Ryan Zimmerman - Zimmerman had three more hits last night, and the 22 year old is now hitting 307/364/504 since the break, which is more like what everyone expected from him coming into the season. He seems to fly under the radar a bit, probably due to the fact that there just isn't that much talent in Washington at all, but Zimmerman is capable of becoming one of the premier hitters in the league over the next few years. He's been slightly less patient this year, which is a concern, but the power numbers have been very solid since early in the season. "The next Scott Rolen" is something that's been said about him before, and it might not be that far off.
Rich Hill - Don't be fooled by the 7-7 W/L record for Rich Hill, as he's been one of the better pitchers in the NL this year. Unfortunately, the Cubs have been scoring less than two runs a game for him since late April, so the wins have been hard to come by, which is probably why Piniella left him in the game down 1-0 when he came up to bat in the 6th yesterday. The home run and walk totals are a bit too high for Hill to ever be an elite pitcher, but much like teammate Ted Lilly, he can be an asset as a mid-rotation starter with high strikeout totals.
Joe Dillon - After 3,217 minor league at-bats, Joe Dillon is potentially getting his first shot at major league playing time in the middle of a pennant race. You might scoff at the idea of picking up a 32 year old utility infielder, but Dillon has slugged around .630 the past three years at AAA, so it isn't expecting too much for him to put up average sort of production at second base. The Brewers are totally disenchanted with Rickie Weeks right now, Tony Graffanino is done, and Craig Counsell is a known mediocrity. That leaves Dillon, who has made a pretty decent impression by banging out a couple of triples in his first week. He is exactly the sort of player worth taking a flyer on during the August doldrums.
Lance Berkman - Berkman popped two homers last night, he's hit in seven straight games, and he's still having by far the worst season of his career. I had forgotten that he's already 31, and the "old person" skill set that Berkman possesses is not one that ages very well. He wouldn't be the first star caliber player to fall off the table after age 30, but it would still be surprising if he didn't bounce back closer to a .525-.550 SLG in 2008. Heck, he could probably push it back up there this year with a big finish, and hitting in that park I wouldn't discount the possibility.
Franklin Morales - You might want to tune in tonight and check out Franklin Morales' debut in LA, and you might want to pick him up and stash him on reserves, but under no circumstances do you want him in your lineup just yet. The 21 year old has filthy stuff, but just this side of no control. He has walked nearly five men per nine in his minor league career, and there is absolutely no way that will fly at the big league level for any length of time. Between that fact and the unfortunate circumstance of his home park, he isn't likely to provide an awful lot of value at any point in the near future, although Jeff Francis is doing his best to argue in favor of certain Rockie starters.
