Rankings/List

September 1 marks the annual date when major league rosters expand from 25 to 40 active players.  The opportunity it poses varies circumstantially from team to team, but it always promises a chance to see some fresh faces in our favorite familiar uniforms.

"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well you might find you just might find you get what you need." - The Rolling Stones

That song may have been released three months after the pitching mounds were lowered in 1969, but that line seems pretty applicable as we look ahead to the 2013 MLB playoffs.

We'll make the best of any situation we're given, finding a way to create drama in any and every playoff series played this October.

Giancarlo Stanton possesses the most raw power of any player in the game. However, he may have some competition at this time next season.

Already on the fast track to the major leagues, Miguel Sano is racing through the Minnesota Twins’ system and putting up big numbers along the way.

For a team trying to contend for a division title, the Tampa Bay Rays were terrible in August.

The Rays were coming off the best month in club history, following a 21-5 record in July. Their encore performance, an 11-15 August, was the team's worst record since also going 11-15 in July 2011.

The month was the team's first losing August since Manager Joe Maddon's first season in 2006.

In the past week, the Mets split a four-game series with the Phillies by winning two games, before winning two out of three against the Nationals as the calendar has turned to September.

Major League Baseball has taken a no-nonsense approach to performance-enhancing drugs. MLB officials, the sport's fans and even its players now villify the rotten individuals who attempt to cheat their way to on-field success and monetary gain.

Keep in mind, several of the following PED users never actually tested positive for an illegal substance. Some admitted to injecting themselves or cannot disprove overwhelming circumstantial evidence.

Any fair weather baseball fan is aware of the steroid era we currently suffer through, filled with bureaucratic reports, player confessions (or lack thereof) and widespread cheating (to put it bluntly). 

As unfortunate as it is to say, the battle towards purity is far from over.

Even after the swift suspension of 12 MLB players in early August, some stars have escaped the grasp of the league unscathed. 

Most of us had already suspected that this was going to be a rough season for the Cubs. In fact, it was widely considered a rebuilding year with an eye on 2014 and beyond. So, considering that they haven't been in the playoff race for the last few months, what makes September any different than June, July or August for the Cubs?

For just the second time in four years, there'll be no World Series championship to celebrate in San Francisco.

In fact, the Giants are on pace to finish with 90 losses for the first time since 2008 and in last place for the first time since 2007. Going into today, they were 15.5 games back of a wild-card spot. So why is there any reason to keep watching them play seemingly meaningless games in September? 

Blue, Hunter and Fingers. Hudson, Mulder and Zito. Gonzalez, Cahill and Bailey. Parker, Griffin and Straily. Who's next?

The Oakland Athletics are known for bringing pitchers up through the minor leagues, and they have a group of future stars waiting for the next promotion.