2025 demise. Harper has responded with force, up to an .892 OPS and 141 wRC+ on the season with a sky-high walk rate. He led the Majors with a .496 on-base percentage in August. The Phillies finally went out and added a viable cleanup hitter at the deadline, which has empowered Harper in profound ways. He is operating with greater patience, while his power — up to 27 home runs on the season — was never really in question. His temporary move to right field was an unexpected curveball, but Harper has handled himself with grace and the Phillies are the hottest team in baseball.
26. LHP Blake Snell | Los Angeles Dodgers
If he weren’t always hurt, Blake Snell might be competing for a top-10 spot on this list. The two-time Cy Young winner is capable of reaching superstar heights, but L.A. has found it difficult to rely on him. Then again, that does not really matter for a team as deep as the Dodgers, so long as Snell is up to speed by October. In his four starts in August after a long layoff, Snell posted 31 strikeouts in 23.0 innings with a 1.17 ERA. His curveball is a cheat code, unlocked by a deceptive fastball that’s almost equally unhittable.
25. RHP Zack Wheeler | Philadelphia Phillies
Zack Wheeler hit a rough patch in August, almost certainly brought on by exhaustion. The 36-year-old really should not be having the season he is; coming off of a historically tricky and damaging shoulder procedure, the expectation was that Wheeler would return rusty, if not outright diminished. He returned just as he was pre-injury, however, and rendered Cy Young-caliber impact throughout most of the regular season. With a 3.31 ERA and 1.09 WHIP, notching 154 strikeouts in 130.1 innings, Wheeler is still pound-for-pound one of the top aces in baseball at full strength. The question is: Can Philadelphia keep him fresh enough for October?
24. DH Kyle Schwarber | Philadelphia Phillies
While Kyle Schwarber won’t quite reach the MVP runner-up heights he did a year ago, he still leads the Majors with 40 home runs and serves as the most fearsome leadoff hitter in the sport, save for the two NL MVP frontrunners who appear further down this list (spoiler). With a struggling Trea Turner behind him in the Phillies lineup, pitchers can rather easily work around Schwarber. He draws a ton of walks and punishes mistakes. With an .883 OPS and 136 wRC+, Schwarber still possesses that rare knack for swinging the momentum of a game with a single at-bat.
23. 3B Junior Caminero | Tampa Bay Rays
Junior Caminero leads the American League with 37 homers, boasting an impressive .905 OPS and 149 wRC+. Much is made about the weaker back half of Tampa’s lineup, but the Rays are charging toward a No. 1 seed for a reason. Caminero is a big part of it, blossoming into a bonafide superstar force at the plate. He has improved his approach, taking more walks without sacrificing his elite bat speed and hard contact skills on pitches in the zone. Caminero is one of the worst defensive infielders in baseball, which hurts him a bit in these rankings, but few sluggers create more offensive value than he does at this point. He’s still on the upswing, too, just scratching the surface of his MVP potential.
22. LHP Jesús Luzardo | Philadelphia Phillies
There’s no more underrated pitcher in MLB right now than Jesús Luzardo. The Phillies ace started the season on uneven footing, but he quickly course-corrected to earn his first All-Star berth and is now tracking for a top-five finish in Cy Young voting. He has a 3.09 ERA and 1.12 WHIP, with 203 strikeouts in 163.0 innings. Better yet, after posting a 4.30 ERA (with a 2.76 FIP) through May, Luzardo has a picturesque 2.25 ERA over the last three months, allowing just five runs in 34.1 innings in August. He might be the single hottest starting pitcher in the Majors, which could pay dividends as Philly jockeys for postseason positioning down the stretch.
21. RHP Paul Skenes | Pittsburgh Pirates
It has been an extremely turbulent campaign for Paul Skenes and the Pirates pitching staff as a whole. In a cruel twist of fate, Pittsburgh put together one of the best offensive rosters in MLB this season, only for its pitching to falter at several critical junctions. Skenes’ velocity has dipped, to the point where questions of health and fatigue are becoming all too prevalent. Still, his 3.79 ERA and 1.12 WHIP don’t really do justice to the 24-year-old’s immense talent. Skenes pitched six shutout innings in his most recent start, with his fastball ticking back toward the upper 90s. There’s hope that he can salvage the final month and at least keep Pittsburgh competitive. You’d be hard-pressed to pick five pitchers better than Skenes in a do-or-die situation.
