MLB Hoosiers (Sept. 3): Evaluating Playoff Options for 6 Hoosiers in the Pros

There are six former Indiana baseball players in the major leagues, and we keep you updated on them all every day with our "Hoosiers in the Pros'' features.

Thursday night was a quiet night in the big leagues, with only Kyle Schwarber of the Chicago Cubs seeing action. Teammate Josh Phegley didn't play, and the others had an off day.

There are only four weeks left in this abbreviated 60-game season, and it's followed by the first-ever 16-team playoff, with eight in each league. The first round is a best-of-three series, with the higher seed hosting all games.

With it being a quiet day, let's get caught up on all six Hoosiers and what their postseason prospects look like:

Kyle Schwarber, Chicago Cubs

His season thus far: Schwarber has been the every-day left fielder for the Cubs all season, with a few exceptions as designated hitter. He's been especially hot lately, hitting four home runs and driving in nine runs in the past eight days. For the season, he's batting .238 (29-for-122) with 10 homers and 21 RBIs. (On Thursday, he went 2-for-3 with a walk.)
Team record, status: The Cubs have been the dominant team in the National League Central from the beginning, and currently have a 3.5-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs are 22-15 on the year and open a critical five-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals this long Labor Day weekend in Chicago.

Josh Phegley, Chicago Cubs

His season thus far: Phegley is the Cubs' third-string catcher, so he hasn't seen much playing time. In 16 at bats, he's had just one hit — a home run — and two RBIs. His batting average is .063.
Team record, status: See above.

Alex Dickerson, San Francisco Giants

His season thus far: Dickerson got off to a slow start, but he's been on fire lately, raising his average from .221 to .268 over the span of two days, when he got seven hits and hit three home runs. For the season, the 30-year-old left fielder is 26-for-97 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs. He has four doubles and a triple, as well.
Team record, status: The Giants are 18-20 on the season and have been something of a surprise in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year where half of the roster is made up of rookies. As of Friday morning, the Giants are just a half-game out of a playoff spot — Colorado is just ahead of them at 18-19 — and will be in the mix down the stretch.

Caleb Baragar, San Francisco Giants

His season thus far: Baragar has been very good of late, allowing just two hits and no runs in his last seven appearances. Outside of a rough three-game stretch, he's been pretty good all year. For the season, Baragar has pitched 15 innings, all in relief, and allowed 10 runs, but eight of those came in that three-game stretch in early August. The rookie has had 10 strikeouts and just two walks.
Team record, status: See above.

Aaron Slegers, Tampa Bay Rays

His season thus far: Slegers has been great after his first rough outing, where he gave up a grand slam and five runs in his debut on Aug. 13. Since then, he threw nine scoreless innings before giving up a run Wednesday night. For the season, he's given up six earned runs in 12 innings, with a 4.50 earned run average. He has 12 strikeouts and no walks thus far, and really had just the one bad outing.
Team record, status: Tampa Bay is 26-12 and has the best record in the American League. They have a five-game lead in the AL East over the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. The Rays' pitching staff, despite many injuries, has been solid, and they've been hitting well, especially in clutch time.

Kyle Hart, Boston Red Sox

His season thus far: This has been a rough go of it for Hart, who has struggled through all four of his outings with the Red Sox and is now on the injured list with an inflamed hip. He has appeared in four games, three starts, but has allowed 24 hits and 19 earned runs in just 11 innings.
Team record, status: Boston is just 12-26 and has been a huge disappointment this season. Their pitching, from top to bottom, has been awful. Their .316 winning percentage is the worst in the American League, and second-worst in baseball by a half-game to the Pittsburgh Pirates.