Major League Baseball features one of the most grueling schedules in sports, with 162 games spread out over six-plus months. Players who can perform when everyone else is worn down are worth their weight in gold to contending teams.
As we turn to September and October, teams in the playoff hunt will lean on those with extensive track records of success to lift them into the postseason. What follows is a look at each player on a National League contender with the best and worst September track records. We've lumped October numbers from the regular season into these calculations since the sample sizes are too small to warrant their own category.
It's fascinating to see which guys step up when the games matter most.
Milwaukee Brewers
Best: William Contreras
Contreras is having another excellent season, and he could really put the hammer down in the season's final month, judging by his past track record. In 80 career September/October games, Contreras is slashing .305/.402/.462 with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs. That on-base percentage is his highest in any month, his .864 OPS is excellent, and his wRC+ of 139 is stellar for a catcher.
Worst: Andrew Vaughn
Vaughn has been great for the Brewers since they traded for him in June. That said, he's traditionally been pretty bad late in the season. In 91career games in the season's final month, Vaughn is slashing .235/.279/.372, with 11 home runs, 41 RBIs and 76 strikeouts against 19 walks. Only his March/April OPS of .647 is worse than his September/October mark of .651. His wRC+ of 81 is also brutal, though he rebounded last September with a mark of 131. So maybe things are looking up.
Philadelphia Phillies
Best: Bryce Harper
Like Shohei Ohtani with the Dodgers, this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. While Harper got a run for his money from Kyle Schwarber, his late-season track record is the best on the team. In 329 career September/October games, Harper is slashing .274/.390/.509 with 61 home runs and 167 RBIs. The future Hall of Famer boasts an OPS of .900 and a wRC+ of 139. Last season, that mark was 157, so he may overperform his career numbers again.
Worst: Bryson Stott
While Harper is outstanding late in the season, Stott is not. The 27-year-old former first-rounder has played in 77 career games in September and October and is slashing .242/.295/.335, with four home runs and 26 RBIs. His OPS of .630 is only five points better than his worst month (.625 in May) and that .295 on-base percentage is his worst. His wRC+ of 75 is woeful and the bad news is that it is buoyed by one average season. He posted a mark of 100 in 2022, then dropped to 52 in 2023 and 72 in 2024.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Best: Shohei Ohtani
Shocking that the best player on the planet would be L.A.'s best player in the final month of the season. The three-time MVP has a career September slash line of .291/.385/.551 with 29 home runs, 87 RBIs and an OPS of .936 in 136 games. His wRC+ for the month is 151, and he was even better in 2024 when he posted a ridiculous OPS of 1.225 and a wRC+ of 232. Of course, Ohtani will be on the mound in September for the first time since 2022, and his track record is stellar. In 65 2/3 career September innings, he's 5–3 with a 2.47 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and opposing hitters have a .581 OPS.
Worst: Tyler Glasnow
It's tough to find a Dodger with a truly bad track record in the season's final month, but Glasnow gets the nod here. In 29 career games in September/October, Glasnow is 7–8 with a 4.38 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 162 strikeouts against 56 walks in 123 1/3 innings. Those are his highest ERA and WHIP totals in any month. The 2023 season was the last time he saw action in September, and he posted a 4.86 ERA. We'll see if he can bounce back this season.
Chicago Cubs
Best: Seiya Suzuki
Researching articles like this is always fascinating because you learn unexpexted things. Like how I had no idea Suzuki is an absolute monster in September. In 71 career games, the 31-year-old is slashing .333/.422/.564, with 13 home runs and 41 RBIs. His OPS of .986 is his highest in a month by 107 points, and his wRC+ of 172 is only two points behind Aaron Judge as the best among active players. What Love Island USA did to Gen Z brains this summer, Suzuki does to pitching in September.
Worst: Carson Kelly
I'll admit some of these were difficult to parse, going through long track records to compare players. This was by far the easiest selection on this list because Kelly has been horrendous in September throughout his career. In 147 career games in the season's final month, Kelly is slashing .186/.252/.299, with 10 home runs and 43 RBIs. His .551 OPS in September is 132 points lower than any other month, and his wRC+ is 50, meaning he’s half as good as the average major league hitter in September.
The veteran catcher has revitalized his career in Chicago, so maybe this year will be different.
San Diego Padres
Best: Luis Arraez*
Arraez is at his best to open and close the season. The three-time batting champion consistently struggles in August only to turn it on in September and finish strong. In 126 career games, he's slashing .336/.371/.458 for an OPS of .829, his best of any month. His career September wRC+ of 128 is excellent and is buoyed by an incredible finish to 2023 when he hit .384 with a 1.038 OPS and a 175 wRC+.
*Xander Bogaerts and his career September slash line of .306/.373/.475 would have taken this spot, but the Padres put him on the IL with a foot fracture and he could miss the rest of the regular season.
Worst: Jake Cronenworth
Cronenworth has quietly had a solid season for the Padres, but given his track record, that could come to a screeching halt this month. The 31-year-old has consistently tailed off in September during his career. In 96 career games, she's slashing .208/.294/.341, all of which are his lowest numbers for any month. His .636 September OPS is brutal, as is his wRC+ of 82. His wRC+ has never topped 93 in September during his five-year career.
New York Mets
Best: Juan Soto
Given that Soto is a generational hitter, you'd expect to find him here. He doesn't necessarily get better as the season goes along, but he certainly stays consistent. In 188 career games in the season's final month, the $765 million man is slashing .290/.440/.528, with 36 home runs, 126 RBIs and 169 walks against 134 strikeouts. That OBP is his best in any month, his .969 OPS is tied as his second-best monthly mark and his 160 wRC+ is one of the best among active players. It's not hard to see why the Mets handed him all that money.
Worst: Mark Vientos
While Vientos doesn't have a ton of late-season experience, he certainly hasn't been at his best in the home stretch. In 63 games during the season's final month, he's slashing .217/.274/.419 with 13 home runs, 28 RBIs, and 77 strikeouts against 15 walks. His .694 OPS is his worst of any month, and his wRC+ of 92 is pretty dismal.
Cincinnati Reds
Best: Ke'Bryan Hayes
Again, research leads to shocking outcomes, and this one ranks up there. You'd expect this result to be flipped, but I assure you it's correct. Hayes is a well below-average hitter, but for some reason, he's great late in the season. In 93 career games, he's slashing .299/.344/.475, his best monthly marks across the board. His .819 OPS in September is remarkable considering his career mark is .677. Likewise, his wRC+ in September is 118, while his career mark is 85. It's mind-boggling.
Worst: Elly De La Cruz
De La Cruz remains one of baseball's most electric players, but not during the month of September. In 50 career games, the dynamic shortstop is slashing .219/.308/.374, with five home runs, 25 RBIs and 76 strikeouts against 23 walks. His .682 OPS is his second-worst of any month, and his 85 wRC+ is well below his talent level. Those numbers are ominous for the Reds as they try to make a late-season playoff push.
More MLB on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Each National League Contender's Best and Worst September Performer.