20. LHP Max Fried | New York Yankees
Yankees ace Max Fried hasn’t skipped a beat this season despite multiple IL stints, with a 2.80 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across 16 starts. The veteran southpaw has six pitches that he can throw reliably, including three fastball variations that all work like a charm. Fried has never been one to overwhelm hitters, instead pounding the strike zone with uncommon precision and deception, able to miss barrels and coax soft ground-ball contact. Meanwhile, his slow, fading curve remains an elite out pitch. Fried’s experience alone sets him apart from younger counterparts on this list.
19. 1B Ben Rice | New York Yankees
Ben Rice has fallen out of the American League MVP race, but he has still served as a foundational piece of the Yankees lineup through months of injury-induced uncertainty. There are valid criticisms of Rice’s defense at first base, but the injury to Giancarlo Stanton has opened up more DH reps for the moment. He’s prone to high-strikeout, low-efficiency stretches and the occasional struggles against left-handed pitching, but Rice has also shown an aptitude for working deep into counts and taking walks when they’re afforded to him. He has one of the most violent and aesthetically pleasing swings in baseball, with a stellar .870 OPS and 141 wRC+ to back up his 35 home runs on the year.
18. 1B Matt Olson | Atlanta Braves
The disappointed look on Matt Olson’s face whenever he crushes a meatball served over the middle of the plate is one of baseball’s purest displays of dominance. Few hitters derive less apparent joy from embarrassing an opposing pitcher, which Olson does more consistently and more emphatically than most. The perennial All-Star has once again carried a potent Braves lineup through various injuries and setbacks, ever the steadfast presence near the top of the lineup. He has 37 home runs on the season now, with an .850 OPS and 131 wRC+ — not to mention elite glovework at first base.
17. OF Corbin Carroll | Arizona Diamondbacks
No ballplayer better exemplifies “lighting in a bottle” than Corbin Carroll, who is electric with his speed on the base paths. The Diamondbacks outfielder is on pace to lead the National League in triples for the fourth straight season with 16 and counting, now just one shy of his career high. Carroll turns and burns out of the batter’s box on every hit into the gap. He’s also on track for his fourth straight 20-HR, 20-SB season. Carroll is a rare package of elite speed, power, IQ and defense. He’s one of the rare, true five-tool contributors, able to impact the game in an endless variety of ways.
16. RHP Cam Schlittler | New York Yankees
Cam Schlittler might mess around and win his first Cy Young award in his first full MLB season. New York’s ability to field the best rotation in the American League despite overlapping injuries to Max Fried, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón is largely a credit to Schlittler’s undeterred dominance. He has a stellar 2.09 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 201 Ks in 163.2 innings. The availability and consistency from a hard-throwing 25-year-old — with Schlittler’s rare blend of elite command and wipeout, swing-and-miss stuff — puts him on a rare trajectory. It helps that he has already proven himself in high-pressure environments.
15. OF James Wood | Washington Nationals
James Wood needed fewer than three MLB seasons to strike the fear of God into opposing pitchers. He draws walks at a prolific rate and sits in MLB’s 100th percentile for hard-hit rate (57.6 percent), with quick, violent swings that allow him to cover a wide strike zone at 6-foot-6. Wood strikes out more than you’d like, but he’s on base a ton and a sneaky threat with his legs. The defense in left field is problematic, to say the least, but Wood is up to 30 homers with a .928 OPS and 150 wRC+. You won’t find the Nationals complaing about a few warts in his profile when Wood is among the true elites when it comes to slugging a baseball.
14. RHP Dylan Cease | Toronto Blue Jays
Dylan Cease is not without volatility due to his gaudy walk rate, but when he’s on — and he has been on more than ever this season — the Blue Jays All-Star ranks among the most dangerous pitchers in MLB. Cease leads the Majors with 217 strikeouts across 150.1 innings, with a 2.35 ERA, AL-best 2.42 FIP and 1.05 WHIP. He gives up a few too many freebies, yes, but Cease can almost always work out of a jam by mowing down opponents in rapid succession. His upper-90s fastball and tight upper-80s slider highlight a razor-sharp six-pitch mix, as Cease can tunnel pitches and wrong-foot hitters with the best of ’em.
13. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto | Los Angeles Dodgers
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s heroic efforts in the 2025 World Series cemented his status as one of MLB’s most formidable aces. The 28-year-old is almost impossibly well-rounded, executing his weekly game plan with unmatched precision. Yamamoto paints the corners, mix speeds and throws six plus pitches like it’s nothing. He has a 2.56 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with 153 strikeouts in 158.0 innings. He’s consistently pitching deep into games and creatively evading trouble in the rare moments when it crops up.
12. SS Elly De La Cruz | Cincinnati Reds
The Reds learned about regression the hard way this season, but Elly De La Cruz took the superstar leap we all suspected. Yes, he strikes out a lot, but De La Cruz has taken a more patient plate approach and improved his contact rate, with a truly elite — and singular — blend of power and speed. He’s the single most impressive athlete in the Majors for my money. Plus, De La Cruz has cleaned up his act in the field, transforming from an error-riddled negative defender in 2025 (-3 Outs Above Average) to a major plus (+7 OAA) in that department this season. He easily covers a wide range with his 6-foot-6 frame and boasts incredible arm strength to make tough outs across the diamond. He’s up to 21 homers and 24 stolen bases on the season, with an .827 OPS and 126 wRC+. There is more room yet to grow, too.
11. OF Fernando Tatis Jr. | San Diego Padres
Fernando Tatis Jr. looked like a shell of himself early on. The Padres superstar did not record his first home run until May 30. Since the switch flipped, however, Tatis has obliterated opponents, up to 17 homers and 31 stolen bases on the year, with elite defense in right field and the underlying metrics to back up the “bad luck” narrative that dominated his early-season foibles. Tatis is a stupid-talented athlete who can check just about every box as the centerpiece of a lineup. Plus, he has a long track record of producing in high-leverage spots. Few stars exude the confidence that Tatis does, and now that he’s got his swagger back, the Padres are a real sleeper in the National League.
10. LHP Cristopher Sánchez | Philadelphia Phillies
Cristopher Sánchez is tracking toward another second-place finish in NL Cy Young voting, which almost feels unfair for a pitcher operating at such a consistently high level across the last two years. Sánchez’s greatest attribute is his durability; he’s a true workhorse, consistently pitching more than six innings deep with minimal fatigue. This last month was a challenge for Sánchez, as even he is mortal in the face of such an intensive workload. Still, with 175.2 innings under his belt this season, the southpaw has a 2.52 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, with 202 strikeouts. His numbers would look even better if not for Philadelphia’s abysmal defense, which has frequently undercut the sinkerballer’s penchant for generating playable ground balls.
9. LHP Chris Sale | Atlanta Braves
Chris Sale closed out August with a complete-game shutout of the high-octane Dodgers, the crown jewel of yet another improbably dominant campaign from the 37-year-old. It defies all common knowledge for Sale to pitch this well into his late- 30s, but he’s a former Cy Young winner and a 10-time All-Star for a reason. Sale has a 2.06 ERA and 1.00 WHIP, notching 177 strikeouts in 144.0 innings. The only reason he isn’t firmly No. 2 in the NL Cy Young race is innings pitched, but Sale has guided an undermanned Braves rotation through more than its share of injuries. He’s still touching the upper 90s with his heater, he does not surrender walks and Sale’s slider remains one of MLB’s premier put-away pitches. The man is a machine.
8. LHP Tarik Skubal | Los Angeles Dodgers
It has not been the smoothest post-trade deadline transition to L.A. for Tarik Skubal, but when it comes down to it, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more dependable, proven ace to roll out when the stakes are highest. In a “down” year, Skubal has still produced a 2.84 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with 153 strikeouts in 126.2 innings. He missed a couple weeks for elbow surgery midseason and came back, in record time, with nary a sign of rust. The veteran southpaw continues to hammer the strike zone with five elite pitches. He is so precise and so vicious in his execution that L.A. can feel mighty good about him leading the charge in their bid for an ultra-rare three-peat.
