Five red-hot MLB players who could swing AL, NL wild-card races

The All-Star break gave players a chance to reset, and some have taken better advantage of the opportunity than others.

Over the past month, multiple major leaguers have turned things around after quiet starts to the season. Below, we take a look at five in the thick of the wild-card picture who may be able to swing those races in their team's favor.

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso

Even with Wednesday's controversial missed home run call, Alonso has plenty to celebrate about his post-All-Star streak. After signing a five-year, $155M contract in free agency, he got off to a rocky start, hitting .198 through the first month of the season. 

He began to turn things around afterward and entered the midseason break with a .252/.346/.474 slash line and 21 home runs in 97 games. But the five-time All-Star has hit another level since July 17, slashing .313/.402/.574 with eight home runs during the 30-game span, helping keep Baltimore's slim playoff hopes alive. The Orioles (61-66) are only 1.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins (63-65) for the AL's third wild- card spot. If Alonso continues at his current pace, why not them?

Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk

On July 22, the Blue Jays (62-66) sat a season-high 10-games below .500 and had a season-low 1.7 percent chance of reaching the playoffs. Toronto has gone 16-10 in its 26 games since to increase its postseason odds to 25 percent.

Kirk, who missed 62 games from Apr. 4-June 10 with a fractured thumb, had a tepid .202 batting average entering the second half of the season but closed Wednesday with a .282 average after collecting 32 hits, including five home runs, in 88 at-bats across his last 26 games.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt

Few pitchers have improved more between the first and second halves of the season than Pfaadt, who was pulled from the starting rotation after three starts and later demoted to Triple-A Reno after posting a 5.92 ERA in his first 38 innings (13 games).

He's 7-0 with a 1.79 ERA in 10 starts since, including a 1.81 ERA post-All-Star break. The Boston Red Sox roughed him up on Wednesday, however, as Pfaadt allowed five earned runs in 5.2 innings, piquing our interest for his next outing. A game behind the NL West-rival San Diego Padres (68-60) for the NL's last wild-card spot, the Diamondbacks (67-61) can't afford a decline from Pfaadt over the final month of the regular season.

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Troy Melton

Tarik Skubal who? The Tigers (61-66) traded their two-time Cy Young Award winner — plus another starter, Casey Mize — ahead of this year's trade deadline, but at only 1.5 games behind the Twins and owning the AL's third-best run-differential, Detroit might be able to make a run to the playoffs. 

Melton, 25, is in his second MLB season and is pitching like an ace after missing the first two months with elbow inflammation. Since the All-Star break, the 2022 fourth-round pick has a 1.54 ERA in 35 innings (six starts). This season, the Tigers are 11-3 when he starts, with opponents averaging 1.9 runs per game, turning him into arguably Detroit's most reliable starter.

San Diego Padres centerfielder Jackson Merrill

If Pfaadt is the NL's most improved pitcher, Merrill may be most improved at the plate. The third-year pro had an abysmal .219/.278/.350 slash line during the first half of season but recharged during the break and came out the other end a different player.

Over Merrill's last 32 games, he's slashing .301/.328/.577 with nine home runs, 25 runs batted in and five stolen bases for the top offense in baseball, per FanGraphs. It's been a drastic turnaround from before the All-Star break, when San Diego ranked last in both runs scored (279) and team batting average (.226). With Arizona breathing down its neck for the NL's third wild card, Merrill flipped the switch at the perfect time.