MLB Power Rankings: One player under the most pressure for all 30 teams

September is almost here, which means that the long, grueling marathon that is the MLB season is about to become a frantic sprint to the finish. There are tight postseason races all over the place: division titles on the line, Wild Card spots to be decided. But contenders aren't the only ones who have something on the line in the final weeks of the 2025 campaign.

Whether you're playing for this year or next year, Major League games are precious commodities for veterans looking to earn their next contract or young players looking to establish their careers. So, for this week's edition of our MLB power rankings, we decided to identify one player on each team who's facing the most pressure down the stretch. Let's dive in.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.

Milwaukee Brewers: Jacob Misiorowski

In late July, when the Milwaukee Brewers had Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff, and Jacob Misiorowski covering more than half of their rotation and pitching at an elite level, it was easy to see how their eventual postseason pitching schedule would shake out. Having three starters who could all potentially start game one of a playoff series is a huge advantage and makes for a difficult matchup for any opponent. However, since missing two weeks with a minor injury to his left shin at the beginning of August, The Miz hasn’t looked like the same pitcher. He’s allowed eight earned runs in his last two starts in large part due to a concerning lack of command.

The Miz is still just 23 years old, so asking him to be the elite pitcher that he was prior to the injury might be a tall ask, but the difference between the Brewers having two elite arms at the top of their rotation and having three is significant, especially once playoff baseball begins.

-Owen Jonas, Reviewing the Brew

Detroit Tigers: Gleyber Torres

This may seem like an unusual choice, but Torres has every reason to succeed down the stretch. Gleyber signed a one-year, prove it deal in Detroit after the Yankees let him go. While Scott Harris didn't spend much money in free agency, he did add Torres to a lineup that was lacking. Gleyber made the AL All-Star team at second base, proving the Yankees wrong for trying to stick him at third. That being said, he has come back down to earth in the second half. If Torres wants a long-term contract this winter, he'll have to produce when it matters most.

-Mark Powell, FanSided.com

Toronto Blue Jays: Shane Bieber

It’s not as if the Toronto Blue Jays put all of their postseason hopes on Shane Bieber, but when you come out and claim you acquired a guy so that he can pitch for your team in the World Series, it certainly puts some pressure on one individual. That’s what General Manager Ross Atkins says was his motivation to land the former Cy Young award winner who was still making rehab starts in the minor leagues for Cleveland when that trade went down. 

It took over three weeks for Bieber to make his Blue Jays debut and for Bieber personally he would love to cash in on a strong finish. He’s got a $16 million player option at the end of the year, but if he ends up pitching well, and deep into October,the 30 year-old right hander will likely decline that option and hit the open market looking for a big money deal. One start into his Blue Jays tenure and Bieber is headed in the right direction toward a big off-season pay day.

-Matt Sookram, Jays Journal

Philadelphia Phillies: Aaron Nola

The Philadelphia Phillies are without Zack Wheeler for potentially the rest of the season. Christopher Sanchez continues to prove he’s an ace, but who’d be the team’s No. 2 starter? In an ideal world, Aaron Nola would be that guy, but he really struggled before his injury and didn’t look any better in his first start back. He has to prove he’s at least close to the Aaron Nola of old, or else this once daunting rotation might have trouble in October.

-Zach Rotman, FanSided.com

San Diego Padres: Fernando Tatis Jr.

Yes, Fernando Tatis Jr. seems to make a highlight reel catch every other game at this point, but the 14-year, $340 million extension he signed with the San Diego Padres came with the expectation that he’d be the five tool superstar everyone expected him to be. His season got off to a roaring start, but he’s hitting just .259 with one home run since the All-Star break, and he’s hit just nine home runs with a .741 OPS since the start of May. We know he’s got blazing speed and is an elite defender in right field, but how good of a hitter is he really? How much of a chance do the Padres have of winning the NL West and the World Series if he isn’t hitting like a superstar? It’s on him to show the world that the MVP-caliber player is still in there somewhere.

