The 2021 regular season is coming to an end soon. With only one series remaining for each team, the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Mariners and the Blue Jays are fighting hard for the AL Wild Card spots. Some players have been playing very well in September. Can they make an impact in the final series of the 2021 season?
Juan Soto has heated up after the All-Star break, hitting .360/.532/.662 with 18 home runs and 52 RBI. In September, he’s just unstoppable. Soto slashed .404/.565/.691 with 7 home runs and 23 RBI this September. The Nationals are eliminated from the playoff race. However, with his great performance in September, he’s a good candidate for the NL MVP. Moreover, Javier Baez has been hitting well since he was traded to the Mets. Baez slashes .307/.379/.528 with 9 HRs and 22 RBI in the Mets uniform. In September, he was batting .361/.441/.577 with 5 home runs and 14 RBI. He will be a free agent after the 2021 season. Is his performance in the Mets convincing to tell that he’s one of the best players in the majors?
Meanwhile, it’s not a good 2021 for Eugenio Suarez and he’s only hitting .192/.280/.417 so far. However, Suarez already crushed 30 home runs and he had a good September with a .355/.446/.790 slash line. Additionally, the Giants’ shortstop Brandon Crawford was hitting well in September, slashing .352/.449/.604 with 5 home runs and 16 RBI. The Giants definitely would like to see Crawford stay hot in October. Furthermore, another shortstop Bo Bichette posted a .345 batting average in September.
Marcus Semien crushed 12 home runs in September. By far this season, he has blasted 44 home runs and collected 101 RBI, both set his career-high. Semien also set MLB single-season record for most home runs by a second baseman. The Blue Jays definitely need his bat to stay hot in the final series of the season. Additionally, the Cardinals are amazing in September and they just clinched second NL Wild Card spot. Tyler O’Neill is hot in the Cardinals lineup, slashing .303/.353/.661 with 11 home runs and 27 RBI in September. Moreover, Salvador Perez, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge each smashed 10 home runs in September.
Adding Max Scherzer in the rotation is one of the best trades in the Dodgers franchise history. Scherzer has been unbeatable since he was traded to the Dodgers. In September, Sherzer punched out 48 batters and owned a 2.29 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP over 39.1 innings. It’s possible to see Scherzer win his 4th Cy Young award. Furthermore, Kevin Gausman and Robbie Ray each threw 46 strikeouts and posted a 1.21 WHIP in September. Ray posted a 3.44 ERA, but Gausman’s ERA was 4.64. Scherzer, Gausman and Ray will be in free agency after the 2021 season.
Giovanny Gallegos has been very consistent in the Cardinals’ closer role in September. In 12 save opportunities, he only blew once. He posted a 3.29 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP this September. Will Smith just collected an important save to help the Braves clinch NL East division title and he recorded 8 saves in September. In addition, Joe Barlow and Jordan Romano each had 8 saves last month.
Juan Soto has an outstanding September, however the Nationals were eliminated and we won’t see Soto play October baseball. Nonetheless, Brandon Crawford is a key player in the Giants lineup and it will be interesting to see whether his good performance will be extended to October. In addition, the Dodgers will need Max Scherzer to stay sharp in October to defend the title. Moreover, Marcus Semien, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge each hit at least 10 home runs in September. Will one of them use his bat to make an impact in the final series?
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