The tough days of August are behind us and the Trade Deadline came and went. Juan Soto was dealt to the San Diego Padres in a blockbuster move. To add additional nonsense, the Brewers dealt All Star closer Josh Hader out of nowhere to the Padres. This was a total surprise and actually hit the Brewers clubhouse like a brick. The Brewers were 3 games up in the NL Central and now they are 6.5 games behind the Cardinals in the division and 3 out of the Wild Card. Hader and the Padres haven’t thrived either. Hader has been atrocious, the Padres are clinging to the final Wild Card spot and young phenom Fernando Tatis Jr was busted for PEDs and is out for the rest of 2022.

The New York Yankees were riding high, but August saw them hit with adversity and the Astros have passed them for the top seed in the AL. The Mets and Braves are in another thrilling fight with the Phillies right over their shoulder. The Mariners are still in the picture and Julio Rodriguez is the leader of the clubhouse. His amazing production earned a massive contract extension keeping him in the Pacific Northwest for a long time. As team success is the true focus, Albert Pujols and Shohei Ohtani stole the show. The Machine has turned it in and is inching closer to 700 career home runs, with 694. Shohei has done something that nobody has ever done in the game; he has hit 30 home runs and recorded 10 pitching wins in the same season. He is unworldly and if he can stay healthy, he could become the true GOAT.

TOP 10 POWER POLL:

1.). LA DODGERS

2.). HOUSTON ASTROS

3.). NEW YORK METS

4.). ATLANTA BRAVES

5.). NEW YORK METS

6.). ST.LOUIS CARDINALS

7.). SEATTLE MARINERS

8.). PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

9.). TAMPA BAY RAYS

10.). TORONTO BLUE JAYS

BOTTOM 5 POWER POLL:

26.). MIAMI MARLINS

27.). CINCINNATI REDS

28.). PITTSBURGH PIRATES

29.). WASHINGTON NATIONALS

30.). OAKLAND A’s

PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS (As of September 1st):

• AL EAST CHAMP: NEW YORK YANKEES
• AL CENTRAL CHAMP: MINNESOTA TWINS
• AL WEST CHAMP: HOUSTON ASTROS
• AL WILD CARDS: TAMPA BAY RAYS, SEATTLE MARINERS, TORONTO BLUE JAYS

• NL EAST CHAMP: NEW YORK METS
• NL CENTRAL CHAMP: ST.LOUIS CARDINALS
• NL WEST CHAMP: LA DODGERS
• NL WILD CARDS: ATLANTA BRAVES, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES, MILWAUKEE BREWERS

NL HITTER OF THE MONTH: NOLAN ARENADO (ST.LOUIS CARDINALS)

• 39 Hits, 19 Runs, 12 Doubles, 9 Home Runs, 29 RBI’s, 7 Walks, .364 Batting Average, 1.139 OPS

AL HITTER OF THE MONTH: ALEX BREGMAN (HOUSTON ASTROS)

• 34 Hits, 27 Runs, 9 Doubles, 7 Home Runs, 22 RBI’s, 3 Sac Flys, 1 Stolen Base, 17 Walks, only 10 Strikeouts, .362 Batting Average and an OPS of 1.133 on 114 Plate Appearances

NL PITCHER OF THE MONTH: JACOB DeGROM (NEW YORK METS)

• 36.1 IP, 4 Wins, 8 ER, 3 Walks, 55 Strikeouts, ERA of 1.98, WHIP of 0.55 and a K/9 of 13.62. All accomplished after missing the end of 2021 and most of 2022 prior to returning from the injured list.

AL PITCHER OF THE MONTH: ROBBIE RAY (SEATTLE MARINERS)

• 33 IP, 3 Wins, 6 ER, 11 Walks, 41 Strikeouts, ERA of 1.64, WHIP of 0.91 and a K/9 of 11.18

Who will survive September and make the playoffs? The wild card format is new, so it will be a 3 game series at the stadium of the higher seed. This will be an exciting and nerve-wracking few weeks as the journey toward October draws near. Another change this month is a roster expansion to 28 players as opposed to the 40 in the past. As we all keep tabs on the standings, pay attention to Albert Pujols and see if he can get 6 more and join the 700 Home Run Club.