-ZR

Los Angeles Dodgers: Michael Conforto

The Dodgers made went felt like a sensible one-year bet on Michael Conforto to start in left field against right-handed pitchers, but that deal hasn’t aged well at all. Conforto is slashing .188/.296/.322 with nine home runs and 27 RBI in 110 games. Perhaps this is wishful thinking, but he has to be on the roster bubble, right? I mean, when guys like Hyeseong Kim, Kiké Hernandez and Tommy Edman return from the IL he figures to be at serious risk of losing his roster spot. It’s on him to prove he belongs in the next couple of weeks.

-ZR

Chicago Cubs: Kyle Tucker

When you’re expected to be the most sought-after player in the upcoming free agent class but you just got benched during your team’s biggest series of the year, it’s safe to say the pressure is on. After slashing just .189/.325/.235 since July 1 while playing through a hand injury, Kyle Tucker needs to prove he’s healthy and put up big numbers  down the stretch if he wants to secure a $400+ million payday. It’s hard to see the Chicago Cubs making any sort of run come October without their All-Star outfielder putting up numbers closer to what he did in the first half.

-Jake Misener, Cubbies Crib

Houston Astros: Jeremy Peña

It might sound strange to say that Peña, the Astros’ breakout star, would be facing the most pressure down the stretch, but when you look at what's gone on around him, the reason becomes clear. Without a healthy and productive Yordan Alvarez for the entire season, Peña has stepped in to fill the superstar's shoes as the team's primary offensive engine and has had little support in the process.

Christian Walker has been a bust. Yanier Diaz has regressed. And, save for a scorching July, Jose Altuve has been very pedestrian. Yes, Houston made several moves at the deadline, including reuniting with Carlos Correa, yet the new-look lineup has mostly fallen flat. Four shutouts in five games from August 15-19 should raise some serious alarm bells. For his part, Peña hasn't looked like himself, hitting just .243 since returning from the IL on August 1. A big three-run homer against the Orioles on August 22 has the Astros breathing a sigh of relief, but they'll need more out of their budding star if they are to fend off the Mariners and make an October run.

Stephen Parello, Climbing Tal's Hill

Boston Red Sox: Ceddanne Rafaela

Whether in center or at second base, every Red Sox fan has faith they’re getting elite defense from Ceddanne Rafaela. However, the bat that helped propel Boston into playoff positioning going into the All-Star break has now cooled off severely. After posting an .870 OPS in June and an .852 mark in July, Rafaela has hit just .189 with a .530 OPS through 21 games in August with no home runs and just six extra-base hits. 

Make no mistake, Rafaela is likely always going to be prone to streakiness. However, with the bottom of the Red Sox lineup needing some pop to hold onto a top AL Wild Card spot or to even far-fetchedly catch the Blue Jays in the division, they’ll need Rafaela’s bat to become a positive again for the offense. 

-Cody Williams, FanSided.com

Seattle Mariners: Cal Raleigh

At the All-Star break, Cal Raleigh was the toast of baseball after slamming 38 home runs in the first half — not to mention a few dozen more during his triumphant Home Run Derby experience. But since the All-Star break, he’s regressed to basically being a league-average hitter (i.e., 101 wRC+) with only nine home runs.

True, “Big Dumper” has already secured one of the great seasons of all-time by a catcher, and he remains arguably the favorite for the American League MVP. But with the Mariners merely treading water in the AL playoff race, they simply need more than the current watered-down version of Raleigh. They need the Cal Raleigh of the first half, and soon.

-Zachary Rymer, Sodo Mojo

New York Yankees: Aaron Boone

The answer could have been Aaron Judge, who struggled mightily last postseason and will face pressure once again this season. But I’ll go with manager Aaron Boone. He has faced extreme scrutiny from a frustrated fanbase, has seemed not himself in some interviews and has the most to lose of anyone in the Bronx. While I don’t believe he will be fired, Boone’s seat in the fanbase is incredibly warm. And there’s no better way to cool it off than with a strong showing in the postseason.

