As the MLB Pro season barrels toward its thrilling conclusion, the race for playoff spots isn’t the only drama captivating fans. Just as teams battle for postseason glory, individual players are vying for the sport’s most prestigious awards—moments that can define a career and shape legacies. Throughout MLB Pro history, we’ve witnessed how September heroics have propelled stars like Gary Copeland, Kaleb Cowart, and Paul Erickson to MVP and Cy Young honors. With just days remaining in the season, this is the time when standout performances can solidify a player’s claim for greatness, as one final push can immortalize a season and add another name to the pantheon of MLB Pro legends.
On Wednesday night in Toronto, the Boston Red Sox will look to regain shared possession of the American League East. Boston is on the verge of their first trip to the postseason since winning the World Series in 2013. On the heels of winning just 70 games a season ago, the Red Sox have seen Sawyer Cleveland take the next step, Todd Kuhn return to form, and most notably, an MVP Caliber season from Dave Allen. The 28 year-old shortstop and former 119th pick in the 2016 draft was brought to Boston in a 2018 trade. In 2024, Allen is likely going lead the American League in batting average, OPS, wOBA, and WRC+. When asked about his season Allen told recently told reporters, “it’s been a season of hard-work, for myself and the rest of the guys. We grew tired of watching the playoffs. There has been too much talent for us to be sitting at home. I just try to put the ball in play and go from there.” Allen’s mindset has paid off with an AL best .376 BABIP. He’s been his best in high-leverage situations hitting .343/.425/.627 across 102 at-bats. For Boston to claim a division crown, it will need another week of Allen being at his best.
The Houston Astros won 199 combined games the past two seasons, yet finished in second and third place in the American League West. On August 1st, the Astros trailed the Los Angeles Angels by a game and half, it felt like they were heading for a similar fate. Two months later, that has been anything but the case as the Astros took the division crown giving the organization what it has long felt has been rightfully theirs. The Houston season has been headlined by a lineup that is an offensive nightmare for opponents day in and day out. Outfielder Darge Kawawe’s 30/30 season has put him firmly in the MVP discussion. The AL leader in WAR, Kawawe has shown a better focus in all assets of his game this season, cutting down on his strikeout rate, improving his walk rate, and going from a negative base running value in 2023 to a career best 4.0 UBR in 2024. Houston manager Adrian Beltre described Kawawe as, “a player willing to do anything we ask. We’ve hit him in the 2 spot, 4 spot, 6, 7, and 8, and 9 spot at points. He doesn’t care. This is the player that everyone knew he could be.” Top five in slugging percentage, OPS, WAR, wOBA, doubles, and RBI’s has Kawawe among the favorites to win the AL MVP, but in Houston they have their eyes set on much more.
The final two months of the season have been an abject failure in Los Angeles with the Angels on the verge of missing the playoffs. While the organization has failed to meet its lofty standards, outfielder Nomar Mazara has maintained his high-level of excellence. The 2017 AL MVP trails only Dave Allen in the batting race, while leading the AL in slugging percentage, WPA, wRC, and ranking among the top five in on-base percentage, wOBA, hits, runs scored, and RBI’s. If the Angels sneak into the playoffs, can Mazara sneak back into the conversation?
In the National League, the Philadelphia Phillies have been among the league’s best from day one. In a lineup of stars, Anthony Hale’s season will end with a batting title and a top five ranking in on-base and slugging percentage. Leading the NL in WPA, Hale only trails Logan Tanner in WAR. Yet some might discount Hale’s season as he sits outside of the top 15 in both runs scored and runs batted in. A strong aspect of Hale’s candidacy is his consistency, having hit above .300 in each month of the season to date. With an opt-out clause at the end of the season focus has been on Hale for much of the second-half of the season with him saying to reporters over the weekend, “it’s baseball. I show up to do a job. With AV, Ryo, Harp, and the other guys here, it’s easy to stay focused. I have an agent for a reason, he handles that stuff. I’m just here to ball.” Hale has indeed balled out, will it be MVP worthy?
If Anthony Hale does not take home the National League’s top honors, it will likely come in the form of an Arizona Diamondback spoiling his fun. The question becomes, which one? Jeremy Scott, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Shohei Ohtani all are worthy of being in the discussion. Guerrero sits in the top five across all slash lines, leads the NL in wOBA and wRC, and is one of two NL players (Ryobe Kamida) to be in the top three in both runs scored and RBI’s. Shohei Ohtani’s slugging percentage ranks second among all NL players over the last five seasons (Alonso Martinez, 2023 MVP), is tied with Ryobe Kamida (52) for the most home runs hit by an NL player over that time period, while also within five RBI’s of the most by an NL player over that time frame. Jeremy Scott’s name ranks among the NL top five in 2024 across a multitude of categories including batting average, on-base percentage, OPS, WAR, WPA, wOBA, runs scored, and RBI’s.