Yardbarker
x
The hottest hitters in MLB heading into September sprint
New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez has taken the Bronx by storm. USA TODAY Sports

The hottest hitters in MLB heading into September sprint

The final month of play around Major League Baseball sees a variety of different battles taking shape, many of which change on a daily basis by the game’s premier hitters. With a pair of multi-headed MVP races to one of the most impressive rookie debuts of all time, there is plenty to be excited about as baseball heads down its home stretch.

Many of the hottest hitters in the game will change the direction of a given day at a moment’s notice; one bad pitch to the wrong guy and the entire trajectory of a season could be altered. No pressure, huh?

This why it pays to be able to ride the hot hand as the season turns from the dog days of summer into the clutch season of the early fall. As some pitchers tire from the summer’s long workload, the balance of power can shift to those carrying the lumber. And while the old adage goes pitching wins championships, so goes that hitters have more than their say in those affairs as well.

So who are those pivotal players who could alter the final month of the MLB slate with a wave of their hands or a well-timed at-bat? Here is a look at a handful of hitters that are either heating — or reheating— up at just the right time.

Jose Altuve, Astros

His Astros may be on the wrong side of the wild card race, but Altuve’s season continues to be awe-inspiring. He is in position to run away with the AL batting crown, which would be his second in the last three years. Altuve also could push close to or surpass 50 doubles, 30 stolen bases and 100 RBI with another big month, which is a staggering amount of production.

He has had better than 30 hits in all but one month this year and is closing out an August in which he's had season highs in doubles (11) and RBI (25), all while hitting .349 — the fourth straight month he has bested .340. He’s is the most unique player in the game today, and odds should favor him finishing out the year with a bang.

Mookie Betts, Red Sox

MVPs are made around this time of the calendar, and Betts is making a strong push to get his name as high up on that ballot as possible. He is already in the conversation as the most exciting player in the American League, and his play over the past month has affirmed that he is among the best as well.

Overall on the year, Betts is toward the top of the AL in a diverse offering of categories, including RBI, runs scored and stolen bases. He's led all American Leaguers in hits in August and is tied for the circuit’s lead in RBI as well. This came on the back of his three-home run, eight-RBI breakout against the Diamondbacks on Aug. 14, the second time on the year that he notched a three-homer game. He joined Ted Williams as the only Red Sox to have two such days in the same season. And while the year has been about David Ortiz’s farewell, it's Betts' play that could ultimately mean the most regarding a Boston postseason run.

Kris Bryant/Anthony Rizzo, Cubs

For a pair of players whose ticket to the postseason is already punched, it would be easy to see how Kris Bryant or Anthony Rizzo could dial it back headed into the last month, but they have done nothing of the sort. Both are firmly in the race for NL MVP honors and playing in a fashion that seems to be motivating each other in the chase.

Bryant is enjoying his best month on the year, hitting nine home runs with 21 RBI and an insane NL-best 1.209 OPS. Rizzo is trailing his infield mate in all of these categories, but the fact he is still hitting .347 and reaching base at a .413 rate this month is a credit to why Bryant is still getting a chance to see pitches at all.

They are the most dangerous duo in the game, and if Bryant does indeed take home MVP honors, it is in large part due to the fantastic season that Rizzo has had protecting him.

Asdrubal Cabrera, Mets

The timing couldn’t be worse for an injury such as the one Cabrera suffered on Sunday, because the Mets’ shortstop has been establishing himself as the team's most important offensive player of late. A collision caused a knee injury that forced him to leave the game, and a prolonged absence would be yet another in a curse of such injuries that have followed the Mets around. Cabrera is hitting .455 (yes, you read that right) in August, with nearly half of those hits being extra-base hits.

If the injury proves to be short-term, he could continue to be one of the biggest, yet most overlooked, difference makers in the pennant chase.

Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers

Corey Seager’s emergence propelled the Dodgers into the lead in the NL West, but the ever-dependable Gonzalez has regained his usual form at just the right time. He is hitting .354 since Aug. 1, while driving in 24 runs. Seven of his 16 home runs on the season have come in the past month as well, providing a much-needed power element to the suddenly offensively inclined Dodgers.

