Six MLB stars heating up for playoff run

While all MLB games are technically created equal, the ones at the end of the year certainly feel more important. In these big games, teams and fans expect their big MLB stars to come through.

How can we tell which stars might be doing that? In some cases, the player’s history tells the story. Other times, we just have to ride the hot hands. Occasionally, it’s some combination of both.

So, which MLB stars are gearing up to have a memorable playoff push?

Jose Altuve, second baseman, Houston Astros

As things stand now, Houston would need some help, but it still stands in playoff contention.

But where would the Astros be without Altuve? Dead in the water, we concur.

Altuve has produced at least a .305 average, .400 OBP, and .500 slugging percentage in each month of the 2016 season. When someone is that hot, it’s hard to ever bet against them.

Incredibly, somehow Altuve has found a way to be even hotter since the break.

Don’t expect for that to change much in September.

Altuve is a career .309/.337/.457 hitter in September. While those numbers may not hold up to his current torrid pace, Altuve’s late-season numbers will continue to make him one of baseball’s best, most feared hitters.

The teams holding the Astros off may want to keep them at arm’s length. If Houston is in a spot where a torrid few weeks from Altuve can help put the team over the top and into the playoffs, smart money would not be on those betting against them.

Buster Posey, catcher, San Francisco Giants

To win three World Series in a decade, a team first needs to make the playoffs three times. So, how has that happened for the Giants?

Posey’s numbers go a long way in telling that story.

While most catchers break down towards the end of the season, Posey typically goes the opposite direction. The San Francisco backstop is a career .300/.373/.492 hitter in September.

He also has 21 career homers in September, second only to the 23 he’s hit in April games.

Posey has also begun to swing a hot bat of late. Over his last 30 games, the Giants’ catcher is hitting .300 with a .385 OBP. More recently, he’s begun to hit the ball harder, even producing loud contact on a good portion of his outs.

San Francisco will definitely need a big finish from Posey. In their final 13 games, the Giants play six against the Dodgers and three against the St. Louis Cardinals, likely to be direct rivals in the National League West and Wild Card races.

Clayton Kershaw, starting pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers

Kershaw has been so brilliant throughout his career that it’s hard for anything to really stand out. Somehow, his numbers in September do just that.

Of course, any talk of Kershaw in 2016 brings about one important question. When will he be back?

According to Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times, the Dodgers are keeping Kershaw’s return date “close to the proverbial vest,” but they expect him back.

While Kershaw may not get his normal slate of September games, the ones he could get are important.

Six of Los Angeles’ final 13 games, including the final three, come against the Giants. The two National League West rivals are neck-and-neck for the division lead. At the moment, it seems likely that the loser will still get a Wild Card spot but still, those are important games.

The road to the World Series is much cleaner if a team can forego the Wild Card game.

Looking at Kershaw’s September numbers and his team’s end of season opponents, he should be expected to make a big impact in the playoff race.

Edwin Encarnacion, designated hitter, Toronto Blue Jays

While Altuve and Posey certainly have some pop, most of their hitting down the stretch will come in the form of line drives. Instead, Encarnacion will be parking balls over the fence.

Since the beginning of the second half, Encarnacion is slugging at a whopping .592 and has launched 12 homers. Don’t expect that to taper off much.

In the month of September, Toronto will play all but seven games against American League East opponents.

In other words, Encarnacion will have a month’s worth of games in hitter friendly stadiums with plenty of at-bats against September call ups. The man who’s been one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the last 365 days has to be licking his chops.

Pitchers, as well as people sitting in the left field bleachers at Blue Jays games, had better beware.

Yordano Ventura, starting pitcher, Kansas City Royals

Ventura has a career ERA of 3.84. Through 139.1 innings this season, that mark is at 4.46. Logically speaking, that’s going to come down closer to his career mark.

The good news is that the progression to Ventura’s mean has already begun. After struggling through much of 2016, he has a 2.52 ERA in August. The better news is that more progress can be expected. Throughout his career, Ventura has a 2.96 ERA over the months of August and September.

A recent run of strong play has brought Kansas City back into playoff contention. If the Royals are going to return to the playoffs to defend their World Series title, they will need good starting pitching. Ventura will have to be at the center of that.

Looking at how well Ventura done recently, and at his career marks at the end of the season, the odds for Kansas City are not bad.

Adrian Beltre, third baseman, Texas Rangers

Nothing that Beltre has done in August has resembled the typical performance of a 37-year-old man. He’s hit .347 on the month with five home runs and 14 RBI.

Historically, Beltre has only gotten better as the season has grown longer throughout his prolific career. He has 83 career home runs in September, which trails only the 91 he’s hit in August. Much like Encarnacion, Beltre plays a lot of games in hitter friendly parks.

When someone that powerful is in a hitter’s park against guys who may or may not be Major League caliber pitchers, big things happen.

The list of players as hot as Beltre right now is not a long one. There’s nothing about his recent performances or career history to suggest that a cooling off period is happening any time soon.