As the season winds down, major award races are tightening. Yordan Alvarez leads AL MVP, while Jacob Misiorowski holds the NL Cy Young lead. The AL Rookie of the Year is largely secured by Kevin Mc Gonigle, but the NL MVP remains a tight contest between Pete Crow-Armstrong and Shohei Ohtani. Meanwhile, Cam Schlittler and Dylan Cease battle for the AL Cy Young.

The NL Rookie of the Year race appears to be a duel between St. Louis Cardinals' JJ Wetherholt and Cincinnati Reds' Sal Stewart. However, New York Mets rookie Nolan Mc Lean stays in contention with a stellar 2.19 ERA over his last nine starts. More importantly, teammate Carson Benge emerges as the top fantasy pickup and a serious award sleeper.

Benge, once struggling with a .136 average, has transformed after adjusting his batting stance. Since late April, he has hit .300/.357/.466 with 15 home runs and 13 steals in 104 games. Now batting lower in the order, he boasts five homers and 17 RBIs in his last 35 games. His stats place him competitively behind Stewart and Wetherholt, making a strong finish plausible.

In relief pitching, Tanner Scott of the Los Angeles Dodgers is a critical free agent pickup. With Edwin Diaz on the IL due to struggles, Scott has taken over closer duties, recording three saves since Diaz's absence. Given Diaz’s injury timeline and potential role change, Scott could hold the job permanently through the rest of the 2026 season.