MLB History

The 2010 Major League Baseball season is quickly winding down to the final 10-plus games, and the race for postseason play—and postseason awards—is in full swing.

And with those final two weeks of races coming down to the wire, it’s time to take a quick look at the 10 biggest contenders for one of baseball’s most prestigious awards: Most Valuable Player.

So, from the likes of Cincinnati’s Joey Votto to Texas’ Josh Hamilton, who are the 10 players with the highest probability of bringing home the 2010 MVP hardware?

At the trading deadline in 2004, Jim Duquette, the general manager of New York's most beloved team, the New York Mets, acquired right-hander Kris Benson from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In exchange, the Mets sent Ty Wigginton, minor league right-hander Matt Peterson, and infielder Jose Bautista to the Pirates.

"And down the stretch they come."

Those words, made famous by horse racing announcer Dave Johnson, should be playing on  loudspeakers in baseball parks all across the country.

With the regular season coming to an end, there are some divisions still up for grabs, and wild cards still to be determined.

While we wait to see which teams will be playing in this "second season," let's take a look back at the greatest pennant-race performances of all-time.

Although the Houston Astros have spent a majority of the 2010 season in the cellar of the National League Central, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about the team’s future.

Today, we’re going to look at 15 solid reasons to get pumped up about next year’s Astros squad.

Let’s begin by taking a look at five honorable mention candidates before quickly narrowing down to the top 10 players on Houston’s young and talented depth chart with the highest probability of becoming future MLB stars.

It was on of the greatest games in one of the most magnificent, amazing seasons in the history of sports.

In 1968, New York's most beloved team, the New York Mets, had finished a dismal ninth in the 10-team National League, but by July 1969, they were doing something they had never done before. They were winning games fairly consistently.

For baseball fans, the pinnacle of the six-month grind awaits on the horizon.

With only a few weeks left in the regular season, it’s hard not to let the mind drift to October baseball, playoff drama, and the crowning of a new World Series champion.

Currently, three divisions stand all but settled.

The Minnesota Twins have a six-game lead in the American League Central, the Cincinnati Reds have a seven-game lead in the National League Central, and the Texas Rangers sit eight games up in the A.L. West.

That leaves us with three divisions up for grabs.

It's time to make the cuts. Spring training is over, the contracts have been signed. Now it's time to play some ball.

But who should actually play? There have been a lot of great players in San Francisco Giants history.

Bonds, Mays, McCovey, Cepeda.

The list goes on endlessly. But let's cut it down to the best 25. How would you put a roster together?

How many pitchers do you carry? How many lefties?

I need a backup catcher, don't I?

No matter how you build a team, you need to have a solid base and a pitching staff that will carry you the distance.

Trevor Hoffman earned his 600th career save on Tuesday night, making him the first player in Major League Baseball history to accomplish that feat.  

Here's a look back at Hoffman's long road from minor league shortstop to the most prolific closer of all time.


Trevor Hoffman's 600 Saves Timeline

April 29th, 1993 - 1st Career Save - Florida Marlins def. Atlanta Braves

St. Louis Browns' outfielder Pete Gray played one season in the major leagues. He batted .218, had a .259 on base average, and slugged a mere .261 in 1945. But, Pete Gray might have been the most unique individual to have ever donned a uniform.

Pete Gray didn't have a right arm.

When he was 12 years old, Pete, who was a promising young athlete, slipped while doing farm work.

He fell of the running board of his father's pickup truck, which ran over his right arm, completely crushing it.

Less than a month ago, Francisco Rodriguez injured his right thumb in an altercation with his girlfriend's father at Citi Filed in New York. The injury will keep him out for the remainder of the season, costing both he and the Mets over the next couple of months.