The playoffs are just around the corner, so let’s look at which hitters are hotter than hot. And guess what? Aaron Judge is not on the list. Over the last 30 days, the likely AL MVP is Player B in the table below.
| PA | HR | R | RBI | SB | |
| Player A | 113 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 1 |
| Player B | 114 | 6 | 16 | 19 | 4 |
| Player C | 100 | 6 | 14 | 18 | 3 |
| Player D | 102 | 6 | 11 | 18 | 0 |
The others are Nick Castellanos, Lane Thomas and Andrew Benintendi. Hardly esteemed company for the Yankees number 99 this close to the postseason.
Anyway, back to the current hottest (playoff-bound) hitters.
You didn’t expect that, did you? Over the last 30 days, Geno has swatted 10 home runs with 24 runs and 22 RBI. His .350/.381/.670 slash line will cause trouble for Arizona’s Wild Card playoff opponents.*
*Yes, I know that the Diamondbacks haven’t clinched a spot, but I’m writing this article with a little under a week of the season to go and they are in good shape for October baseball.
2. Willy Adames
There was much speculation that the Brewers would not end the season with their 29-year-old shortstop as he becomes a free agent in a matter of weeks. In a late-season flourish to his first-ever 32-homer campaign, Adames has hit 10 home runs over the last 30 days. The only player to have hit more in this period? Shohei Ohtani. A week ago, Adames’ Brewers secured the NL Central title for the second straight season.
No surprise here. One of the purest hitters in the game continues to mash. The 27-year-old has a career 166 OPS+ (with 100 being league average) and is carrying a hot streak into October. Over the last 30 days, Alvarez has gone yard 10 times and is enjoying a .317/.381/.663 slash line. The Astros haven’t yet clinched a playoff spot, but surely they won’t squander a four-game advantage over the Mariners. Let’s hope injury doesn’t rob us of watching Alvarez in the postseason.
After a slow start to season, as he battled for fitness, the 32-year-old now looks like his dominant self. Over the last 30 days, no one has driven in more runs than the Padres third baseman. That’s one of the benefits of hitting behind Luis Arraez, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jurickson Profar. During this time, Machado has slashed .314/.355/.637.
Without bustling speed, the 31-year-old is not your stereotypical lead-off guy, but he leads the NL with 102 walks and, with 37 home runs, is easily the most powerful lead-off hitter in the majors. Having just secured their first NL East title since 2011, the Phillies will be relying on Schwarber carrying his form into October. Over the last 30 days, the former first-rounder has nine homers with 22 runs and 21 RBI.
Featured image of Kyle Schwarber by John Fisher/Getty Images
Article by Gav Tramps. Gav quit Twitter X with frustration at the platform’s unwillingness to address its promotion of toxic content, but you can still find him on Instagram and Threads, and of course, via the website
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