Four former Diamondbacks smack dab in the middle of a heated pennant race

It's pretty well documented that over the years a lot of "cream of the crop" players on the Arizona Diamondbacks have come and gone due to trades or free agency.

This year alone four of them -- Max Scherzer, Justin Upton, Chris Johnson and Stephen Drew are creating quite a stir as they do their thing for their respective teams -- all of which are at the top of the heap in their respective divisions.

Let's take a look first at Sherzer. Is he having a year or what?

Max is 17-1 with an ERA of 2.84 for the Detroit Tigers. His salary (2012), a cool 3.75 million.

And then there's Upton and Johnson -- both former D'backs and both now with the high-flying Atlanta Braves.

Justin is out-dueling his teammate and brother, B.J. Upton. Justin is batting .267 for the Braves this season, but has ripped 22 home runs with 61 RBI, while Johnson has been even better, maintaining a .338 batting average while hitting eight homers to go along with his 48 RBI. Justin's salary 9.9 million, Johnson 2.3 million.

And then there's Drew, who now plays shortstop for the hard-charging Boston Red Sox. Drew is batting .255 for the Red Sox. He has nine home runs and has driven in 46 runs. Salary: 9.5 million.

Gone from the Diamondbacks, but not forgotten.