-Robert Murray, FanSided.com

New York Mets: Mark Vientos

The New York Mets were certain Mark Vientos had reached a brand new level of excellence with the way he performed in 2024 down the stretch and into the postseason. Unfortunately, Vientos has been sloppy as a defensive player and mostly absent at the plate. Some recent faith from management giving him more regular at-bats as the third baseman and DH has helped him show the familiar signs that made him so crucial to the team’s success last year.

For Vientos, the pressure goes beyond being the whipping boy of the backpages of the Big Apple dirt rags. He could seal his ticket out of town with a weak finish. Out of minor league options and clearly not the team’s preferred choice to play third base, he could end up on the trade block and sent to Siberia; or somewhere worse like the Colorado Rockies.

-Tim Boyle, Rising Apple

Kansas City Royals: Bobby Witt Jr.

The Royals are not catching the Tigers in the AL Central, but the AL Wild Card is well within reach. Witt Jr. is a rising star in baseball, and a perennial AL MVP candidate if all goes well. This answer is a cop-out because star player always feel pressure. Witt Jr. is no exception, but I am familiar with how Kansas City sports fans operate. If the Royals don't make the playoffs, they will be compared endlessly to the Chiefs, a team that wins the Super Bowl every other year. Witt Jr. is an elite athlete and one of the best players in the sport. He isn't going anywhere. But I'd be lying if I said he wasn't feeling the heat – he is the face of the franchise, after all.

-MP

Cincinnati Reds: Matt McLain

In the 2023 campaign, Matt McLain looked like a budding star for the Cincinnati Reds, posting an .864 OPS in 89 games and finishing in the top five of the NL Rookie of the Year balloting. He missed all of last season with a shoulder injury but is fully healthy now, yet has just a .632 OPS in 114 games overall and has just a .439 OPS in August. McLain was hitting second in the order virtually all season long despite his struggles, but has recently found himself hitting in the lower third of the order and on the bench more. The Reds are losing patience, and with them in the heat of the NL Wild Card race, McLain faces a ton of pressure to not only prove he can still hit, but that he can help the Reds win games.

-ZR

Texas Rangers: Corey Seager

There’s a lot of different directions I could have gone here. Jake Burger, who has underperformed since coming over from the Miami Marlins. Josh Jung, a promising young player who has struggled. Joc Pederson, who has been a disappointment as a free-agent signing. But I’ll go with Seager. In fairness, he’s had a terrific season. He’s posted a 5.6 bWAR. He’s hitting .269/.370/.479 with 19 home runs and an .849 OPS. But teams need star players in the postseason and they need home runs. Seager provides both. And if the Rangers make it to the postseason, it’ll be in large part because of Seager.

-RM

Arizona Diamondbacks: Zac Gallen

A lot has gone into the Arizona Diamondbacks being one of MLB’s biggest disappointments, but Zac Gallen having the season he’s had tops the list. Gallen, once one of the National League’s best starting pitchers, has had his worst season by far, posting a 5.28 ERA in 26 starts and 150 innings of work. Perhaps this is just one rough season for Gallen, but it couldn’t have come at a worse time, as he’s slated to hit free agency at the end of the year. He’ll generate plenty of interest, but how he pitches down the stretch determines how much money he can make. Unfortunately, he’s shown few, if any, signs of turning his season around.

-ZR

St. Louis Cardinals: Jordan Walker

A former top prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals system, Jordan Walker is under pressure to produce, and soon. If Walker fails to do so, he could find himself back on the trade block, as the 23-year-old has hit well in the minor leagues (specifically Memphis) and failed to do so at the major-league level. It is up to Walker to prove he is an MLB-caliber player, but at this point he has an OPS under .700 and a batting average just under .230. If Walker wants a regular spot in the Cardinals outfield next spring, he needs to prove he can hit at this level. That was supposed to be his strong suit.

-MP

Cleveland Guardians: Steven Kwan

While Kwan was named to his second career All-Star Game this year and has a reputation for being one of the game’s best contract hitters, he’s only hit .231 in August, which would be the third-lowest mark for him in a season where he’s played at least 15 games. Slumps happen in baseball, but Kwan is one of three Guardians with an OPS+ above 100 along with José Ramírez and Kyle Manzardo. They can’t afford for Kwan to struggle. He’s still playing his customary solid defense (he leads all of baseball with 12 outfield assists), but the Guardians are going to need more from him at the plate if they want to be playing deep into October.

