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With October baseball right around the corner, the importance of September games ramps up quite a bit. Over the next few slides, we’ll analyze five of the biggest takeaways from the past week in MLB. 

As the season speeds to its conclusion, more attention is obviously being paid to end-of-year storylines. Playoff positioning and award races have become prime talking points across baseball circles.

Can the Pittsburgh Pirates catch the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central? Who will emerge as the favorite in the AL Rookie of the Year race? How can anybody make a case for someone other than Bryce Harper to be the NL MVP? 

Not only will we tackle those storylines, but we’ll also touch on some teams on the other end of the spectrum. The race for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft and the details regarding Ruben Amaro Jr.’s dismissal from the Philadelphia Phillies are both riveting headlines to discuss. 

Let us know what you think in the comments section below. As we close in on the postseason, what did you learn about your team this week?

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Heading into every season, the winners and losers of MLB‘s free-agency period are often already decided. Over the next few slides, we’ll revisit those premature coronations and decide which players are worthy of B/R’s All-2015 MLB Free-Agent Team. 

Some of the choices you’ll see in this slideshow were no-brainers. Max Scherzer, Andrew Miller and Nelson Cruz all figured to be among the best free-agent pickups at their positions heading into the season. 

But did anybody expect Kendrys Morales to rank in MLB’s top five in RBI? What about Asdrubal Cabrera putting together his best offensive season in years? Nori Aoki? Nick Markakis? 

Those names are just a few of the players we’ll cover over the next several slides. Make sure to let your voice be heard in the comments section below. Which of the following players has had the biggest impact on his team? Who would you have included that didn’t make the list? 

Let’s jump right in with our choice of starting pitcher. 

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There haven’t been any blockbuster deals via waiver trade over the last month, but there have still been a handful of notable deals worth analyzing. Over the next few slides, that’s exactly what we’ll do with our 2015 MLB waiver trade deadline grades. 

Teams can only do so much after the July 31 trade deadline. It’s much more difficult to get a deal done in August, which is a big reason why most of the trades made are smaller, need-based moves. 

For contenders, August is a final opportunity to plug glaring holes before the season’s final month. The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers and New York Mets have attempted to do that in the last few weeks with the likes of Chase Utley, Marlon Byrd, Will Venable, Mike Napoli and Addison Reed. 

Of those moves, which ones were really worth making? Did the Dodgers really need Utley? How much of an impact can Napoli realistically have with his old team? 

We’ll take a look at each of those situations and assign an appropriate grade to each deal. Make sure to let us know how you feel about these trades in the comments section below. 

Let’s jump right into it! 

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The 2015 MLB season has had no shortage of breakout stars.

Whether it’s Kyle Schwarber mashing home runs, Carlos Martinez and Hector Santiago developing into dependable starters or Joe Panik and Matt Duffy solidifying the San Francisco Giants lineup, plenty of players have become important contributors out of relative obscurity. 

With just over a month to go in the season, here we identify Bleacher Report’s 2015 MLB All-Breakout Team. The criteria for this list aren’t cut and dried, but we made the selections with these two things in mind:

• 2015 is the first time any of these players have produced at a high level.
• We tried to stay away from top prospects like Carlos Correa and Kris Bryant, who always figured to make an immediate impact.

With so many worthy players to choose from, there are bound to be disagreements. Let us know who you think should have made this list in the comments section below. 

Who will join Schwarber, Martinez, Santiago, Panik and Duffy on our All-Breakout Team? Read on to find out!

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There figures to be more than a few waiver trades in MLB before the August 31 cutoff date next week. Over the next few slides, we’ll take a look at some underrated players who could be steals for prospective teams.

Now, obviously the following players have their flaws—they wouldn’t be available for trade if they didn’t. But each selection has specific traits that will still interest contenders trying to qualify for the postseason. 

For Jonny Gomes, it’s leadership and playoff experience. For Addison Reed and John Axford, it’s strikeout stuff out of the bullpen. Austin Jackson? Top-tier speed and defense. As for Brock Holt? Versatility and energy.

For contenders, those qualities could be the difference between making the playoffs or watching the festivities from the couch in October. Many fans won’t consider adding any of these players as a noteworthy transaction, but we’re here to let you know why they should.

In the comments section below, let us know how you feel about our selections. Would you be happy if your team snagged one of these players? Which of the following guys would have the most impact with a new team if traded?

Without further ado, let’s jump into our list of possible last-minute MLB waiver deadline steals.

