Rankings/List

Boy, this season went by fast.

Seems like just yesterday that the Mariners were gearing up to take the league by storm with lights-out pitching and defense, and the Padres were preparing to field offers for Adrian Gonzalez. Those were the days.

The San Francisco Giants did three significant things during their humongous four-game series against the San Diego Padres. Call it a pleasant coincidence that the team also won three of the weekend contests.

By taking three of four in Petco Park, the good guys exorcised some serious demons in a personal house of horrors. Since the start of the 2009 campaign, the Giants had only won three of the last 14 contests played in the Friars' home. You have to imagine the lads enjoyed doubling a two-year win total in four days.

While some division races are winding down, others are just starting to heat up.

The Rockies, dead in the water two weeks ago, have ripped off 10 wins in a row and are now in the mix for both the Wild Card and NL West title.

Carlos Gonzalez continues to remind voters why he should be in the MVP conversation.

Troy Tulowitzki has jut finished a incredibly hot stretch as well. How hot? Well how does eight home-runs and 17 RBI in nine games sound?

The tandem are the reason the Rox find themselves within striking distance.

Defense wins championships. Well maybe not in baseball. Still, as the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays, the 2009 Seattle Mariners, and the 2010 San Diego Padres have shown us, a good defense goes a long way in today's game.

Defense is the unappreciated side of the game. You don't see players winning MVP awards for their defensive play. Fielding wizards like Carl Crawford often fly under the radar, their offensive game attracting much more attention than their rare defensive skills.

As we head into the last three weeks or so of the MLB season, it's pretty clear which players have had the biggest breakout seasons in 2010.

This list consists of guys who weren't really thought of as being star players prior to this year but really proved it this year.

2010 presents us with some of the most compelling playoff races in recent history. With the Padres slipping in the NL West, the Phillies taking over in the NL East, and possibly the two best teams in baseball -- the Rays and Yankees -- battling it out in the AL East, the last 20 games could bring about many surprises.

This year has been a crazy year for the Phillies.  There have been many ups and downs, and there may be many more to come.  The team has had some injuries, they have had some slumps, they have had some winning streaks, etc.  To sum it all up, they've basically had everything.  And for the most part, they have still done good throughout it all.  Here are some of their main strengths and main weaknesses.

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Closers are an unpredictable bunch, huh?  A month ago, would anyone have predicted that Jonathan Broxton would be out of a job?  You just never know what is going to happen, but it’s impossible to believe that he is not going to be viable fantasy closer in 2011.

Only July 21st of this year, the Philadelphia Phillies lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis. The loss was the sixth in seven games for the Phils, and dropped the team to just two games over .500 and 7.0 games behind the Braves in the NL East.

The season looked to be all but over for the Phils, who weren't playing particularly well in any facet of the game.

Now, on September 9th, less than two months later, the Phillies have the best record in the National League.

We all know July 31 and the days leading up to that day change the season for some teams. There were some serious trades including a trade involving a Cy Young winner and a couple of ex-first overall draft picks. This slideshow shows the top nine pickups and the worst trade deadline pickups. The slideshow only shows teams in second or third place who brought in players who have played well since joining their new team.

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