-Henry Palattella, Away Back Gone

Baltimore Orioles: Mike Elias

Once again, I’m going non-player. Elias built perhaps the best farm system in baseball since the Cubs’ core with Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez and others. And yet, the lack of pitching – and lack of development from key young players – has been the teams’ downfall. They sold at the deadline and have vastly underperformed in recent years. Elias broke form and signed promising young catcher Samuel Bassalo to a long-term contract. Perhaps that’s a sign of things to come in Baltimore. But if it isn’t, Elias’ seat is going to get even hotter.

-RM

Tampa Bay Rays: Brandon Lowe

Lowe is an interesting case as he gets set to hit free agency. On the one hand, he’s among the better infield bats around when he’s healthy and right. On the other, injuries have been a concern in the past, and he faces real questions about his ability to stick at second base moving forward at age 31. This isn’t a particularly deep middle-infield market, and Lowe has the chance to cash in on a nice multi-year contract if he can finish strong. If he can’t, though, he might need to settle for a disappointing first trip through free agency.

-Chris Landers, FanSided.com

San Francisco Giants: Casey Schmitt

With the San Francisco Giants all but eliminated from any chance at the playoffs, they are turning ahead to 2026. Most of their positions are already set going into next season as they have big money invested in the likes of Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Rafael Devers and Jung Hoo Lee.

However, one position they are not set at is second base. Casey Schmitt has had a mini-breakout year for the team and has been one of the few bright spots on the team as of late. He supplanted Tyler Fitzgerald, a breakout player in his own right last season, as the starter and has proved his stellar defense translates to second base.

With a hot finish to the season, Schmitt could earn himself the starting second baseman role to begin next season. With a slow finish to the year, the Giants may end up being in the market for a second baseman in the offseason.

Nick San Miguel, Around the Foghorn

Miami Marlins: Sandy Alcantara

Is Sandy Alcantara back? He’s pitched really well in his last two starts, allowing a total of two runs in 13 innings of work against the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals respectively, but every time it starts to look like Alcantara is finding his groove, he tends to unravel. A strong finish to his season can help the Miami Marlins push toward .500 and, perhaps more importantly, allow them to trade him for an acceptable return. The Marlins don’t have much to play for, but Alcantara’s future depends on how he pitches down the stretch.

-ZR

Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout

The Angels’ full-time designated hitter has the fourth best BB% among qualified hitters this season (he has a sky-high OBP), but only four qualified hitters have a worse K%. High strikeout rates are manageable for sluggers, but Mike Trout’s pop is just not what it used to be. The customary power numbers Trout’s flashed his entire career are down, as his SLG is the lowest it has been since his rookie season. Oh, and he’s owed $37 million a year through the 2030 season.

Everybody’s thrilled that Trout is active in late-August, although his lingering knee injury has hurt his all-around game, but warts are starting to show. Trout is getting outshined this season by Zach Neto and Taylor Ward, plus even Jo Adell has a higher SLG this season than the GOAT. If Angels fans are to buy-in on the team finally breaking the longest active playoff drought in the sport next year, Trout needs to finish the season strong to inspire some hope.

-Evan Roberts, Halo Hangout

Atlanta Braves: Ozzie Albies

Albies needs to find a way to turn things around, as the Braves have a $7 million club option on him for 2026, including a $4 million buyout. He’s played a bit better in the second half, but Atlanta has a tough decision on their hands. Albie is a big clubhouse presence who has pressure to perform well to secure his spot going forward. The concerns are his decrease in defense and inability to hit consistently. What works in his favor is that the Braves don’t have great internal options, nor do they have a lot of selection externally as an upgrade. 

-Steven Teal, House That Hank Built

Athletics: JJ Bleday

Very quietly, the A’s have assembled one of the better young cores of position-player talent in the entire league. So much so that a former top prospect is at risk of getting left behind: Bleday was sent down to Triple-A earlier this year amid a dismal stretch at the plate, and while a sell-off at the trade deadline opened up more at-bats against right-handed pitching, he’s hardly taking advantage right now.

