Awards, titles, playoff spots – there’s a lot to follow in the final month of the MLB season. Here are 10 of the bigger story lines as September approaches.
Over the course of a season, Major League Baseball rarely disappoints, with twists and turns and unexpected outcomes.
The 2026 season has been no different, so that begs the question: What does September have in store for us?
Here are 10 MLB story lines we’ll be watching closely.
1. The NL MVP race will be fascinating. On one hand, Shohei Ohtani – the award’s recipient in the last two seasons – ranks No. 2 the NL in OPS (and OPS+) and also has a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts as a pitcher. On the other hand, Pete Crow-Armstrong is oh, so slightly ahead in OPS and OPS+, reached the 30/30 mark in mid-August, and leads the majors in WAR thanks in large part to his outstanding defense in center field. So what takes home the award – the hitter/pitcher or the hitter/defender? September should be lots of fun.
2. Jacob Misiorowski has made 18 starts since the beginning of May, and he’s allowed zero earned runs in half of them. But we’re beyond the point of just talking about stretches of his incredible season (even though that eight-start stretch when he posted a 0.17 ERA in 54 1/3 innings was mind-boggling). Misiorowski is No. 1 among MLB pitchers in raw value, and he leads the majors in just about every significant category (1.68 ERA, 216 strikeouts, 2.14 FIP, 5.6 fWAR, 0.76 WHIP, etc., etc.) and is heading toward a unanimous vote in the NL Cy Young voting.
3. What’s more likely: Yordan Alvarez wins the AL Triple Crown or the Houston Astros finish under .500? The lefty slugger, No. 1 on the hitters’ raw value leaderboard, enters the week with slim leads in AL batting average, home runs and RBIs – but a massive lead in the MVP race – and here’s a fun fact: You have to go all the way back to 1933, when Chuck Klein pulled the trick for the 60-92 Philadelphia Phillies, to find a Triple Crown winner in the AL/NL who played for a team that finished under .500. Houston enters the final week of August one game under .500.
4. Thing is, those Astros are tied with the Texas Rangers for first in the AL West because, well, mediocrity is the theme in that division this year, it seems. That’s even more remarkable considering that division has the two worst teams in the AL, the Athletics and Los Angeles Angels. That the Rangers are a combined 8-14 against those cellar-dwellers but still tied for the division lead is nothing short of incredible.
5. Can the Chicago White Sox finish their miraculous season with the AL Central title? Their rebound from moribund to contender has been one of the better team stories in recent memory. Slugger Munetaka Murakami stole the early headlines, but Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery are matching him homer for homer, and Sean Burke has been one of the better starters in baseball. They have six more games remaining against the third-place Minnesota Twins and three more against the second-place Cleveland Guardians.
6. Will Aaron Judge make his way back from the stress fracture in his right rib in time for the New York Yankees (the AL leader in TRACR) to make their final push in an attempt to catch the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East? Or can they at least stay in front of the Boston Red Sox in the wild-card chase? Also, where would they be without Ben Rice slugging homers and Cam Schlittler pitching like a future Cy Young Award winner?
7. What will Mason Miller’s final numbers look like, and where does the San Diego Padres closer finish in the NL Cy Young voting? He won’t win, but what type of votes does he get in the mix with Chris Sale and Cristopher Sanchez? Entering the week, Miller’s stats are incredible: an 0.83 ERA and 0.59 FIP while allowing just 24 hits (against 99 strikeouts) in 54 1/3 innings. And, oh yeah, can he help the Padres lock down that wild-card spot?
8. Oh, hey look that NL East gap has tightened up a bit, hasn’t it? Funny what a nine-game winning streak (hello, Phillies!) can do to increase the pressure of a division race. The Atlanta Braves have been in first place basically all season, and their lead was a comfortable 9.5 games as recently as Aug. 12. But that’s down to a paltry three games heading into the week, a number that seems very small as Kyle Schwarber continues to mash home runs at a rapid rate.
9. In a stellar year for MLB rookie races, Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers seems to have a firm grasp on the AL award, but a flurry of Murakami homers in a playoff push – he’s at 29, and let’s say he gets close to 40 – could change that in a hurry. In the NL, St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt has been atop the odds list for a long time, batting leadoff and playing outstanding defense, but Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds just keeps popping homers and driving in runs at an MLB-leading pace.
10. And, of course, we have the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ohtani hasn’t pitched in a minute, but he’s supposed to be back on the mound during the team’s next homestand. How will the two-time defending World Series champs shape his role heading into October? Tarik Skubal starts will be fun to watch, unless you’re a fan of the opposing team (or just a Dodgers hater in general). Blake Snell has worked six innings in each of his first two starts off the IL, allowing just one earned run. Basically, how does the rotation shake out over the month?
For more coverage, follow along on social media on Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and X.
A September to Remember? 10 Story Lines to Watch for in MLB Opta Analyst.
Hence then, the article about a september to remember 10 story lines to watch for in mlb was published today ( ) and is available on The Analyst ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( A September to Remember? 10 Story Lines to Watch for in MLB )
Also on site :
- Trump's 'economic D-Day' on Iran puts China in the crosshairs
- Venice Adds Competition Film From ‘No Other Land’ Directors, The Guardian & Jonathan Glazer About “Systems Behind Israel’s Calculated Killing Of Palestinian Civilians”
- 1978 Barry Manilow Murder Mystery Smash, Written in 15 Minutes, Had a Dark Twist Millions of Listeners Missed