John Lannan - After last night's 5 1/3, one run performance against LA, Lannan has now gone seven straight starts allowing three earned runs or fewer, bringing his ERA down to 3.48. Unfortunately, there have been nine unearned runs in those outings, a fact that paints a picture closer to the truth. Lannan has made some strides this season, increasing his velocity for the fourth straight season and posting career bests in GB rate and swinging strike%. The K:BB ratio is still very poor however, and he's been extremely fortunate on balls hit into play, which has left his FIP ERA about nine-tenths of a run higher than his actual ERA. He may have made himself into a legitimate back-end starter this season, but I still wouldn't say that he's anything more than that.
Wade Miley - Miley tossed his third straight quality start yesterday, holding the Rockies to two runs over seven innings to move to 3-1 through four starts. The 24 year old seems very raw for his age and experience, fluctuating greatly with his command in particular from outing to outing. He has very solid stuff for a lefty, but his control is perpetually suspect, and the K rate has varied greatly from level to level. There is definitely some upside here, perhaps that of a mid-rotation arm, but I'm skeptical of his performances thus far....his BABIP and strand rate are extremely favorable. He is much more of a longer-term prospect than someone to help you down the stretch, although his schedule (SD, @SD, PIT, LA) is helpful.
Devin Mesoraco - Devin Mesoraco is up now for the Reds, but even with the Reds just playing out the string, I'd expect him to split time with Ramon Hernandez and Ryan Hanigan the rest of the way, meaning that he may be limited to 2nd-catcher value in NL-only formats. The 23 year old Mesoraco has quite a bit of pop for a catcher, and he made significant strides in cutting down the K's this year at AAA, albeit at the expense of a bit of the power. He is definitely a very solid catching prospect, and should certainly be considered for all formats for 2012 and beyond.
Taylor Green - Green has come up and started two of the last three at 3B in place of Casey McGehee, but I wouldn't necessarily expect that to continue. Green had an excellent year down at AAA, hitting 336/413/583 with 59 XBH in 120 games, but if the Brewers can stomach his defense I'd expect him to see a bit more time at 2B than 3B. There's a very good chance that he won't play enough to justify a spot in anyone's lineup this last month, and with both Weeks and McGehee still under club control for two more years at least, it's tough to see where Green might fit in going forward as well. He certainly has enough potential to be a worthwhile farm player in keeper leagues, but without a clearer shot at playing time it's hard to recommend him for more than that.
Matt Garza - We've been preaching patience with Garza all year long, and without any discernible change in peripherals he's managed to lower his ERA about 2 runs from the first half to the second half thus far. Garza has really had a banner year in most of the categories that he controls, as he's bumped up his velocity and increased his K rate and GB rate tremendously. His FIP ERA has slid under 3.00, and he's dragged his actual ERA all the way down to 3.52. He may not reach 200 innings, but he should easily hit 180 for the 4th straight year. All in all, he's a borderline ace with the right team. In Chicago, he's an excellent mid-rotation starter that will fall a bit short in the win category relative to his peers.
