With just under five weeks remaining in the 2026 regular season, Yordan Alvarez remains in position to become the American League Triple Crown winner. However, several challengers are keeping the race tight.
Alvarez holds a narrow lead in AL home runs with 36 and is tied for the league lead in RBIs with 91. He also leads the AL in batting average as the season enters its final stretch.
Those are not the only statistical races worth watching. Here are 10 compelling MLB leaderboards to follow over the next few weeks. All statistics are through play on Wednesday.
1. AL Triple Crown and home run race
Alvarez could become the first Triple Crown winner since Miguel Cabrera in 2012. Entering play Thursday, the Astros slugger leads the American League in home runs and batting average while sharing the RBI lead.
The achievement will not be easy, particularly because Alvarez has struggled to produce power recently. He has hit only one home run in August, leaving an opening for two young sluggers. The 23-year-old Caminero could surpass the 45 home runs he hit last season, while the 27-year-old Rice has already established a single-season career high with 35 home runs.
2. AL RBI race
Contenders: Yordan Alvarez, 91 (HOU); Pete Alonso, 91 (BAL)
If Alonso has anything to say about it, Alvarez will not win the AL Triple Crown. Known as the Polar Bear, Alonso has been one of the league’s hottest hitters and has raised his production another level in recent weeks.
Alonso’s 22 RBIs since Aug. 1 lead the American League. He matched Alvarez with a four-RBI game Tuesday and a two-RBI game Wednesday. Alvarez is entering unfamiliar territory as he pursues his first 100-RBI season since 2021, while Alonso has already recorded four seasons with at least 100 RBIs.
3. NL RBI race
A quartet of unheralded sluggers is competing to lead the National League in RBIs. No player has driven in more runs this season than Stewart, who is seeking to become the third rookie—and the first in 76 years—to lead the Majors in RBIs since the statistic became official in 1920.
The NL Central rivalry is also playing a role, with two overlooked Cardinals sluggers close behind Stewart. Abrams should not be overlooked, either, as he powers the second-highest-scoring offense in the Majors.
4. Strikeout race
Cease’s bid for the AL Cy Young Award has been fueled in large part by his remarkable strikeout totals. This is already his sixth consecutive season with at least 200 strikeouts, and he has recorded nine games with double-digit strikeouts this year.
Williams has matched that total and is suddenly striking out hitters at a historic rate. He has narrowed the gap since the All-Star break, recording nine more strikeouts than Cease during that span.
Schlittler is slightly outside the main battle, but the hard-throwing right-hander belongs in the conversation because he has the fourth-highest strikeout rate among qualified MLB starters.
5. AL ERA race
Contenders: Schlittler, 2.16 (NYY); Cease, 2.37 (TOR); Parker Messick, 2.50 (CLE)
Cease has the edge in strikeouts, but Schlittler is leading the race for the AL ERA title. That is one reason he is the frontrunner for the AL Cy Young Award, according to the latest poll.
Schlittler’s 2.16 ERA would be the lowest by a Yankees pitcher in a season in which he qualified for the ERA title since Ron Guidry posted a 1.74 ERA during his Cy Young-winning 1978 season. Messick, a rookie left-hander, has also been impressive, recording the fourth-best ERA in the Majors since July 1.
6. AL batting average race
Contenders: Alvarez, .322 (HOU); Chandler Simpson, .308 (TB)
This race is not especially close, but it remains important for several reasons. It is the final statistical category connected to Alvarez’s pursuit of the AL Triple Crown, and it highlights the contrasting styles of the two leaders.
Alvarez is a complete hitter with few weaknesses, but his power is his defining strength. He leads the Majors with a .614 slugging percentage. Simpson, by contrast, is the only qualified hitter without a home run this season.
Despite the gap, Simpson is applying pressure with a .373 batting average since July 1. Gaining ground is difficult, however, because Alvarez is hitting .337 over the same span.
7. NL doubles race
The NL doubles race is crowded, with seven players recording between 30 and 33 doubles this season. Several familiar names are in contention.
Since the start of the 2021 season, only three players have hit more than 210 doubles: Freeman with 235, Olson with 216 and Devers with 211. Those established doubles leaders are all chasing Burleson, whose 33 doubles already represent the highest single-season total of his career.
8. NL hits race
Contenders: Luis Arraez, 161 (PHI); Lopez, 160 (MIA)
While pursuing his fourth batting title, Arraez is also trying to lead the NL in hits for the third consecutive season. This year, he is coming from behind. Arraez has collected 25 hits in August, moving ahead of Lopez, who has 22 hits this month.
Arraez would become the first player to lead his league in hits in at least three straight seasons since Jose Altuve led the American League in hits for four consecutive years from 2014 through 2017.
9. AL stolen base race
After going 30 games without a stolen base earlier this season, Simpson is running aggressively again. His 13 stolen bases since the All-Star break lead the Majors.
Witt has recorded 183 stolen bases since the start of the 2022 season, his rookie year, which is 20 more than any other player during that span. Yet he has never led the AL in steals.
Chisholm entered Spring Training with ambitions of a 50-50 season. Although he will not reach 50 home runs, he could still steal 50 bases and took the AL lead Wednesday.
10. NL saves race
Miller is not leading the NL in saves, despite what many might have expected. O’Brien, a 31-year-old journeyman and first-time All-Star, has established a role at the back end of the Cardinals’ bullpen.
O’Brien entered the season with only 52 big league appearances, and his save total could end up close to that number. Miller’s 32 saves are already his highest single-season total, and he should have more opportunities down the stretch as the Padres compete for a postseason berth.
