Lucas Duda - Duda reached base four times last night and homered for the 2nd straight game in the 5-4 win over the Padres, and he's now hitting 354/444/622 since the All-Star Break. He's going to play primarily 1B for the time being, but he'll likely be 1B/OF eligible in all formats for 2012. The Mets are going to have to try and make him an OF next year, but his defense is so poor that I'm skeptical they can do it...that being said, he's just as good a hitter as Ike Davis in all likelihood, but Davis seems to have more perceived value. I do think Duda is worth a spot in most formats presently, and at age 25 there's even a bit more power upside.
Bryan Petersen - The stunning demotion of Logan Morrison has opened up LF for Bryan Petersen, a 25 year old OF from UC-Irvine. Petersen's minor league track record has been fairly uneven, with glimpses of speed, power potential, and plate discipline littered around overall performances that are decidedly mediocre. A huge 250 AB stretch at AAA this year (351/434/569) has given him this opportunity, and thus far he's been, well, mediocre. I don't expect too much from him, but there is a bit of upside in all categories, so in NL-only formats he may be worth a play right now while the Marlins are a bit short-handed.
Ted Lilly - Lilly has been outstanding his last three starts (including last night against the Brew Crew), allowing only 12 hits and 4 runs over 21 IP, walking 4 while striking out 18. He's shown a slight uptick in velocity of late, has been typically stingy with the free passes, and the K rate is slowly increasing. In short, he's still a very solid option....provided you avoid HR-friendly venues in most cases. He still allows a ton of flyballs, but other than that he remains a solid #4-#5 starter even at age 35.
Trevor Bauer - One name to keep an eye on down the stretch is Trevor Bauer, the third pick in this June's draft that has already fanned 25 men in 14 minor league innings. With Jason Marquis down with a broken fibula and the D-Backs firmly in contention, there will be some pressure to bring up the former UCLA star. Bauer would be a worthwhile gamble in all formats if this situation comes to pass, which I actually believe is more likely than not.
Henry Sosa - Henry Sosa hasn't been awful in his first two big league starts, allowing 8 runs in 12 innings while striking out 10 against 5 walks, but its tough to see where improvement is going to come from. Sosa is a 26 year old two-pitch guy that was a reliever with the Giants organization before being dealt to the Astros in the Keppinger deal, and the Astros almost immediately brought him up to start games. He walks far too many batters to succeed at this level, and he really has no performance record to speak of above AA. He's mildly intriguing in the deepest of formats strictly due to an above average K rate and opportunity, but certainly not worth a pickup at this point.
