Top 9 things at stake in the final week

The final week of the 2026 regular season has arrived and there is still much to be determined.

While six teams have clinched playoff spots and a few others are close, multiple playoff positions are still up for grabs. And from an individual perspective, there are awards that could be determined in the coming days.

Here’s what is at stake in the final week of the season.

• Bracket, tiebreakers and more: Here is the current playoff picture

Who will win the AL West and Central?

There’s no telling who will win these two divisions in the American League. The Rays have just about wrapped up the AL East, but the White Sox and Guardians are still battling for the AL Central, while the Rangers and Astros are battling for the West.

This is where things stand. The Rangers lead the Astros by one game in the AL West but Houston won the pivotal tiebreaker against Texas. That means if the two clubs end the season with the same record, the division would go to the Astros.

In the AL Central, the Guardians hold a one-game lead over the White Sox, but Chicago holds the tiebreaker advantage. Any tie between the two clubs means the White Sox would win the division.

Who gets the last AL Wild Card spot?

The AL West and Central battles are directly linked to what’s happening for the final Wild Card spot. It’s very likely that one of those four aforementioned teams will grab the last AL Wild Card spot, unless the Blue Jays have something to say about it. Right now, the White Sox have a fairly comfortable three-game lead over the Blue Jays and Astros.

Could Yordan still win the Triple Crown?

For a while, Yordan Alvarez looked like he might win the MLB Triple Crown, leading the Majors in average, home runs and RBIs. Now, the lefty slugger and presumptive AL MVP winner might merely finish first or second in average, home runs and RBIs. Heading into the final week, Alvarez has a slight edge in average (.313) over Chandler Simpson (.309) and is second in home runs (40) behind Junior Caminero (41) and second in RBIs (99) behind Pete Alonso (105). Alvarez could still snag the AL Triple Crown, but it’ll take a monstrous final week.

Simpson’s unique season and quest for an unusual batting title

Back to Simpson for a second, though. The Rays outfielder is having an excellent season, hitting for average, swiping bases and playing solid outfield defense. What he hasn’t done, though, is hit a single home run. The last hitter to win a batting title without hitting a home run was Rod Carew in 1972. Even if he doesn’t win, he could be the first qualified hitter to bat .300 without a home run since Luis Castillo in 1999.

Will Misiorowski win the ERA title?

It's been a remarkable season for Jacob Misiorowski, who has a 1.86 ERA and 247 strikeouts after Sunday's outing against the Orioles. Assuming he's in line for one more start next weekend -- even if it's abbreviated like his three-inning outing on Sunday -- Misiorowski is in line to join some impressive company. If he can hold his ERA edge over Cam Schlittler's 1.94 mark, he'd join 2021 Corbin Burnes (2.43 ERA in 2021) as the only Brewers to win an ERA title.

If Misiorowski keeps his ERA under two and gets to 250 strikeouts, there's some other fun company he'll join. He'd be just the 13th pitcher (15th instance) since earned runs became official in 1913 to finish a season with a sub-2 ERA and 250-plus strikeouts. The last to do so was Jacob deGrom in 2018.

Will Schwarber or PCA lead the Majors in home runs?

Kyle Schwarber led the National League with 56 home runs last year. As hard as it is to believe, though, Schwarber has never led the Majors in home runs. That could change this year, as the Phillies’ slugger is tied for the MLB lead with 45 homers. The last Phillie to pull that off was Ryan Howard in 2008, when he hit 48 homers and helped lead Philly to a World Series title.

Schwarber, though, has Pete Crow-Armstrong tied with him at the top. The surefire NL MVP has completely taken off this season with 45 homers, 38 stolen bases (more on this shortly), a .949 OPS and his usual excellent center field defense, which has led to an MLB-best 10.5 WAR, per FanGraphs. If PCA surpasses Schwarber, he’d be the first Cub to lead the NL in homers since Sammy Sosa’s 49 homers in 2002 and the first to lead the Majors in long balls since Sosa hit 50 in 2000.

Does PCA get to 40-40?

Crow-Armstrong is making all sorts of history this season. Reaching 10 WAR puts PCA in rarified territory and it seems very likely that the Cubs’ superstar center fielder will be a unanimous MVP winner, something no Cub has ever achieved. Crow-Armstrong is also a mere two stolen bases away from a 40-40 season, something no Cub has done and only six other MLB players have achieved.

Burleson vying to join impressive Cardinals history

Alec Burleson leads the Majors with 111 RBIs, putting him in line for some impressive Cardinals history. He’s looking to become the first Cardinal to lead the National League since Albert Pujols in 2010 and the first to lead the Majors in the category since Joe Torre drove in 137 runs in 1971. His stiffest competition is Cincinnati’s Sal Stewart, who sits at 110 RBIs entering the final week.

How does Verlander's final start go?

Justin Verlander returned to the Tigers for the 2026 season, which will be his final before retiring. Unfortunately, he only made one start in April and hasn't pitched since that point. The good news is he's lined up to pitch on Saturday at Detroit's Comerica Park, which will surely be a feel good moment and send off for the likely future Hall of Famer. Verlander can also add a few more strikeouts to his career total of 3,554.