MLB postseason: Pivotal players for each contending team
By Bill Felber
One player on each MLB contender whose performance will be crucial down the stretch toward the MLB postseason.
Three-quarters of the way through the schedule, the race for MLB postseason spots has resolved itself down to a relative handful of teams.
Entering play August 17, the Red Sox and Indians have built sufficiently comfortable divisional leads that they appear all but formally guaranteed to be around for October. But the defending World Series champion Astros are fending off a stern challenge from the A’s and Mariners. The American League wild card sees the Athletics and Mariners both trying to haul down the Yankees.
The National League races are all less certain. In the East, Atlanta and Philadelphia are neck-and-neck with the pre-season favorite Nationals well back. In the Central, Chicago holds a 3-game lead over Milwaukee, which in turn leads St. Louis by a game entering their weekend series.
In the West, Arizona, Colorado and Los Angeles have spent the past month swapping the divisional lead. The wild card spots? Those could go to any of the divisional race losers.
Inevitably, each team’s fate is likely to be influenced by a handful of players cast in pivotal roles down the stretch. Entering Friday’s play, let’s take a look at those players, and why their performance is likely to influence their team’s MLB postseason fate.