Randall Delgado - Randall Delgado has been adequate in his 7 starts this year for the Braves, posting a 2.83 ERA while managing only 1 quality start with very poor peripherals relative to his minor league totals. Delgado is certainly talented, but the problem here is that the 21 year old has a tremendous amount of competition for a starting spot in Atlanta. Tim Hudson and Derek Lowe are both still under contract next year, while Jair Jurrjens, Tommy Hanson, Brandon Beachy, Julio Teheran, and Mike Minor are all under club control and likely ahead of Delgado on the depth chart. Delgado has fanned nearly 9 1/2 men per 9 over 92 minor league starts, but he's likely to get a chance to add to that total in 2012. If an opportunity arises for him he is worth a spot next season in most formats, but more likely he's going to have to be rather patient in the minors over the next few seasons as the veterans are slowly culled from the ranks.
Jerry Sands - Sands is certainly making his case for 2012, as a single last night extends his hitting streak to 14 games. Sands turns 24 tomorrow and already possesses a career minor league ISO approaching .300, so there's little to be served sending him back to the PCL for more rarified air moonshots...it's time for LA to see what they have. I'd expect Sands to start at either OF or 1B next season, and for him to provide value in most formats as he improves on an inconsistent rookie campaign....his contact rate has been much less of an issue than I expected thus far, which makes me even a bit more optimistic.
Jarrod Parker - Jarrod Parker will make his big league debut today, and despite fairly pedestrian numbers in AA this season, the 2007 1st round draftee has frontline stuff and is worth watching if you're able. The D-Backs could conceivably put together a 5-man rotation next year for under $2.5 million, with Kennedy and Hudson fronting for the three young studs Parker, Bauer, and Skaggs. I'm sure that won't come to pass, but Parker's stuff is easily major league caliber, and I'm very curious to see how he pitches next spring when he's a second year removed from TJ surgery. He definitely merits attention in all formats come spring.
Bryan LaHair - OF ChN
09-27
LaHair might be doing enough the last few weeks to earn a look come March, as the 28 year old has been playing some first and some OF and hitting to the tune of 309/391/545 through 55 AB's. He's been hitting like this at AAA since 2006, but the Mariners and then the Cubs never saw fit to give him more than 136 MLB AB's over that time. Their offenses must have been too strong. Depending on the Cubs' offseason, LaHair may be able to provide value as a sleeper in many formats next year, but the Cubs could easily try to plug their holes through free agency as well. He's likely 50/50 for being a draftable player in deeper leagues for 2012 at this point.
Mat Latos - Latos has been at his best in the month of September, finishing up last night with his 5th quality start in a row, striking out more men than innings pitched and walking only one man also for the 5th straight outing. He actually finished the year with a string of 10 QS in 11 tries, and he really looked 100% after the break this year, whereas he was just not quite himself the first few months of the season. I expect Latos to pitch more like he did in the second half come spring, and he's still one of the top pitchers in baseball despite a slight step backward in overall season stats in 2011.
