Back in the late ‘90s, LaRue looked like a future All-Star after back-to-back huge seasons in the minor leagues. But he was never able to come close to duplicating that offense above Double-A, although for a couple of seasons he was a serviceable Fantasy catcher when he was a starter for the Reds between 2001 and 2005. The last season of that run was the finest of LaRue’s career, as he hit a career high .260 (as sad as that sounds), with 14 homers and 60 RBI in 110 games.

Wells has been nothing if not inconsistent in his sophomore season. He enjoyed a decent start (3-0, 3.45 in April), before struggling in May and June. Wells bounced back with a huge July (2-2, 1.83) before a poor August. So far, September has been a microcosm of his season, as Wells got cuffed around in his first two starts before tossing the gem against the Cards.

That certainly hasn’t transpired, but he’s still had a very productive, if inconsistent rookie season. Jackson has been quiet lately (1-for-14 over the past four games), but was red hot in September prior to this. I’m really doubtful he’ll be able to top Neftali Feliz for the AL ROY award based on the level of impact each has had on their respective teams, but clearly Jackson has been the best rookie position player in the AL, and he’s having a freshman season for the ages.