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Can you feel it?!? This is the year of the comeback! We're talking one more fight for George Foreman, the return of cool, red leather jackets with no sleeves but plenty of zippers, and finally, "Parker Lewis Can't Lose: The Reunion."
And not just the comeback, but the bounce-back too! Bouncing back is the show "Jericho" (color me hooked, by the way), Valerie Bertinelli and the hopes of Marlins fans (both of them) of keeping their team in town with a new stadium. And that's not even mentioning the handfuls of hitters that are coming off bad seasons, hoping to bounce back in 2008.
They get knocked down, but they get up again
No, we promise -- Chumbawamba is not making a comeback. But here are some players that have excellent chances of bouncing back compared to their '07 seasons. Some of these hitters are much younger than their counterparts, without much time to bounce up or down yet, but a bigger '08 is expected than their recent past.
Justin Morneau, 1B, Minnesota: The Twins' biggest bat signed a big deal this offseason, despite his batting average falling off 50 points from 2006, when he won the AL MVP award. Delmon Young has the potential to be much better insurance in the lineup than Torii Hunter, and Joe Mauer is set for a comeback of his own. Even in a down year (for him and the Twins, who had the AL's third-worst offense), he knocked in 111 RBI -- more than any player on the bottom-six offenses in the majors. Just think what he can do if the Twins can hit again like they did in '06, when they ranked 13th in the majors.
Nick Johnson, 1B, Washington: Nick led the Nationals in batting average (.290) a couple seasons ago. Before missing all of last season rehabbing from a severely broken leg suffered late in '06, Johnson had emerged into one of the best batting eyes in the National League. He was fourth in the NL in on-base percentage (.428) and the move to Nationals Park should benefit his numbers greatly, as will the development of Ryan Zimmerman, Lastings Milledge, Wily Mo Pena and Austin Kearns. This is my preseason pick for Comeback Player of the Year. He set career-highs in a ton of offensive categories in '06 -- and he'll surpass many of them again in '08.
Rickie Weeks, 2B, Milwaukee: Weeks' 2006 season started rough and didn't get any better until his wrist healed and he got his head straight after a short demotion to the minors. He hit nine homers and knocked in 14 in September, and you'll be able to get him on the cheap as a middle infielder. Don't believe me about his comeback potential? Then listen to his manager, Ned Yost, who talked about him to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel."I consider it almost a done deal. It's just a matter of time. You saw what he can do in August and September last year. It was unbelievable, the difference in how he swung the bat."
Stephen Drew, SS, Arizona: Entering last season, Drew was considered a middle infielder with great potential that you'd have to grab in Round 13. He certainly didn't put up mid-round-worthy stats (.238) though. He improved in September as the D-Backs made their playoff push, hitting .266 with three homers and 15 RBI. The luster is definitely off this former first-rounder, but he's just 25 years old and J.D.'s little bro will make for a great middle infielder.
Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, Washington: He's trying to get the team to buy out his arbitration years, but they aren't biting since they can keep the former Virginia star on the cheap. His hand was problematic last season, and add that to the fact that he no longer had Alfonso Soriano for protection in the lineup, and you can easily understand a 20-point batting average drop, as well as 19 fewer RBI. He did, however, smack more homers and come close to scoring 100 runs for the first time in his career. Nick Johnson rejoins the lineup, the Nats' move into friendlier confines and Zimmerman continues to develop his power at just 23 years old.
Hank Blalock, 3B, Texas: Shoulders and hips are the power sources for all hitters and Blalock's strength was sapped after he underwent shoulder surgery last May. He returned late in the season, hit .313 and belted five homers with 17 RBI. This Rangers offense is young, and the addition of Josh Hamilton and Milton Bradley, coupled with the development of youngsters Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ian Kinsler, gives Blalock plenty of burgeoning protection in the lineup. He's the 13th third basemen being drafted on average in CBSSports.com's leagues, which makes him one of the top corner infielders in 12-team mixed leagues. This position is deep, but he could bypass players like Mike Lowell and Adrian Beltre this spring.
Bill Hall, OF (soon-to-be 3B), Milwaukee: Hall replaces the swiss cheese defense of Ryan Braun at third base and comes back to the infield where he emerged in '06 as a 35-HR shortstop. That year, he led the Brew Crew in doubles, triples, homers, RBI, runs scored, walks -- and unfortunately, strikeouts (162). If you can grab him as a No. 5 outfielder, he'll give you corner-infield eligibility within the first month, and his presence in the seventh spot in the order should get him a nice number of RBI chances.
J.D. Drew, OF, Boston: It's common to see a player perform better in his second season at a new address, especially after signing a big deal. Drew had such a bad opening season in the AL with the Red Sox, that it would be very difficult for him to do worse as Boston's right fielder in '07. He did hit .393 with four homers over the final three weeks of the season, and he smacked a grand slam in Game 6 of the ALCS. He still has .300-30-100-100 potential in this lineup. In CBSSports.com leagues, he is being drafted on average as the 50th outfielder in Round 17 of 12-team Rotisserie leagues. He's going a little higher in Head-to-Head formats though. Go a round or two earlier, and grab this OPS hog as your No. 4 outfielder.
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