Addison Reed - Reed has stepped right into the White Sox pen and pitched like he belongs, fanning 6 in his first 2 2/3 MLB innings. The 22 year old throws 95 easily with a very solid changeup and an inconsistent slider, and he's also the first player I've ever seen with a FIP ERA that's negative. Reed could pave the way for the Sox to move Chris Sale to the rotation in 2012...he's an easy add in keeper formats for next season, and for now he certainly could help out in strikeouts alone in deeper formats.
Trayvon Robinson - Robinson is playing most of the time in CF for the Mariners since coming over at the deadline from the Dodgers via the Red Sox for a backup catcher, and he's shown every bit of the pros and cons of his game in just over a month. Robinson was much more of a leadoff prospect at this time last year, as he'd worked on his plate discipline during the 2010 season significantly while posting a .401 OBP at AA. This season Robinson seemed to sacrifice contact for power, bashing 26 homers in 100 games at AAA, but running markedly less (14 SB attempts vs. 52 in 2010), walking less (BB rate -3.2%) and fanning more (K rate +5.4%). With 10 doubles and 2 homers with the M's in just 92 AB's, he's taking the same approach in the bigs, and the 38% K rate is going to be a major problem for him....particularly in a park where power is a bit tougher to come by. I was much higher on Robinson last season than I am now, although he is still a decent OF prospect for the rebuilding Mariners. He's an AL-only type for the remainder of 2011, and a mid-level prospect for keeper leaguers for 2012 with quite a bit of upside potential.
Scott Sizemore - Sizemore hit a pinch-hit granny yesterday to give the A's an 8-7 win over Texas. Sizemore is hitting 7-26 with 1 2B, 3 HR, and 11 RBI in September, and he's managed 46 RBI in just 7 games with Oakland. He's still just 26, and could be a very solid 3B option both down the stretch and for 2012...Drew covered his contact issues pretty well and I also expect them to be a fairly minor issue going forward.
Felipe Paulino - Paulino was outstanding last night against the Mariners, allowing only two solo homers over seven innings while fanning 11 in a 4-2 win. Paulino is quite possibly the most inconsistent pitcher in baseball, as his control, K rate, and GB rate all vary wildly from outing to outing. He has the stuff to be a top-level starter, and at times the command is good enough as well, but boy it gets ugly sometimes. He's a very high risk/high return kind of a starter, but the K rate is generally high enough to justify a spot as the last starter on your squad. As the Royals offense continues to improve, Paulino's value will continue to benefit as well.
Henderson Alvarez - Alvarez presents a classic scouts/stats dilemma, as the 21 year old possesses excellent stuff but has yet to shown consistent ability to miss bats throughout the minors. Alvarez tossed another quality start yesterday against the O's, giving him 4 in his last 5, and his GB% and control have been outstanding thus far. The K rate has been borderline and he's been lucky with balls in play thus far, making him more of a 3.75-4.00 ERA pitcher than a low-3.00's guy, but the stuff (avg FB velo - 93.4) has held up well to the transition to the majors. All in all he's an intriguing guy for both down the stretch and for 2012....that level of stuff with the control that he has should play at least as a mid-rotation arm you would think.
