NL Player Notes- September 29th, 2013

Yasiel Puig -- Puig who has been sitting out with a foot injury, took batting practice yesterday and will likely play in today's regular season finale. Puig has taken the majors by storm this year, posting a .322 batting average with 19 home runs and 11 steals in 428 plate appearances. It's hard to count on him doing that next year, the same as it was hard to count on Mike Trout repeating this year, but as you've seen, it's definitely possible. Puig has all the raw talent in the world and will be hard to pass up in the early rounds in next year's drafts.

Dan Haren -- Haren spun a gem yesterday, taking the win in 7 shutout innings with 5 K and 1 BB. His 4.87 ERA this year has been a disaster, not to mention a major point of frustration for owners who see the 8.1 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, and 3.68 xFIP and wonder when he's going to turn things around. Haren is not the pitcher he once was and does have the same stuff, but he does still know how to use what he has and should see significant improvement on that ERA next year, particularly if he remains in the National League (he's a free agent this winter).

Hunter Pence -- Pence went 1-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBI in yesterday's contest, but more notably, he agreed to a five-year contract extension with San Francisco. Given that AT&T Park is one of the most pitcher friendly in baseball, this extension won't help his fantasy value any, especially given his less-than-stellar supporting cast, but Pence is still a solid fantasy player with across-the-board contributions.

Chris Denorfia -- Denorfia went 2-for-5 with a HR, SB, 2 RBI, and 2 R yesterday out of the leadoff spot for San Diego. Denorfia is far from a household name, and the way San Diego platoons him cuts down on his value in weekly-transaction mixed leagues, but he's provided tons of value for NL-only owners this year with a .271 batting average, 10 home runs, and 11 steals. It's yet to be seen if the fantasy community at large will pick up on him next year, but if not I'd be more than happy to reap that kind of value again.

Carlos Gomez -- Gomez went 4-for-5 with a home run and 2 steals yesterday. Gomez has proven that 2011 was no fluke, and he's primed himself to be an early round pick in all leagues next year given his .278 average, 24 home runs, and 39 steals. He's always had high upside and lots of raw talent, so it's great to see that kind of player finally putting things together. You won't find many guys with that kind of combination of power and speed, making him a rarity and a great guy to own.

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