MLB Playoffs: 5 Best Stories to Watch as Season Comes Down the Stretch

As the playoffs are drawing near, emotions will run high as teams barely slide in or barely get edged out.

However, there are some stories that are universally appealing. I am talking about the type of stories where guys come out of nowhere to have brilliant years. I am talking about the type of stories where a player rebounds from a terrible year to having a great year.

Let's take a walk through five of these stories that celebrate a drastic change of pace.

Vance Worley Delivering in Philadelphia

At the beginning of the season, the Philadelphia Phillies rotation was thought to be the best in baseball. Vance Worley was supposed to be in Lehigh Valley for another season in the minor leagues.

However, injuries opened the door for Worley to come in and dazzle opposing batters. He has gone 11-2 with a 2.85 ERA. He actually has the highest winning percentage among the Phillies starting pitchers, which is definitely saying something.

He was not even expected to be in the starting rotation at the beginning of this season, but Worley has been brilliant so far for the Phillies.

Lance Berkman Rebounding in St. Louis

Lance Berkman was one of the most fearsome hitters of the past decade. That is, of course, except for last season.

In 2010, he hit .248 with only 14 home runs and 58 RBI. During this performance he was traded from the Houston Astros to the New York Yankees, where he had even less success for the second half.

He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in the offseason, and that was definitely a great move. So far, he is hitting .300 with 31 home runs and 91 RBI.

It is nice to see him reclaim his place as one of the better sluggers in Major League Baseball.

Ivan Nova Busting out in New York

Who would have thought that a pitcher with a 1-2 career record over seven games started would become the second-best pitcher on the most storied franchise in baseball?

Ivan Nova has been great to say the least. He is only 24 years old and he has a 16-4 record with a 3.62 ERA. This is also coming from playing in one of the most difficult divisions in baseball.

I wouldn't have predicted him flourishing to this degree this quickly, but obviously he has done that so far.

Michael Morse Clubbing the Ball in Washington

Michael Morse had never appeared in more than 100 games in a season until this season. He began his career with the Seattle Mariners, but he barely received adequate playing time until he arrived in Washington two years ago.

Before this season, he had 21 career home runs, whereas in this season alone, he has 27 already. He is also boasting a .303 batting average with 86 RBI—a pleasant surprise for the Washington Nationals.

I know the Nationals are not in the hunt for the playoffs. However, they will be playing games down the stretch that could impact the playoffs, and I really did not want to leave him off this list. This has been an impressive change of pace.

Ian Kennedy Dominating in Arizona

I know Ian Kennedy had a decent season last year. However, kind of like the previous slide, this season has been so much above and beyond that he definitely deserves recognition on this slide.

Kennedy more than doubled his win total this season. He had 10 in his career before this season, but he has 20 already in 2011. Basically, his career win total tripled from 10 to 30.

I do realize he really is not an unsung hero, but he has been breaking out this season and rounds out this list of the best stories to watch for the rest of the season.