With roughly six weeks left to play in the 2023 season, MLB is entering the stretch run. A couple divisional races in the National League are locked up, but there are plenty of teams battling for the postseason throughout the majors.
This period is always interesting because, in the ultimate team game, certain individual players seem to rise above and carry their clubs over the finish line.
That’s sort of what I’m looking at today. One player – or two in one instance – from each division who can have an outsized effect on the pennant races and the postseason march. These aren’t necessarily the best players on a team, although that is the case with some.
Instead, I am looking at players who may the hold the key as to whether a club makes the playoffs or how far a contender can go.
Related: Latest MLB postseason picture today, playoff schedule and Wild Card race
American League East
RHP Grayson Rodriguez, Baltimore Orioles
Perhaps this is unfair, since Rodriguez is 23, has only 16 big-league starts and has no postseason experience. But he also has the best stuff on this staff and has been excellent since he was recalled from Triple-A post All-Star Break. In 10 first-half starts, Rodriguez had a 7.35 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP. In his six starts since he returned from a minor-league demotion, Rodriguez owns a 3.03 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP.
This staff doesn’t have a designated ace, but it added right-hander Jack Flaherty at the trade deadline and hopes to have lefty John Means back in September. Barring a major collapse, the Orioles are a no-doubt playoff team — and a good one.
Still, it’s not clear what a three-man postseason rotation will look like? Kyle Bradish deserves a spot, but the other two are anyone’s guess at this moment. And that’s where Rodriguez can make his mark with a strong finish. The Orioles will be careful with the rookie’s innings, but the talent and opportunity appear to be there for him to make a difference this postseason.
American League Central
Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins
Correa had one of the strangest offseasons in memory, signing lucrative long-term deals three times, with the first two scrapped over health insurance concerns. The Twins ultimately re-signed Correa to a six-year, $200 million pact, which was viewed as a bargain given his previous agreements with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets.
Correa, 28, has played in 108 of Minnesota’s 123 games, so health hasn’t been a major concern in 2023, though he has been playing through plantar fasciitis for a few months. His offensive production, however, has been an issue. Correa is on pace to post career-worst marks for a full season in batting average, on-base percentage, OPS, OPS+ and WAR. He has shown some signs of life in the second half, including an .840 OPS in his first 13 games of August.
The Twins look like the best club in the division, slightly better than the Cleveland Guardians. They are below average in runs scored this year; that’s with Correa being disappointingly mediocre. A return to Correa’s usual form in the next six weeks would make them a much more formidable club for the postseason.
American League West
Max Scherzer, Texas Rangers/Justin Verlander, Houston Astros
I cheated here by taking two. And I’m not apologizing. How do you choose between these future Hall-of-Famers? Both joined strong teams in the AL West at the trade deadline from the New York Mets. Both could take their respective clubs to the World Series.
The Rangers currently have the edge in the standings and probably needed the pitching boost more. They are 10th in the majors in ERA whereas the Astros are third. Scherzer, 39, has a higher ERA this season than Verlander. But Mighty Max won his first three decisions with Texas while posting a 1.80 ERA. Verlander wasn’t as good with his new (old) team, a 4.50 ERA and two wins in three starts.
Still, Verlander, 40, was probably the biggest trade deadline addition throughout all of MLB this season, especially considering he re-joined a team and a franchise he knows so well. Wouldn’t it be cool if these two former teammates – and reported frenemies – face off in September or in the postseason? That would be must-watch TV.
National League East
Max Fried, Atlanta Braves
The Braves are so balanced and so good that maybe I should have picked someone from the Philadelphia Phillies or Miami Marlins here. Atlanta, led by MVP candidates Ronald Acuña and Matt Olson, are running away with the division and have outscored their opponents this year by nearly 200 runs. They are currently the favorites to win the World Series.
Now Fried, who placed second in NL Cy Young voting last year, has returned after missing three months with a left forearm injury. The Braves can take it easy with Fried and monitor innings in the next six weeks as he prepares for the playoffs.
Make no mistake, though. As good as Atlanta’s staff has been with right-handers Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton and Bryce Elder, tossing the lefty Fried atop that mix makes the rotation more dangerous. And even more likely to make a long run into the postseason.
National League Central
Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds
Sometimes talented but inexperienced clubs need a spark to help take them to the next level of competitiveness. We saw it last year with Julio Rodríguez in Seattle and Adley Rutschman in Baltimore and this season with Corbin Carroll in Arizona and, specifically, with Elly De La Cruz in Cincinnati.
The young Reds were already showing some life before the 21-year-old De La Cruz made his debut June 6. In his first 27 starts, however, the Reds were 21-6 and De La Cruz seemingly provided a daily highlight with either his bat, his legs or his glove at shortstop and third base.
The Reds and De La Cruz have cooled down considerably in recent weeks. Cincinnati was 13-18 in their first 31 games of the second half and De La Cruz batted .190 with a .632 OPS in his first 30 games post-break compared to .363 and .887 in his 30 games before the break. Like Rodriguez in Baltimore, it’s unfair to put so much stock in a rookie down the stretch. Still, it’s clear that when De La Cruz is scorching, the Reds are, too. And they could use that kind of production in the last six weeks as they battle the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs.
National League West
Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers
I initially tried to avoid a Dodger here. It appears they are gliding towards their 10th NL West title in 11 seasons. So, wouldn’t it be more intriguing to select a San Francisco Giant or maybe Corbin Carroll in Arizona? No.
The Dodgers are the Dodgers. They appear to be the second-best team in the National League behind only Freeman’s previous club, the Braves. Freeman is widely considered the runner-up for NL MVP, trailing only Acuña, whom Freeman played with and apparently was tough on when the rookie joined the Braves in 2018.
One of the most intriguing storylines this year is Freeman attempting to win a World Series in LA with the road to the NLCS likely going through Atlanta. Freeman is a superstar and is having one of the best years of his career. He doesn’t need to carry the Dodgers, who also have Mookie Betts. But nothing screams legacy like winning another ring in a second city. This is Freeman’s chance to do that.
Dan Connolly is an MLB Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.