7. RHP Jacob Misiorowski | Milwaukee Brewers
There was a point early in the season when there was a real, meaty Cy Young debate between Jacob Misiorowski and Sánchez. Such debates are long dormant, however, as The Miz — in his first full MLB season, lest we forget — has pretty much wrapped up the hardware with a shiny, blue-and-yellow ribbon. The Brewers fireballer sits at 101 MPH on average with his fastball. After struggling to locate the strike zone as a rookie, Misiorowski has a sterling 6.1 percent walk rate this season. He’s unhittable and in constant control, with a 1.73 ERA and 0.75 WHIP to complement 222 strikeouts in 151.0 innings pitched. Until further notice, there’s no real debate as to the “best pitcher in baseball.”
6. OF Aaron Judge | New York Yankees
Aaron Judge has not appeared for the Yankees since the end of May. Given the inherent concerns over rust and ramp-up, and with less than a full month to go in the regular season, we will dock him accordingly. Despite the natural concerns that bubble up around an extended layoff, however, Judge remains one of the most intimidating — and most bankable — sluggers in MLB. If he were fully healthy and enjoying his standard productivity at the plate, it’d be impossible to drop him much further than second or third on this list. Before he went down, Judge was “struggling,” but only relative to his impossibly high standards. He put up 17 home runs in less than half a season with a .907 OPS and 150 wRC+. The Yankees’ lineup is about to get a major boost as soon as their next homestand.
5. OF Juan Soto | New York Mets
If not for an extended absence midseason, Juan Soto might’ve been able to keep the Mets semi-competitive after a brutal start. Alas, New York has only found signs of life over the last month, even if it’s much too late to salvage the current campaign. Soto, to his credit, continues to dominate in every respect as a hitter. His sharp eye, compact swing mechanics and immense natural power lead to consistently exceptional results at the plate. He has 22 homers in only 87 games with a .948 OPS and 158 wRC+. He’s a persistent negative in the field, which is unfortunate, but Soto’s offensive refinement more than makes up for it.
4. SS Bobby Witt Jr. | Kansas City Royals
The Royals‘ red-hot August was too little too late, but Kansas City is at least establishing positive momentum ahead of 2027. It starts, of course, with five-tool sensation Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop. He continues to flash his leather up the middle, burn rubber on the bases and produce frequent hard contact at the plate. Witt has 16 homers and 34 stolen bases with an .812 OPS and 124 wRC+. He’s more of a line-drive hitter than a true home run threat, but considering Witt’s top-of-scale speed, those bullets shot into the gaps are almost equally as dangerous as the long ball.
3. DH Yordan Álvarez | Houston Astros
The Astros are two games above .500 despite somehow leading their division, but the blame for their mediocrity does not land on Yordan Álvarez. The 29-year-old powerhouse has taken his game to a whole new level this season. He abstains from bad pitches almost religously while pouncing on just about every pitch hung up the zone. Álvarez is hitting .317 with a .432 on-base percentage and 1.017 OPS, all of which lead the Majors. He has a real shot at winning the Triple Crown, and his name is practically engraved on the AL MVP trophy already.
2. OF Pete Crow-Armstrong | Chicago Cubs
Pete Crow-Armstrong is unconscious at the plate right now. This is a prime example of talent, production and momentum aligning in perfect harmony. PCA put up five home runs in a two-game span over the weekend, up to 38 on the year. He’s on 40-40 watch, too, with 32 stolen bases and counting. PCA takes an extremely aggressive approach at the plate, sometimes to his detriment, but he has improved his average and walk rates in a big way this season. He’s sitting at a .949 OPS and 159 wRC+. Oh, and he’s the best defensive outfielder in the sport. PCA should ride this wave to an MVP award, with the Cubs looking awfully dangerous ahead of October.
1. DH Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Dodgers
PCrow-Armstrong has moved mountains and made this a real debate, which is a huge credit to him. At the end of the day, however, there’s really no other answer when viewing the MLB landscape holistically. The Dodgers expect Shohei Ohtani back on the mound before the end of the regular season, which only cements his status as the league’s best player. Not only is Ohtani still a wrecking machine at the plate, with elite speed to match his 30-home run power and .909 OPS. But he has a 1.79 ERA and 0.95 WHIP across 14 starts on the mound, with 95 Ks in 85.2 innings. It’s unclear how much longer L.A. can rely on Ohtani as a pitcher given his mounting history of elbow problems, but for now he remains a lights-out force when healthy. MLB’s only two-way star is the guy you want leading your team into October, no questions asked.
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