There are only two weeks left of the 2021 season in MLB.
That means everything, from playoffs spots to individual awards will be decided in a matter of days.
Brace yourselves, because these three storylines are worth following in the upcoming days.
3. The Race For The AL MVP Award
With a .320/.410/.614 line, 46 home runs, and a lot of momentum, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has established himself as a strong MVP candidate.
He has a chance at the Triple Crown, which was last achieved by Miguel Cabrera in 2012 and Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 before that.
He would be the shoo-in winner every year, but he is the underdog in the 2021 race because of some guy named Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani has a 3.28 ERA in 123.1 innings as a pitcher, with 146 strikeouts.
Additionally, he has 44 homers and a strong .255/.357/.588 line as a hitter, with 23 stolen bases too.
Guerrero Jr. is truly amazing and is leading the Blue Jays to the postseason with his awesome performance.
But what Ohtani is doing hasn’t been done in… well, never.
Not even Babe Ruth had such a dominant season in a dual role.
History is firmly in Ohtani’s side, even though his Angels are not going to make the playoffs.
Ohtani may have faded a bit down the stretch, but he's the AL MVP. He's performed at an elite level as a 2-way player the whole season.
— Chris Northrop (@Yankeesgabbagab) September 21, 2021
2. Will The Cardinals Leave The Padres Out Of The Playoffs?
The surprising St. Louis Cardinals were left for dead by many as recently as two or three weeks ago.
They have now won nine consecutive games and taken sole possession of the second Wild Card berth in the National League.
Right now, they have an 80-69 record, 3.0 games ahead of their closest team, the Cincinnati Reds.
The San Diego Padres and the Philadelphia Phillies are 4.0 and 4.5 games behind the Cards, respectively, still with remote chances.
Can St. Louis pull off the upset and leave the almighty Padres without October baseball?
San Diego was billed in the preseason as a candidate to fight for the NL West division with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
We are in late September now, two weeks away from the end of the regular season, and they are in serious danger to be left out of the playoffs party.
1. Will The Yankees Come Up Empty-Handed?
The Yankees haven’t missed the playoffs since 2016, when they embarked on a mini-rebuild.
Their participation in the 2021 postseason is in jeopardy.
Right now, the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays have the two Wild Card spots.
Boston is 86-65 and Toronto is 84-66, 1.5 games behind the Sox.
The Yankees appear at 84-67, half a game behind the Jays for the second and final spot.
Additionally, other teams like the Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners are still in the race.
Is it possible that the Yankees can’t make the playoffs?
They will play two additional games against the Texas Rangers, but after that, they will have brutal series against the Jays, Red Sox, and Tampa Bay Rays to define their fate.
Their chances aren’t looking particularly good, and they threw away several chances of accumulating more wins.
If the Yankees miss out on the playoffs or the top Wild Card spot, just remember the eight loses to Baltimore.
— G.T. Julian Guilarte (@JulianGuilarte1) September 17, 2021
The AL Wild Card race remains the most exciting storyline for the remaining two weeks of the season.
NEXT: Moving Tanner Houck To Bullpen Was The Right Decision For Red Sox