D.J. LeMahieu, Rockies

Unlike many of the other players on this list, LeMahieu is not playing for a postseason push. However, in the past month he has put on an all-out siege on the batting title race and has made it an interesting competition for the season’s final month.

Throughout nearly the entire year, Daniel Murphy has been the clear-cut leader in the batting race and has stayed at his consistent level, just north of .340. However, since August broke, LeMahieu is hitting .447 in 85 at-bats and has surpassed Murphy in the race, ever so slightly, buy a fraction of a point. The race between the two for the batting title could be an interesting side note and could affect Murphy’s more than legitimate claim at capturing the MVP for himself, should Bryant and Rizzo split votes in Chicago.

J.D. Martinez, Tigers

There were doubters believing that his improbable two-year breakout had finally come back to earth after a morbidly slow start to the year, but Martinez has shown up when the Tigers needed him most. Martinez has hit .394 during August and fueled the Tigers’ climb back into the increasingly hot AL Central race. Over the month, he has 14 extra-base hits and scored 18 runs.

Despite a hellish chase from behind, as well as the huge head start the Indians have, the Tigers are in firing range of the division headed into September, and if Martinez continues his current pace, it could get interesting before midnight hits on the season.

Brandon Moss, Cardinals

Moss’s return to the Cardinals' lineup from an ankle injury that cost him much of July provided the Redbirds with a game-changing bat at the perfect time. During his absence, they lost both Matt Holliday and Aledmys Diaz indefinitely to thumb injuries. This was compounded by the oblique injury that had already cost them Matt Carpenter since June.

Moss has wasted no time in reinserting himself prominently in the fray, hitting eight August home runs and producing a .927 OPS. He has run his season totals up to 25 home runs in just 99 games and is setting himself up to be one of the most sought-out free agents of the winter.

Jose Ramirez, Indians

Many other parts of the Indians' ensemble get more headlines, but the club’s jack-of-all-trades has truly been the glue that’s made much of it work. Only the Red Sox’s Betts has more hits for the month of August than Ramirez, but he has out-doubled and stolen more bases than Mookie. Ramirez has been the utility man that the Tribe has needed, and it is well past time to pay attention to the steady, persistent impact he makes on a daily basis.

Gary Sanchez, Yankees

Sanchez is making the majors look easy right now — so easy that he has become the biggest spectacle of the year for the Yankees, who have not been short on headlines for a variety of other surprising reasons. In his first full month as a MLBer, he has hit .425 and has three games of at least three hits and just as many multi-hit games as he does games of zero or one hit. He has also become the fastest player ever to reach 11 home runs. He is leaving the yard once every 7.6 at-bats currently, which even with the unavoidable slowing of his pace puts him in real firing range of getting close to 20 home runs on the year by the close of business for the year at Yankee Stadium.

There is not much to look forward to this season for the Bombers outside of Sanchez’s at-bats, but one of the great late-season call-ups ever is worth keeping an eye on for the sheer awe of it alone.

Denard Span, Giants

He was one of the signings that made the most sense this offseason, and it was the typically understated type of addition that the Giants have built their current run on. And while the team as a whole is struggling to hold on to its ground throughout the second half, Span has kicked into a new gear in try to stop the skid.

Span is hitting .346 in August and has out-homered his entire 2016 season over the last month as well. He is hitting .333 since the All-Star break and has become one of the most dangerous table setters in the game again.

Trea Turner, Nationals

Turner has been the exact shot of life that the Nationals needed, and after perhaps leaving him down a bit too long too early in the year, the Nats have been rewarded late and have one of the most important late-season additions that any team brought on atop their lineup.

The 23-year-old has been the jolt that the Washington offense desperately needed as Bryce Harper struggled through the mid-summer and injuries held back the team’s full potential. In his first full month with the big league club, he has led an all-out assault, leading the National League in hits during the month of August.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.