Aviles for this year, Gordon for next?

A couple of notes on a couple of Royals to keep an eye on for the last week of the regular season and into next year. Mike Aviles hit just his seventh home run of the season Thursday night, but he entered Thursday hitting .365 in September before finishing 1-5 for his night.

As you might expect, Royals teammate Alex Gordon turned in a typical 1-4 night in Cleveland, leaving his 2010 average at an unimpressive .227. It's what Gordon is saying moving forward, however, that deserves some attention. Gordon claims he's going to "dominate" in 2011.

Fantasy Impact: Aviles now owns five homers in September and he's hit safely in 13 of 17 games. After a miserable 2009 campaign and quiet start to this season, he's making up for his struggles quite nicely as the season winds down. Remember, he hit .325 after a mid-season call-up in 2008, meaning he can go on long streaks of quality production. Infield eligibility at both SS and 2B add to his increasing value. He's worth an add if you need any kind of infield help.

Gordon's proclamation is at least noteworthy and potentially a warning for fantasy owners for next year. Remember, this is a former No. 2 overall pick out of baseball powerhouse Nebraska who went from college ball to the big leagues in one year with relative success. Gordon hit .321/.438/.578 over parts of three seasons in the minors, and while he's only performed at .247/.330/.408 over four years at the major league level. Injuries, however, wrecked last year and Gordon was able to belt 31 homers in his first two seasons at the ages of 23 and 24. Big things potentially lay ahead, making Gordon a great late-round sleeper pick in 2011. If he's feeling good enough to proclaim future success after a season split between a sub-par big league numbers and another Triple-A masterpiece, there's a good chance he can perform somewhere in-between next year.