By Peter Sblendorio

By rule, baseball is an unpredictable sport. That said, this season has been even more surprising than ever, as many of the division leaders in the National League are teams that were never predicted to even finish above .500.

Look at the National League. The three division leaders are teams that finished well out of first place in 2009, with two of the teams falling below .500. That said, these teams are the crème of the crop this year despite none adding much of anything to their rosters.

The Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres are the biggest surprises thus far. The Reds, led by NL MVP candidate and Triple Crown threat Joey Votto, have been able to outslug opponents all season, with third baseman Scott Rolen and second baseman Brandon Phillips also having big years.

The Padres have been just the opposite. Despite sporting a below average offense, their pitching has been outstanding. Matt Latos leads a rotation with the third best ERA in the NL, and closer Heath Bell leads the league’s best bullpen.

Lastly, the Braves have used solid pitching and a deep lineup to move past the Philadelphia Phillies, who have made the World Series two years in a row. The Phillies will likely still qualify for the playoffs as the NL wild card team, but the fact that they have been passed in the divisional race proves that the NL standings are as unpredictable as ever.

Click here for a look at the National League standings.