With a little over a week to go in the season, here's where we stand in the categories that are still in play:
- Whit Merrifield passed Jose Altuve for the AL SB lead this week. This development knocks Danton Boller out of a first place tie with Brian Wells. Merrifield's lead, however, is just 33-32, with Cameron Maybin right behind at 31.
- In the NL SB race, with Billy Hamilton out due to injury and without a steal since September 2, Dee Gordon (with 8 since 9/2) has cut the lead to 2. Hamilton returned to the lineup last night, but this category is no longer a gimme. Most of the contenders picked Hamilton, but Michael Orobona could benefit if he's unable to hang onto his lead.
- Nolan Arenado will probably hang onto the NL RBI lead, but Giancarlo Stanton had 4- and 3-RBI games this week and now trails by 5. A few of the non-primary contenders would benefit from Arenado dropping from the top spot.
- Both leagues' wins leads are three-way ties for first at 17. In the AL, Corey Kluber and Chris Sale are neck-and-neck with Jason Vargas. In the NL, Clayton Kershaw is trying to keep pace with Zack Davies and Zack Greinke. A lot could happen in the final week here, but Mark Watzke's chances at winning this thing could hinge on the Sale-Kluber matchup.
- Kenley Jansen earned his 40th save last night, which would have tied him with Greg Holland for the NL lead if Holland didn't notch his 41st on the same night. A bunch of contenders will gain a point if Jansen at least ties for the lead here, most notably Jud Ehrbar and current leader Brian Wells.
As you can see, there's still a lot that's undecided with 8-9 games to go. We'll try to do a couple of mid-week updates during the week as the season winds down. Good luck everyone!
