Alex Rodriguez and 10 Players Who Must Step Up Before the MLB Playoffs

The MLB season is nearing its end.

Teams have made their final adjustments via the July trade deadline and have seemingly found what works.

However, the success of multiple playoff contenders going forward could very well depend on the efforts and consistent play of their top players.

Guys like Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Beltran and Jason Heyward are just a few elite contributors that will have to be at their very best in order for their teams to make a serious run come October.

Usually everything would fall on starting pitching and how good a bullpen is; but as it stands right now, a lot of playoff ready teams are more or less depending on hitting.

With that said, here are the top 10 players that must step it up before the start of the playoffs.

10. A.J. Burnett, New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are currently tied with the Boston Red Sox for first place in the AL East.

Each team has shown over the past few months that baseball's biggest rivalry could once again reign supreme in the MLB playoffs.

However, the success of the Yankees going forward going very well hinder on the consistency of their starting pitching—A.J. Burnett being the biggest concern.

Burnett's eight wins are fairly good, but considering he's rocking a 4.54 ERA through nearly 143 innings, he has to be considered New York's biggest question mark going forward.

Despite his struggles over the past two years, the 34-year-old still has enough left in the tank and could easily take over any game when he's pitching at his best.

Considering the Yankees have been consistently winning without Burnett blowing past competition, it's easy to see that if he starts to pitch the way the team needs him to, the Bronx Bombers could be back in the World Series before they know it.

9. Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves

Jason Heyward has been one of the most disappointing players in all of baseball this season.

Following a breakout season in 2010, the sophomore phenom is hitting a lowly .223 with 11 home runs. What's even more depressing is the fact that Heyward has only driven in 29 runs.

On a team like Atlanta where starting pitching is everything, the Braves offensive assets need to step it up.

Brian McCann has done his part, but he's currently on the 15-day DL.

Michael Bourn was acquired from Houston and should step in nicely in center field.

Dan Uggla has been terrific of late with his eye popping 25-game hitting streak, but he has also struggled on a consistent basis.

When you add in the fact that Chipper Jones' health is virtually a daily adventure, now is the time for Heyward to step it up.

He was considered one of the best young hitters in the game heading into this season, but has done nothing to prove that notion correct.

With the Braves currently chasing the untouchable Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East, it seems hard to picture them catching their division rivals.

A wild card spot is in the near future, but the Braves need a consistent offensive bat to help complement their dominant pitching and hold off teams like the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks.

8. Daniel Hudson, Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks continue to show why they deserve to be mentioned among the top teams in the National League.

Led by Justin Upton and Chris Young on offense, the Diamondbacks always seem to score runs when it counts.

However, beyond their hitting sits a void of questionable pitching.

Coming into the season, starting pitcher Daniel Hudson was suppose to be the team's go-to arm, but instead it's been Ian Kennedy the whole time.

Kennedy has been downright dominant and is starting to make the New York Yankees regret trading him instead of Phil Hughes.

With that said, Kennedy is not the problem, it's Hudson.

Now while Hudson has not pitched bad by any stretch of the imagination, going 11-7 with a 3.67 ERA, the 24-year-old hasn't quite been his dominant self from 2010.

Arizona is going to need him to zone in and make things happen on a more consistent basis. 

Closer J.J. Putz is finally back and healthy so that should help Hudson down the stretch in some close scoring games.

Also, considering the Diamondbacks are going to be pacing themselves against fellow pitcher-heavy contenders like the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants, Hudson needs to step it up over the next two months.

Food for thought: Hudson went 7-1 with a sub-2.00 ERA through August and September last season.

7. Neftali Feliz and Mike Adams, Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers recently acquired relief pitcher Mike Adams from the San Diego Padres in an attempt to bolster down their bullpen.

Now, while it's yet to be seen whether or not the newly featured Adams will have the same success in the AL as he did in the NL, the 33-year-old setup ace is going to be on high alert for the next two months.

The Rangers are in a very tight race in the AL West with the Los Angeles Angels and have everything in order—except their bullpen.

It's been the Achilles heel for Ron Washington and company for the majority of the 2011 season and could continue to prove deadly if Adams and closer Neftali Feliz fade away from "stepping it up."

Feliz has the raw talent to dominant a series at any given time, but has struggled to strike guys out at his normal career rate.

Going forward, if Adams can't deliver in the eighth inning and Feliz in the ninth, the Rangers could find themselves sitting home come October.

6. Zack Greinke, Milwaukee Brewers

The main reason why the Milwauke Brewers went out and acquired pitcher Zack Greinke in the offseason was to ensure they'll be around come playoff time.

