Surprise Baseball Stars in 2007
Left For the Scrap Heap, These Major League Players Have Rebounded
Jul 18, 2007 James Lincoln Ray
Carlos Pena
In his seven year professional baseball career, Carlos Pena has played for six different franchises: Texas, Oakland, Detroit, New York, Boston and Tampa Bay. In 2006, the journeyman first baseman spent most of the season playing for the New York Yankees AAA affiliate. He was released by the Yankees in August, picked up briefly by the Red Sox, and then released at the end of the season. By most accounts, his career was over, finished, kaput.
It was only the Tampa Bay Devil Rays -- the worst franchise in baseball -- who dared to take a chance on Pena during 2007 spring training. The Devil Rays asked Pena to attend camp as a non-roster invite, a sure sign that they were willing to take a long shot on Carlos, but certainly not an indication that he was in their plans for the regular season.
Pena surprised the Rays when he made the team. After a slow April, he started hitting, and hitting well. He stepped it up in May, then catapulted into June and through July like he was a young Reggie Jackson.
After 78 games, Pena is hitting .297 with a .403 on-base percentage. He's also slugging the ball, hitting 16 doubles, 22 home runs and 60 RBI. At this pace, Carlos may go from a non-roster invite to a high priced free agent.
Josh Hamilton, Cincinnati Reds
Hamilton was the Number One overall pick of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 1999 amateur draft. Shortly thereafter, he received a $4 million signing bonus. While in the minors, Josh won the MVP award in 2000 Major League Futures all-star game. But soon thereafter, he fell into the world of substance abuse and his performance slipped. Over the next five seasons, Hamitlon underwent rehabilitation eight times, was suspended from baseball five times, and reportedly attempted suicide three times. For all intents and purposes, it appeared that Josh Hamilton's career was finished as a ballplayer.
However, this spring he was invited to Reds' spring training and, surprisingly, made the club. Despite two stints on the disabled list, Hamilton has been a very productive member of the team, batting .279 wth 14 home runs and 30 RBI in just 64 games. Here's hoping that Josh keeps it on straight street.
Kazuo Matsui, Colorado Rockies
When the Mets signed second baseman Kaz Matsui before the 2004 season, the comparisons with the Yankees left fielder were inevitable. They were both Japanese players. They both had the same surname. They also both played in the capital of the baseball world. And while Hideki Matsui proved to be an immediate star for the cross-town rival New York Yankees, Kaz was soon labeled a bust. From 2004 through 2006, he hit poorly, didn't steal as many bases as advertised, and worst of all, he had great difficulty learning his new position at second base, committing 23 errors in his inaugural season.
By mid-season 2006, Kaz was hitting .200 with just 1 home run and 7 RBI when the Mets traded him to the Colorado Rockies. He bounced back in the second half of 2006, but then, in 2007, he finally became the player that the Major Leagues thought he could be. Through mid-season, Kaz is batting .299 with 17 stolen bases, 5 triples, and 39 runs through just fifty games. Maybe Kaz just needed a change of scenery.
Fausto Carmona, Cleveland Indians
Carmona is just in his second season, so it is pretty difficult to include him in this class. But when he went 1-10 with a 5.42 ERA and a WHIP of almost 1.6, most realistic baseball watchers were ready to send this guy down to the Bad News Bears of the Culver County League. But 2007 has given Fausto a whole new lease on life. Carmona has become not just a competitive pitcher; he is a legitimate Cy Young contender who made the All-Star team. With a record of 11-4 and an ERA hovering around .350, he has certainly earned all of the accolades.
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