- CLUTCH SUMMARY: As the playoffs draw closer, teams look to their less-heralded players to step up into the limelight and help them make that final push to the postseason. The Nationals, Brewers, Rays, Twins, and Athletics all have that guy who is primed to fill those shoes this season.
- Victor Robles and Lorenzo Cain, both starting center fielders for their respective squads, have had really solid (Robles) or middling (Cain) seasons. Regardless of how they have played so far, they both seem to be starting to peak just at the right time for their clubs.
- On the American League side, starting pitchers Charlie Morton and Jose Berrios, as well as third baseman Matt Chapman, all are looking to be that guy for their teams as August ends and September begins, starting that final push in playoff contention.
Each and every season, the MLB seems to find players that, while they are known by fans and media outside of that team’s coverage, make much larger impressions on a series of games or even just a game when it mattered the most. Last season, unsung hero Steven Pearce came up huge when it mattered the most, hitting three home runs in the 2018 World Series for the Boston Red Sox, including two long balls in the Game five-clincher, on his way to securing the 2018 WS Most Valuable Player award.
While Pearce has been collecting the vast majority of his checks this season on the injury list for the Red Sox, other players in the MLB have the skill sets to make a similar impression just like Pearce did in a clutch moment. Here are five players that could end up breaking out just at the right time for their respective teams.
Victor Robles – CF, Nationals
Helping make fans forget about the poster boy who left for another team in their own division, Victor Robles has been a solid youngster paired up with Juan Soto in the Washington Nationals’ starting outfield. While Soto garners all of the press and accolades, Robles seems to be right up there with his outfield counterpart in certain offensive and defensive categories.
Hitting .252 with 16 taters and 56 runs driven in across 428 at-bats, Robles has had a typical Robles season, but his recent play for the Nats has been encouraging to say the least.
In his past 15 games, Robles is sporting a .345 average, having accrued 19 hits and two long balls in 55 plate appearances, and even with his 12 strikeouts in that same timeframe, he has seen an uptick in his offensive performance.
Defensively, he continues to roam the outfield with ease, covering ground and working in tandem with the other two corner outfielders to put together a solid grouping of outfielders for Washington. If Robles continues on his current pace, he can be a key cog in helping the Nats get back to the playoffs.
Lorenzo Cain – CF, Brewers
A seasoned vet who has had to deal with his fair share of injuries and slumps at the plate, Milwaukee Brewers’ center fielder Lorenzo Cain has been struggling to justify his four year, $80 million deal that he is currently in his second season of.
Sporting a .254 average is quite low for Cain, who is known not for his power numbers but his contact numbers. His runs driven in and steals in 2019 are also lower than usual, speaking to a consistent downtick across the board in Cain’s statistics.
However, an easy way to see that Cain is looking close to getting back on track is his usage of the opposite field while at the plate, and he has been able to focus at the plate in recent games and shoot balls the opposite way. His stats back up that notion as well, as Cain’s .280 average across the past 15 days, including six walks and three steals, has pointed to a boost in his on-base percentage in the Brewers’ lineup.
A testament to his struggles, Cain has fluctuated all throughout the batting lineup. His customary leadoff spot has been going to different players, like catcher Yasmani Grandal, outfielder Ben Gamel and others, in an effort to get Cain in more favorable situations. At times, he has been moved down to sixth in the lineup, putting him behind the power hitters like Christian Yelich, Keston Hiura, Ryan Braun and Mike Moustakas, giving him a better opportunity to get better pitches thrown to him.
For a team that is desperate for any offensive contributions over the final month-plus of the regular season, any sort of help that Cain can provide will go a long way in helping decide the Brewers’ playoff fate.
Charlie Morton – SP, Rays
In the American League Wild Card race, the Tampa Bay Rays have sat at or near the top for practically the entire season, which proceeded their brief spot in holding down the lead in the AL East division. Pitching has helped lead this team to be as successful as they have been, and starting pitcher Charlie Morton has been a key contributor in helping the starting rotation be very solid in the entire season.
The former Atlanta Brave, Pittsburgh Pirate, and Houston Astros starting pitcher, Morton has made his way through the MLB, but he seems to have found a really solid footing inside Tropicana Field.
In his first full season as a Ray, he is pitching at a level that rivals his best career season, which happened to be last season when he suited up for the Astros. Going 15-3 with a 3.13 ERA in 30 starts, Morton showed just how dominant he can be as a pitcher, and he is well on his way in 2019 showing that same stuff yet again.
While his last seven games have not been super positive, going 2-3 with a 4.25 ERA, Morton is still that solid pitcher that has the stuff to be dominant, and knowing how much the team needs him, Morton will be on top of his game yet again.
As the team’s ace, Morton is going to get the ball in the case of a Wild Card matchup, which seems to tilt any matchup in the Rays favor.
Jose Berrios – SP, Twins
The 25-year-old right-hander Jose Berrios has again been putting up excellent numbers on his way to yet again leading the Minnesota Twins’ starting rotation. 10 wins, 150 strikeouts, and a 3.37 ERA all show how dominant he has been in 2019, which is exactly what the team needs if they want to hold onto the AL Central divisional lead over the red-hot Cleveland Indians.
For the Twins, their chances at making the playoffs are very high, but winning the division would be a much better outcome from the regular season than being forced into a winner-take-all, one-game matchup in the Wild Card, which would most likely result in facing Morton and the Tampa Bay Rays.
As this team has a number of sluggers on their roster looking to continue their slugging ways into the month of October, Berrios is the strongest arm in the team’s starting rotation, and he needs to continue to pitch that way. 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA across his past seven starts is solid enough, but that ERA seems a bit high for Berrios.
For the Twins, keeping in any games that Berrios starts should be an easier task, mostly because Berrios pitches exactly how an ace should pitch. With a need to have their divisional lead increase more than the current three-and-a-half games that it currently is, Berrios will be key in any sort of postseason action that they earn.
Matt Chapman – 3B, Athletics
The final guy on this list with hero potential, Matt Chapman and the Oakland Athletics are currently tied with the Rays atop the Wild Card standings, but the Rays have one more victory than the A’s do, 75 to 74. For Chapman, his Gold Glove-level defense over at the hot corner will not be enough to keep the A’s where they are in the standings, but his offense has been a huge catalyst in why this team has been so successful so far.
29 long balls, 71 runs driven in and a .258 average is a very solid full season for any player, yet Chapman has already accrued these numbers and it is not even September yet. On an A’s team that needs instant offense, Chapman has been a big-time player in clutch situations, and his performance at the plate over the last week has been impressive too.
Eight hits, including two homers, and four runs driven in, has shown how Chapman has turned it up in the past seven days, which is exactly when the Athletics need him to show up. On a cost-saving, well-performing squad, Chapman is the perfect fit for the contending A’s as they continue their change into playoff contention.
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