Well, now is that time and Greinke has to step up to prove his worth.

Following a solid career with the Kansas City Royals, which featured an AL Cy Young, the 27-year-old has struggled to produce in his first season in the NL.

Greinke is currently 9-4, which is respectable for an NL Central starter, but his 4.41 ERA and inconsistent mound presence has factored into a disappointing 2011 season.

With that said, it's never too late to turn things around.

Everybody knows how good Greinke was and still is, so hopefully a quick turnaround resulting in the Brewers making a divisional push is no way out of the question.

5. Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels could be in trouble.

They failed to acquire a big bat before the July trade deadline and have been limping around the AL West for the past few months.

However, they currently sit one game behind the Texas Rangers for the division lead, so it may only take one spark to get the team hot and bound for the playoffs.

That spark needs to be Torii Hunter.

Hunter has been the Angels' main offensive threat over the past five years, and with Vernon Wells struggling for the majority of the season, that presence is still there.

Now, while the 36-year-old outfielder is only hitting .241, his home run power and run production are still relatively intact.

Over the next two months, Hunter needs to stabilize an Angels offense that sometimes proves stagnant. If anything, the veteran could serve as a club house motivator.

4. Pittsburgh Pirates Offense

The Pittsburgh Pirates are surprising everyone.

They've already shown the baseball world that their divisional cellar-dweller days are seemingly over.

Their starting pitching is tremendous and closer Joel Hanrahan has arguably been the best shutdown option around the league this season.

However, it seems as if the Pirates offense is starting to sputter out of control.

They recently acquired Ryan Ludwick and Derek Lee before the trade deadline in order to create a veteran presences on a fairly young roster. Well, Ludwick has failed to produce like the RBI machine he was in San Diego and Lee has been sidelined with a hand injury.

If the Pirates really want to make a run at the playoffs, via winning the NL Central, hitting is the key.

No longer can Andrew McCutchen hit poorly in the leadoff spot. No Longer can Brandon Wood struggle at the plate after looking like an MVP in his minor league days. No longer can the Pirates drop four straight to the lowly Chicago Cubs on the back of poor run production.

If Pittsburgh has any hopes of making this Cinderella season last longer, the bats need to get going.

3. Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals

This is fairly simple.

With no Adam Wainwright, the St. Louis Cardinals are counting on veteran pitcher Chris Carpenter to fulfill his duties and get them into the playoffs.

Carpenter has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the last five years, but struggled start to start over the first few months of the year.

Sure the Cardinals have a solid young arm in Jamie Garcia and recently acquired Edwin Jackson in hopes of catching lightening in a bottle, but the fact remains that the team's success and playoff hopes lie in the right arm of Carpenter.

St. Louis should be able to play well enough to stick around atop the NL Central for the remainder of the year; but how far can they go without their best pitcher?

Not far at all and that's why Carpenter comes in at No. 3.

2. Carlos Beltran, San Francisco Giants

There's a reason why the San Francisco Giants went out and traded for Carlos Beltran. They knew a big bat was going to make or break their season.

Granted, the Giants are currently in first place and are the defending champs, but the fact remains that they're still capable of missing the playoffs, entirely.

If Arizona and their young duo of Justin Upton and Chris Young catches fire, San Fran could find it hard to catch the Diamondbacks and, for that matter, catch the Atlanta Braves for the NL Wild Card.

With dominant pitching and a solid bullpen, Beltran transition to the NL West is going to be watched with a close eye.

The veteran outfielder is more than capable of hitting any pitcher in any park (as his numbers this season illustrate), but it will all come down to clutch hitting and consistent run production.

If Beltran fails to step it up and become the Giants biggest offensive threat, Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are going to have to throw complete game shutouts in order for the team to win games.

1. Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees

Well, did you expect anybody else?

You shouldn't have; not only evident by the headline of this article, or the fact that Alex Rodriguez has been bashed in the news for allegedly taking part in an underground poker game, he continues to be one of the most heavily scrutinized players in baseball when the playoffs start rolling around.

A-Rod has shown that despite age, and sometimes lackluster support from the fans and media alike, he's still capable of carrying a New York Yankees offense that features great talents like Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano.

Contrary to popular belief, Rodriguez is still the biggest piece in the Yankees' World Series equation.

If he comes back healthy, he's going to hit the ball well. And if he hits the ball well, the Yankees are going to win games.

Considering New York is currently tied for first place in the AL East without the 36-year-old at this point, imagine what they can do when he's raking in RBI.

It's always been A-Rod.