5 Players that are Performing Unusually Well

I’ve noticed this year that there are a lot of players that have been in the league that have sprung up and have become much better players. Not just moving their stats from a .290 average to a .300 average, but rather a career .240 average to a .320 average, or a 4.00 ERA to a 2.90 ERA. It’s fun to watch, and just one of the reasons why I love baseball. Above are two guys who are just the examples. Fernando Rodney, left, and Buster Posey, right, won the Comeback Player of the Year Award for their respective leagues. Rodney came back from struggling before and having personal issues to post a sub 1 ERA in relief for the Rays. Posey came back from a leg injury that sidelined him for the season, and won the NL MVP last year.

Sure, Miguel Cabrera and Cliff Lee are guys that just have natural talent and will continue to be amazing players. Here are five guys that either used to be good, then struggled a lot, but now are back, or just guys that have improved their stuff. I have them numbered but that’s not of any importance. All that’s important is that they could be serious contenders in the Comeback Player of the Year Award.

 

1.      Francisco Liriano (Pirates):

 

Liriano, the Comeback Player of the Year winner in 2010, just might win it again. In 5 of his 8 years pitching, he has had an ERA of 5.00 or higher. He had only one year, his rookie year, where he finished the season with an ERA of 3 or lower. This is the guy who in 2011 pitched a no-hitter in 2011, and last year struck out 15 Oakland Athletics, yet got the loss.

This past offseason, Liriano agreed to a two-year contract with the Pirates, but started out on the 15-Day DL. This year, Liriano is 7-3 with a 2.23 ERA, and will make the call today against the Cubs. He is 29 years old, but it seemed like his career was going to end the past two years. I see his turning out with a 3.30 ERA by the end of the season, which can really help the red hot Pirates.

2.      Bartolo Colon (Athletics):

 

Yes I know all of the allegations about steroid use. Let’s put that aside for now and focus on just the stats. Remember when Colon won the AL Cy Young Award with the Angels in ’05? He had 21 wins that season. From 2006 to 2011 (he did not play in 2010), Colon had only 22 wins. The past two years he’s had a combined 21 wins. That’s more like it. 

These past two years he has been on the Oakland Athletics, and has a combined 3.16 ERA, going 21-12. Before a loss to the Cubs two days ago, Colon’s last eight starts were phenomenal. He went 8-0 with a sub 2 ERA, and now has a 2.78 ERA on the season. In his career, he has a 3.99 ERA, and a .593 winning percentage. Not bad, but how is he pitching so well now compared to in his late twenties? 

 

In 2002, when he was 29, Colon had a combined 2.93 ERA with the Indians and Expos. That might have been considered his “prime.” I think the reason why he pitches well now is for two reasons. 1. Things just changed when he became an Athletic. Sometimes that happens, and it’s just a better fit for him. 2. He pitches better when he’s old. Last year he had a 3.43 ERA, which isn’t bad. I can see him having an ERA better than most of his years, but I don’t see it under 3 by the end. 

Because of last year I don’t think he would win the Comeback award, but hey, if there was a “surprised how good he did” award, I think he would be up for it.

Also, the man is huge.

3.      Justin Morneau (Twins):

 

 Justin Morneau used to be scary to pitch against. In 2006, he batted .321/.375/.559 with 34 homers and 130 RBI’s, and got the AL MVP Award. He had a lower WAR than many other players that year, including teammates Johan Santana and Joe Mauer, but they are two amazing players anyways. That was a scary team to play against. 

In 2010 though Morneau got hurt and I believe was out for the season after that. He played only 69 games in 2011, but then had a surprising .267/.333/.440 in 134 games in 2012. Nobody really realized that, though. 

His prime years may be gone, but is now batting above average in the league. He bats .284/.338/.419 in 77 games this year. He has lost most of his power, only hitting 6 homers so far, but does have 50 RBI’s, probably because of his 22 doubles. I can see him batting .270 this year and finishing with over 100 RBI’s. He’s not an MVP anymore, and he’s 32 years old, but when he went down in 2010 it seemed like he’d never get back up, so good for him for staying in the MLB, and on the Twins.

4.      Michael Cuddyer (Rockies):

 Right now, if you want an easy pick for Comeback Player, Michael Cuddyer might just be the NL candidate. His numbers this year are unlike anything we’ve ever seen, and historically has only been a one-time all-star. 2009 might have been his best year, batting .276/.342/.520 with 32 homers and 94 RBI’s, but that was when he was 30. He’s 34 now, and bats .343/.396/.594 with 15 homers and 52 RBI’s. 

You could argue that since he’s on the Rockies it’s much easier to improve offensive stats because it’s at Coors Field, which is true, but what about last year then? Last year, Cuddyer batted .260/.317/.489 with only 16 homers and 58 RBI’s. He’s breaking his own records from last season already. 

Just recently he snapped his 27 game hitting streak, but he was facing Clayton Kershaw so cut him some slack. He’s never batted over .300, but then again, there’s still more than half of a season left. I can see him finishing with an average over .300, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he went under.  

5.      Carlos Gomez (Brewers):

 

Like Colon, it might not be a Comeback candidate, but surely a surprising one. Why nobody has talked about Carlos Gomez this year, I have no idea. He’s 27 years old, and has been with the Brew Crew since 2010. Last year was the best year of his career, but batted a mere .260/.305/.463 with 19 homers, 51 RBI’s, and a 2.4 WAR. 

This year, he’s stepped it up, and has worked hard to become the player that he’s been. In 79 games, he’s batted .311/.350/.562 with 9 triples, 93 hits, 17 steals, and a 5.1 WAR. A 5.1 AT THIS TIME IS INCREDIBLE. He doesn’t even walk that much; he has only 12 walks this year, and his best is 25 in 2008 (he also had a horrible 142 strikeouts that year). 

I think the reason why nobody has mentioned him is because it’s his defensive capabilities that make him have the WAR of 5.1 His defensive WAR is 2.4, which is amazing in itself. It’s very, very hard to get a defensive WAR up to 3.0 or higher, but he might just be able to do it. 

He’s day-to-day with an injury now, but won’t be out for too long. He might bat under .300 by the end of the season, but every team should want him anyways because of his capabilities. He was surprising to see, but I don’t think this is a fluke. I think Gomez will be just like this for years to come.

If you think I missed someone that deserves to be on this list, or have any other questions, email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com.

-Evan Boyd