The former No. 4 overall pick is slashing .139/.225/.167 over his last 10 games, as the swing-and-miss issues that have plagued him throughout his career continue. This A’s team is closer than you think to playing competitive baseball, and with Nick Kurtz pushing Tyler Soderstrom to the outfield and Lawrence Butler not going anywhere, Bleday needs to close the season strong in order to secure his spot moving forward.

-CL

Pittsburgh Pirates: Oneil Cruz

Somehow, the Pittsburgh Pirates don’t have a single player on their roster performing at a league-average level when going by WRC+. We all knew this roster was devoid of position player talent, but why exactly is Oneil Cruz having the worst season of his career? I mean, he’s slashing .207/.304/.398 with 18 home runs and 51 RBI this season. Yes, he’s leading the league with 34 stolen bases, and he hits the occasional ridiculous home run, but he lacks any sort of consistency offensively. His 92 WRC+ is actually eight percent below league average. Is he really a player the Pirates can realistically be building around? It’s on him to prove whether the answer to that question should be yes or no.

-ZR

Minnesota Twins: Taj Bradley

Minnesota acquired Bradley from the Rays in the Griffin Jax deal as a long-term play, an attempt to buy low on a former top-100 prospect who had fallen on hard times in Tampa. So it would be silly to suggest that the righty only has a few weeks to prove himself to his new team.

At the same time, the Twins still have a pretty crowded rotation picture moving forward, even if they decide to pull the trigger on a Joe Ryan trade this winter. Pablo Lopez, Bailey Ober, Zebby Matthews, David Festa, Simeon Woods Richardson and fellow deadline acquisition Mick Abel all figure into the mix in 2026 and beyond. Injuries to several of those names have given Bradley a chance to make a good first impression, but if he doesn’t take advantage and make the command gains necessary, he might find himself on the outside looking in next spring.

-CR

Washington Nationals: James Wood

James Wood lit the MLB world on fire in the first half, playing his way not only to the All-Star Game but also to the Home Run Derby. Unfortunately, he’s gone just 22-for-117 (.188 BA) with two home runs in 30 games since the break. He’s also struck out an alarming 51 times in those at-bats, nearly 50 percent of the time. I don’t know whether the Derby messed up his swing or if the league figured things out against him, but he needs to finish strongly. Wood was great, but needs to prove he can get back to that level.

-ZR

Chicago White Sox: Luis Robert Jr.

At one point, it felt like a near lock that the Chicago White Sox would exercise the two club options, each worth $20 million, at the end of Luis Robert Jr.’s contract. Now, it’s anything but a clearcut case. Sure, it probably is more likely they exercise his option for 2026 because they refused to trade him at the deadline, but he still has to show something, right? Well, he was red-hot before the trade deadline, and hasn’t been awful since, but a .680 OPS since the deadline isn’t exactly worth $20 million or even close to it. If Robert wants to play for another team anytime soon, he’s going to have to show he’s worth the money he’s going to be making in 2026, and if he wants the 2027 option picked up, he’s going to have to really get going offensively. A strong finish would allow him to potentially get dealt in the offseason and make the 2026 option getting picked up an absolute lock. A poor finish might cost him tens of millions and create tons of uncertainty regarding his future.

-ZR

Colorado Rockies: Brenton Doyle

Brenton Doyle burst onto the scene last season by hitting 23 home runs, stealing 30 bases, putting up an above-average 102 OPS+, and winning his second straight Gold Glove. The Colorado Rockies didn’t have much, but at least they had a budding star locked in as their center fielder for the foreseeable future, right? Well, his numbers are down across the board this season, even defensively, and now it’s getting fair to wonder whether last season was a mere mirage. I will say Doyle has had a terrific August, but even with that, he’s put up a 72 WRC+ this season, the second-worst mark out of 156 qualified position players. He has a lot to prove regarding being a core piece in Colorado, and finishing strongly would go a long way.

-ZR