Brett Jackson - In his last 20 games, Brett Jackson is just 10-55 with 27 K's. On the bright side, Jackson has walked 13 times over that span, and 9 of those 10 hits were for extra bases, which pretty much illustrates the pros and cons of Jackson's game. The 24 year old has plenty of power and speed, the latter of which he hasn't utilized for any successful base-stealing yet at the top level, and he'll draw a walk. He just doesn't make a lot of contact, but he may very well make enough to become a successful OF bat....it's close. The biggest problem, really, is whether or not the Cubs think he's being productive, because guys with his skill set are constantly scrutinized for their low batting average regardless of what else they bring to the table. Could he give you Chris Young-type numbers next year? Sure he could, which is why he's at least a solid reserve option.
Tim Lincecum - It has kind of snuck up on us, but Lincecum has really been pretty solid during the second half, putting up a 3.26 ERA with much more typical BB and GB figures than he showed in the first half of the year. I'm willing to bet that his value has been pretty colored by the first three months of this season, but I'd not only be willing to grab him for 2013, I think he is still a must-start down the stretch this year. The schedule doesn't do him any favors early this month, as starting tonight he has LA, @COL, and COL before finishing up with a home and home against the Padres, but I'd still feel pretty good about him in all but the start at Coors.
Tyler Skaggs - Skaggs is a bit of a risk, as he hasn't pitched all that well above AA, but with a favorable September schedule (beginning tonight: @SD, SF, SD, @SF, CUB) he is someone I'd be willing to gamble on if I wanted to try and make up some ground in K's and W's. He's a flyball pitcher to be sure, so the home starts are a bit of a concern, but those aren't the most formidable offenses in the world either. I definitely like him for 2013, but I think I'd be willing to roll the dice with him in most formats the rest of 2012 as well.
Josh Rutledge - Rutledge's conversion to 2B in anticipation of Tulowitzki's return started last night, as the 23 year old picked up his first start on the other side of the bag against the Braves. Rutledge has already put up a 20/20 season across two levels this year with almost four weeks to go, and he's hitting a ton of line drives with a solid contact rate so the AVG has been a big help as well. The power numbers have been a bit more than I expect he can maintain for a full season, but a .300 AVG with 15-20 homers and 20-25 steals could easily be in the cards for 2013.
Rob Brantly - Brantly is definitely on my list of sleepers for next season, as the 23 year old has settled in pretty nicely splitting time with John Buck the past few weeks, hitting 261/333/413 in 14 games since his promotion from AAA. Brantly makes fairly good contact and looks like he may develop 15-20 HR power over the next few years, making him a possible lower-tier #1 catcher, but certainly an easy choice as a #2 catcher in all formats.
