Winning the batting title used to be the end-all, be-all in Major League Baseball. But it still means something to the players that do it.

Entering play on Monday, there are just six qualified hitters batting .300 or better this season, and five of them play in the American League. Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner, who is nursing a hamstring injury and may not return until the playoffs, leads the National League at .305.

That leaves the door open for an unheralded star, Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, to swoop in and steal the crown if he has a big final two weeks.

Hoerner went 2-for-4 on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays, and the second hit was a massive two-run double in the seventh inning to put the Cubs ahead for good. He was batting .299 on the season as of Mon

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