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Major League Baseball’s August waiver trade period can be confusing, but teams can actually still add to and subtract from their current rosters until the August 31 cutoff date. 

With that deadline rapidly approaching, we’ll take a look at the five best players who remain available on the trade market. 

Many of the players on this list are high-profile names with big-money contracts. James Shields, Carlos Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp and Francisco Rodriguez each have their flaws. However, they can still be valuable contributors for a contender looking to improve down the home stretch. 

We’ll analyze what each of those players can still bring to the table for a potential suitor. We will also take a look at each player’s contractual situation, which is just as important as production in these types of deals. 

Make sure to let your voice be heard in the comment section below. Would you want to see your team pursue any of the players on this list? What’s a reasonable return? Do the lucrative contracts worry you? 

Before we dive into the list, let’s take a look at some honorable mentions that just missed the cut. 

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Mike Trout. Clayton Kershaw. Bryce Harper. Superstars always get more attention for their exploits and rightfully so.

But with the 25-man roster that MLB teams deploy, there can’t be success without standout seasons from unheralded players. Over the next few slides, we’ll identify the 10 most underrated players of the 2015 season. 

This was no easy task. Like most seasons, plenty of players have come out of nowhere to make significant impacts on their teams. Whether it’s veterans like John Lackey and Curtis Granderson or rookies like Chris Heston and Jung Ho Kang, the following names on this list have been instrumental for their teams in 2015.

That’s really the main criteria. Take away the stars that are supposed to carry their teams and the following players are at the top of the list in terms of importance this season. 

Make sure to let your voice be heard in the comments section below. Did we leave anybody out? Do you agree with our selections? 

Before we dive into the top 10, let’s take a look at some deserving honorable mentions who just missed the cut. 

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How about another batch of B/R’s top prospect call-up radar report? 

Last week, we profiled six minor league bats who figure to be impact players one day in the big leagues. In this edition, we’ll take a look at a solid mix of hitters—Clint Frazier, Dalton Pompey, Javier Baez—and pitchers—Frankie Montas, Sean Newcomb, Robert Stephenson.

But first, check out our handy radar system. Since the season is well into the second half, we’ve had to make some adjustments. Here’s a radar color scheme guide that we’ll use to predict the following prospects’ anticipated debuts:

• Red: 2017 call-up

• Orange: Mid/late 2016 call-up

• Yellow: Early 2016 call-up

• Green: September 2015 call-up

Make sure to let your voice be heard in the comments section below. What other prospects do you think are ready for the big leagues? When would you like to see the players on this list make their debuts?

By the end of this slideshow, you’ll hopefully have a better idea of where some of the top minor league talents stand in their journeys to the major leagues.

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When MLB rosters expand from 25 to 40 players on September 1, there will be a few slam dunks in terms of likely call-ups. 

But there are also some unlikely prospects using the season’s final months to campaign for a late-season cup of coffee in the big leagues. Over the next few slides, we’ll identify a handful of surprising names making a compelling argument for a September promotion. 

There are three different types of “surprises” on this list: 

• Relatively obscure players whom the casual fan couldn’t pick out of a police lineup (e.g. Toronto’s Matt Hague)

• Middle-of-the-road prospects having fantastic minor league seasons (e.g. Houston’s A.J. Reed, Minnesota’s Max Kepler)

• Highly touted youngsters who are ahead of schedule in their development (e.g. Cleveland’s Bradley Zimmer, St. Louis’ Alex Reyes, Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell) 

We’ll touch on the players mentioned above. Make sure to let us know what you think in the comments section below. Do you want your team to take a chance on these players? What do you think these players can bring to the table during a playoff push?

Let’s get started with a minor league journeyman enjoying a standout season.

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On September 1, each MLB team will have the opportunity to add 15 extra bodies to its roster. The following slides will highlight some of the top candidates at each position who could be included in those additions.

Teams will promote promising players for a variety of different reasons.

Contenders will assess their rosters and try to find internal solutions for areas that could lead to an early demise in October. On the other end of the spectrum, struggling squads can use September to get a closer look at talented youngsters who could play an important role in 2016.  

Corey Seager, Dalton Pompey and Aaron Judge are a few of the names that could end up sparking a contender to a postseason spot, while Jose Berrios, Nomar Mazara and Joey Gallo will hope to use the next month to secure Opening Day roster spots in 2016. 

Make sure to let your voices be heard in the comments section below. Will these players be able to help their respective squads down the stretch? Who are some other youngsters who could make an impact as September reinforcements? 

Here we go!

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