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We’re nearing playoff baseball people…let’s goooooooo!!!

We’re less than four weeks away from the Wild Card round of the MLB Postseason kicking off and there is so much that’s still to be determined.

Five of the six division races are within six games, which leaves so much room for change with a big few weeks from any given team. Beyond that, a number of the big MLB awards are still up for grabs with a few weeks to play.

We’ve got you covered with all of this and stay tuned with us through the postseason for previews and breakdowns of every series!

Power Rankings

We’re less than a month away from postseason baseball, which means it’s time for our final power rankings prior to the postseason!

Let’s get into our latest rankings and check out the full article for analysis on every MLB team.

Top Dogs

Was there any doubt Milwaukee would be on top? If you’ve watched the Brewers play baseball in the second half, you’d know the answer is “no”. They have five more wins than anyone else in MLB right now and are on their way to securing home field advantage throughout the postseason.

Four NL teams lead the way. The National League is generally considered a little stronger this season and that shows in our power rankings this time around. Meanwhile, the American League is incredibly jumbled at the top right now with five teams all within four games of each other.

Fighting to Stay Alive

Royals, Rangers, Rays, and Guardians are still alive in AL. While they’re clearly on the outside looking in, these teams remain within three games of the final AL Wild Card spot. It’s still very much a race with the Mariners on a losing streak and this group in striking position.

Offseason Planning

The A’s have been sneaky good lately. One team that stands out a little in this group of teams gearing up for 2026 and beyond already features a rather exciting young offense. The A’s offense is sixth in wRC+ and home runs since the break. Shoutout to the White Sox young offense, which is also within the top 10 of many offensive stats since the break.

Who will take steps this winter? For these teams, the focal point is on next season. This last month will be a time to showcase young talent and figure out who will be part of the next year’s roster. Who do you think will take a step forward next year?

To support your favorite team, check out Homage for the best collection of MLB team gear!

Just Baseball Trivia of the Week

Our newsletter will have a trivia question every week to test and expand the baseball knowledge of our subscribers! The answer to the weekly trivia question will be at the bottom of the newsletter each week.

Who has won the most Cy Young Awards in MLB history?

A) Randy Johnson

B) Greg Maddux

C) Steve Carlton

D) Roger Clemens

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Stay ahead. Stay informed.

Award Race Updates

Some award races are just about over while others could shift entirely in the final month of the season. Let’s look at each MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year race as things stand today.

It’s a Wrap

A pair of MLB awards are essentially over as we enter the final month of the season. While others seem likely, these two are -5000 to win their respective awards, making it nearly impossible at this stage of the year for someone else to take it.

Nick Kurtz is posting one of the best rookie hitting seasons we have seen. The American League Rookie of the Year will be Kurtz and it should be unanimous. While he doesn’t technically qualify for MLB leaderboards, his 1.037 OPS would rank second to Aaron Judge in all of baseball this season.

Since the All-Star Break, Kurtz leads MLB in fWAR at 2.8 (as a first baseman!) and wRC+ at 235 in that span. The second-best wRC+ since the break is teammate Shea Langeliers at 178, meaning Kurtz has been 57% better than any other hitter in baseball over the past month and a half. Insane.

Paul Skenes stands above all NL pitchers. After finishing third as a rookie last season, Skenes has run away with the NL Cy Young this season. He was already in control of this award, but when Zack Wheeler hit the shelf, it was cemented.

Nearly Locked Up

These two awards may not be totally decided, but it would take some craziness for it not to go the way it’s expected.

Tarik Skubal pulls ahead after Garrett Crochet blow-up. It has been an excellent two-way race for the AL Cy Young this season, but Crochet allowing 7 runs including 4 homers this week has given Skubal the clear edge. Skubal was already the favorite, but has now shifted to -800 at BetMGM to win his second straight trophy.

Leading all pitchers by 0.7 fWAR and having the best WHIP in baseball at 0.87 is a good recipe for taking home more hardware. Skubal will be the most feared arm to face for any team in the postseason.

Shohei Ohtani is likely to be the second player to ever win four MVP awards. It has been another masterful season from Ohtani at the plate, and he’s looked nasty in his return to the mound as well. However, fellow slugger Kyle Schwarber has gained some steam lately as he nears 50-homer season for the Phillies. It’s still clearly Ohtani’s award to lose, but it’s not over just yet.

Down to the Wire

These final two races, one in each league, could genuinely come down to the final week of the season.

Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh are still battling for AL MVP. Despite our Peter Appel declaring this race over, it’s a race for the top award in the AL. Judge has found his groove lately after returning from injury while Raleigh has slowed down of late. Judge leads in most metrics and is the favorite for the award, but Raleigh’s 51-homer season while being an elite catcher cannot be ignored.

Drake Baldwin, Cade Horton, and Isaac Collins are competing for NL Rookie of Year. This has been the most chaotic race all season and is coming down to the wire. All of these players entered the year at +5000 or longer odds to win this award (Collins wasn’t even listed until June!) and this is far from over. A huge few weeks from one of this trio could make them the favorite. Get your popcorn ready🍿

Other Headlines

😔 Red Sox star rookie Roman Anthony is hitting the shelf with an oblique injury. This is a huge blow to the contending Red Sox as he’ll likely miss the rest of the regular season and possibly more.

🥇 August is in the past and we crowned Players of the Month. Read about which players stood above the rest in the American League and National League!

Just Baseball Discord

We launched a Just Baseball community on Discord!

Our Discord channel is the ultimate baseball group chat while also providing exclusive access to Peter’s MLB best bets, Aram’s prospect content, giveaways, and direct connection to the entire Just Baseball staff.

Read all the details about our Discord community here.

Trivia Answer: D) Roger Clemens

With seven Cy Young Awards, Clemens has two more than anyone else in MLB history! The Big Unit, Randy Johnson, is second with five.

Just Baseball Merch

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Check out the full collection of Just Baseball swag here!