By Darryl Reina The marathon season is now in sprint mode as the Division contenders, and pretenders, make their drive to the October playoffs and World Series. The ranked players will be counted on to make a difference in the home stretch. 1. Alex Rodriquez: A-Rod is leading the AL in homers with 40, and has raised his average this week to .321. Will he be ready for the Red Sox this weekend? 2. Albert Pujols: The consistent Pujols is now hitting .337, and has 35 HR's and 104 RBI's for first place St. Louis. The slugger is one of the leading NL MVP candidates. 3. Derek Lee: The NL MVP candidate leads MLB with a batting average of .344. No longer a "Triple Crown" candidate, but Lee should be the "Batting Champion." 4. Chris Carpenter: The 20-4 Carpenter (2.28 ERA) continues to have quality starts for the Cardinals. With St. Louis on cruise control, Tony LaRussa will be able to have their rotation in order for the postseason. 5. Andruw Jones: NL MVP candidate A. Jones moves into the Top 5 with a productive week. The Golden Glove CF leads MLB with 45 HR's and the NL with 114 RBI's. 6. David Ortiz: The AL's MVP candidate has hit 38 HR's and has 122 RBI's for Boston as they face the Yankees this weekend. 7. Mariano Rivera: The Yankee closer (36 saves) continues to be the sure thing in the 9th inning. 8. Vladimir Guerrero: The Angels continue to be led by Guerrero (.318) as they battle the A's, Yankees, and Indians this month. 9. Many Ramirez: With their huge series with the Yankees this weekend, Manny is still driving in key runs for the Red Sox (33 HR's & 117 RBI's). 10. Dontrelle Willis: The D-Train moves into the Top Ten with two wins this past week (20-8, 2.52) and is challenging Carpenter & Clemens for the NL Cy Young Award. His 20 wins is a new Marlins pitching record. 11. Derek Jeter: The Yankees SS continues to lead the Yankee defense and is hitting .311. 12. Miquel Cabrera: The Wild Card challenging Marlins rely on Cabrera's offensive and defensive skills (.330). 13. Bartolo Colon: The ace of the Angels staff and AL Cy Young candidate now has 18 wins (18-6, 3.24, 135 K's). How effective will he be in the stretch run? 14. Roger Clemens: The NL Cy Young candidate is still throwing scoreless innings for the Wild Card challenging Astros. 15. Chad Cordero: Continues to lead MLB with 43 saves. Will the Nationals lack of offense prove their downfall in September? 16. Gary Sheffield: Sheffield now has 102 RBI's for the Yankees. 17. Johnny Damon: Is hitting .323 for the first place Red Sox. 18. Randy Johnson: The big Yankee left-hander is still one of the best competitors in the game (13-8, 4.05, 185 K's). 19. Johan Santana: The Twin's postseason chances are slipping, but Santana continues to produce quality starts (13-6, 3.07, 205 K's). 20. Ken Griffey Jr.: The injury bug hits Griffey (35 HR's) again this week. 21. Michael Young: Is there a batting championship ahead for the Rangers M. Young (.328)? 22: Pedro Martinez: The ace of the NY Mets staff (13-7, 2.95, 190 K's). 23. Jake Peavy: The hard throwing ace of the Padres staff continues to provide quality starts (12-6, 2.93, 201 K's). 24. Chipper Jones: The Braves veteran has raised his average to .308. 25. Mark Teixeira: The Ranger (.288) now has 36 HR's, 98 RBI's, and moves into the our Top 25. Honorable Mention: Sean Casey, Joe Nathan, Marcus Giles, Mark Mulder, Richie Sexon, Jon Garland, David Wright, Paul Konerko, and Mark Buehrle.