I think Pena. Look at the offensive explosion he's had this year, considering the 2 to 3 years he had before it. Or possibly Carmona, considering the job he's doing this year and how big of a bounceback since bombing at closing.

I like Pena a bit as well!!!

.279, 39 HR, 111 RBI, 88 R

Not to mention an absolute steal for my fantasy team!!!

Either Pena or Carmona.

Bus an Indians fan (with some bias probably), I'm going to say it should be Fausto Carmona by far. Look what he's done this year. A 1-10 disaster last year from the 'pen, and this year returning as a starter just earning his spot in the rotation after spring training, and having a completely opposite season. He's had a sickening nearly un-hittable slider, and he's part of the reason the Indians are going to make October this year. He's been more valuable to the Tribe than Pena has to the Devil Rays.

Pena.

Pena.

Pena.

Pena or Carmona..i pick pena.

I went with Pena, but I think that Jeremy Guthrie should also be on the list.

Carmona *CLE* need i say more

You have to be there to come back. It's an award meant for a former all star for example that struggled or got hurt and regained form. Carmona is a sophomore who had a bad first year, he's not coming back from anything at the ML level. Pena was near nothing before this year, he didn't come back. Lester had part of one decent season and came back, but he was never a star to start.

I'd say Guillen or Sosa are the best bets

Pena already won it

Pena and his +45HR this year

But what's he coming back from, career long mediocrity?

Well, let's check:

- 10th pick of the first round of the MLB draft, 1998

- 8th in Rookie of the Year voting, 2002

- 10 most similar players through age 26, source BR:

Tino Martinez
Bob Robertson
Mike Epstein
Willie Aikens
Eric Karros
Glenn Davis
Jay Gibbons
Andre Thornton
Bo Jackson
Dan Pasqua

- 10 most similar players through age 27, source BR:

Andre Thornton
Mike Epstein
Bob Robertson
Jay Buhner
Tino Martinez
Don Mincher
Phil Plantier
Nick Esasky
Jay Gibbons
Rob Deer

There are a few pretty good playes on those lists.

***

At age 28, Carlos Pena found himself mired in the minor leagues. He came up late with Boston, managing to hit exactly one home run in 18 MLB games.

That was the bottom. His age 29 Comeback Player of the Year season was by far his MLB best, but he had dropped considerably in 2006.

Being drafted high isn't a comeback. He was never good before this year. You can't come back when you weren't ever there.

At age 26 he was most similar to Tino Martinez. At age 27 he was most similar to Andre Thornton.

Tino Martinez hit 339 career home runs and was an integral part of the late 1990's Yankees dynasty. Andre Thornton hit 253 career home runs in a tougher era for hitters, and he had a decade where he was among the best AL batters.

Last year Carlos Pena had dropped from the level of Martinez and Thornton to the level of Jeff Bailey. How can you claim that his 2007 season was not a comeback?

Find me a major league season before this one where he was good. Not some stupid thing comparing him to other players. Find me a major league season that he was good which would lend room to say that he is coming back. All this season could be considered according to anything you've said is realizing his potential. That's not a comeback, it's a break out.

no, from being one of the failed prospects to becoming one of the best HR hitters in the league.

that's not a comeback. Look at the word. He's having a breakout year, not a comeback year because he was never a good major league player before.

Do you understand what the Baseball Reference "most comparable player" by age system, designed by Bill James, entails? For Carlos Pena at age 26 and 27, they checked his career stats' similarity with every player that same age in MLB history using these criteria to lessen similarity:

making further adjustments for position, as follows:

so that Carlos Pena wouldn't be considered comparable to a shortstop, for example.

The comparison of Carlos Pena to Tino Martinez and Andre Thornton isn't subjective, arbitrary or trivial.

***

On the one side we have a system designed by Bill James to determine players' comparability. We have MLB as an entity determining that Carlos Pena is eligible for Comeback Player of the Year consideration. We have professional MLB beat writers who live this game 24/7 voting that Carlos Pena had the greatest comeback of 2007 in the AL.

On the other hand we have you calling all of this stupid. :rolleyes:

If you disagree, fine. The facts and the opinions of experts won't change just because you call them stupid.

Here's the official press release, though:

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/pre...t=.jsp&c_id=mlb

If you continue to be outraged, there's a "Contact Us" link at the bottom of the page. I encourage you to use it. MLB cares about what each of its tens of millions of fans thinks, and they'll try to change for the better if enough of you communicate with them to tell them that they're stupid.

Of course, if you're the only one who contacts them to express your outrage, they'll probably all just laugh. :lol:

what does it matter who he was compared to when. Find me 1 good major league season by Pena before this year. If he doesn't have one, he can't be a COMEBACK player, he can be a breakout player, and this is a breakout year. If you were never good before, it isn't a comeback.

Well, given that stats are only relevant in context, the comparisons are probably more relevant than any raw stats would be.

OK, I'll choose the 162 games he played beginning on June 17, 2004 and ending on October 2, 2005. In those 162 games, Carlos Pena hit .243 with 36 home runs and 90 RBI. That's how well he was hitting before he was cast off in 2006.

The single-season stats don't look great because the Tigers were sharing first base playing time between Dmitri Young, Chris Shelton and Carlos Pena, with Rondell Young complicating the issue at DH. As I've mentioned, the cumulative career stats were very impressive.

You fail to grasp reality. He IS the American League Comeback Player of the Year. If he IS, then he CAN BE.

If that displeases you, use the link I've provided to complain. ;)

He is, sure, but does he deserve it, no. He isn't coming back because he was nothing.

Upon reflection, I see your point. Many players who hit 36 home runs a year are "nothing." :rolleyes:

he never did that though. He did it over a season and a half. You can call the number of games, but if he was good enough, they would have had him starting every single day. Can't come back to where you never were.

Are you calling me a liar?

Not necessarily. FWIW, it should be pointed out that the Tigers fired their manager from 2004-2005, Carlos Pena's best years before 2007, and that they made it to the World Series the next year--perhaps a few of the decisions were suboptimal. ;)

Did Carlos Pena steal your lunch money? Did he have nonconsensual intimate relations with your boyfriend?

I've cited the relevant facts, and I've pointed out that the nomination was vetted by MLB and the award was voted by all of the beat writers. You don't cite mere disagreement: you deny the man's eligibility.

Why? Nobody agrees with you, AFAIK; why do you hold this opinion?

When it takes you a year and a half to have a year of games, you weren't good enough to even be a starter.

No and no, thats some glorious immaturity though bro. I called it on more than Pena, Fausto and Lester specifically I remember saying shouldn't be in the running either.

First, you dodged the first question. I cited MLB stats, and you called me wrong. I asked if you were calling me a liar, and you refuse to respond.

Get this straight: somebody who ignores facts repeatedly and disrespects those who use them has no position calling others immature.

***

Second, I never mentioned, and the award was never given to, Fausto Carmona or Jon Lester. Your raising them at this juncture is bizarre.

If you never knew who Carlos Pena was, you're ignorant of Major League Baseball. That you persist in denying his eligibility for the award at this point suggests issues with your, um, maturity.

IMO. YMMV.

As I sit here and read all of the posts in this thread, I can't help but stop and think about the fact that what (most) everyone is saying maybe correct. Technically, Pena hasn't really come back from a major injury or illness like the other players mentioned on that list. IMHO, Lester wasn't on the team long enough to really qualify for the award. That being said, I am going to have to give my vote to Carmona.