The Sommer Frieze

Cliff Lee won the Comeback Player of the Year Award in the A.L.

The top candidate for the 2008 Cy Young Award went 22-3, 2.54, ERA+ 175 after going 5-8, 6.29, ERA+ 73 last season. Truly a remarkable turnaround.

Mike Mussina and Jason Giambi of the Yanks each could have received consideration. Mussina, 39, won 20 games for the first time in his career, going 20-9, 3.37 ERA+ 128, a season after struggling to an 11-10, 5.15, ERA+ 87 in 2007.

Despite hitting just .247, Giambi’s 32 HR were just 5 off the AL lead, and he drove in 96 runs. His OPS+ was a 130. In 2007, Giambi missed over two months in going .236-14-39 with an OPS+ of 108.

The NL Comeback Player of the year was Brad Lidge, who converted all 41 of his save opportunities. He was 2-0, 41 saves, 1.95. ERA+ 229. In 2007 he was 5-3, 19 saves, 3.36, ERA+ 131. Not that bad a year, I think. The real comeback for Lidge, I feel, isn’t 2007 to 2008 but 2006 to 2008. In 2006, Lidge was 1-5, 5.28. Granted he had 32 saves (proving that the stat is often overrated) but the ERA+ was a pathetic 84.