Top ten players that will have an impact on division races

With two months left in baseball’s regular season, division races are just starting to heat up. Four of the six divisions feature division leaders that hold a three game lead or smaller, and only the AL West seems to be already decided. Here are some players that will have a big impact on their team’s playoff chances down the stretch.

10 Mark Reynolds

The Diamondbacks young third baseman has been their most consistent power threat all season. With every team in the NL West limping to the finish, Arizona will need Reynolds to continue to provide offense.

9 Manny Parra
While Parra’s 9-5 record looks impressive, his peripherals are anything but. Parra’s ERA has been steadily rising as his high walk rate and low strikeout totals may be starting to catch up to him. If the Brewers want to catch the Cubbies in the NL Central, Parra will have to be a consistent third starter.

8 Alfonso Soriano

Though it seems many fans fail to realize it, Soriano is the Cubs best player. Sure, he isn’t used correctly- those homers would drive in a lot more runners if he was hitting, say, fifth in the order instead of leadoff- but The Fonz can still carry an offense when he’s hot. If Soriano catches fire the last two months, the Cubs will run away with the Central.

7 Gavin Floyd

Much like Parra, Floyd’s stats may be a tad inflated. The 25-year old righty has had a hard time keeping the ball in the park and keeping pitches in the strike zone. Simply put, if Floyd can regain the form he showed earlier in the first half, the White Sox are a very real threat in the playoffs.

6 Armando Galarraga

At 7.5 games out, the Tigers are going to need to go on a roll very soon. Galarraga has been their best pitcher all season long, and he needs to keep it going if Detroit is going to catch the Sox or Twins.

5 David Price

Late season call ups have been instrumental for most of the World Series winners this decade. Price, a former number one pick, has a chance to be that guy this season for the Rays. Will he enter the rotation or be used as a reliever? Not even Tampa Bay knows what to do with him quite yet.

4 Manny Ramirez

Even though they sit at just .500, the Dodgers are still only 2.5 games back in the NL West. When Ramirez is mashing, no one is better. The Dodgers have enough offense with him in the lineup to catch Arizona.

3 Jason Bay

David Ortiz needs protection in the White Sox order, and Manny Ramirez isn’t there to give it to him anymore. So the task falls to Bay, the newly acquired left fielder from Pittsburgh, to get the job done.

2 Joba Chamberlain

Could New York really close out Yankee Stadium by missing the playoffs? At 6.5 games back, it may take a miracle. Or just a ferocious streak by new starter Joba Chamberlain. Chamberlain has been pretty much lights out since going to the rotation, and he’ll have to remain that way for the Yanks to have a chance at the AL East crown or wildcard.

1 Francisco Liriano

Finally, Liriano is back in the majors, and it couldn’t be at a better time for the Twins. Minnesota needs him to be a front end of the rotation force, and if Liriano can revert back to the form he showed his rookie season, the Twins could be give the White Sox a run for their money.