Fantasy World: The comeback kids

This crop of over-30 players still has some life left.

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Bedard's primed for a bigger comeback than Mickey Rourke.

"Young with upside" is the great seducer of the Fantasy World. Look no further than ESPN's average draft results, where Justin Upton (he of the 1-for-16 start) was the 37th drafted outfielder while Jack Cust was the 62nd. Or Lastings Milledge (already sent down to Triple-A) was the 42nd pick while Garret Anderson went 80th.

There's plenty of joy to be had when those youngsters pan out, if only because you're allowed to brag about your scouting ability. But the path to championships is paved with a combination of youthful vigor and those thought-to-be-washed-up players who find their swing again after a year in hibernation. So while the rest of the league is busy having affairs with players of an inappropriate age, take a shot at some of these older (read: over 30) gentlemen vying for this year's Comeback Player of the Year award.

Erik Bedard, 30
There's still plenty of time for him to get hurt, but two games in, with a 2.02 ERA and a promising 15-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 13 innings, you have a guy who might have been a draft day bargain. It doesn't hurt that he's in the final year of his contract, giving some extra incentive for him to pitch through pain. Wait until after his next start to make an offer for him. You don't want to buy high after his recent 8 1/3 innings of shutout ball against the A's, but he could be in the Cy Young discussion again by this season's end.

Kosuke Fukudome, 32
Too much was expected of him when he signed with the Cubs last year; he was never an Ichiro-level talent in Japan, despite what the Wrigley faithful were expecting. So when he hit a mere .257 with 10 HRs and 12 SBs, echoes of "bust" rang out in Chicago. But no matter how many calculators you have crunching your numbers, it's still impossible to project how a player will handle becoming a stranger in a strange land. The 2008 edition of Baseball Prospectus had him projected at .289 with 15 HRs and 9 SBs over 465 at-bats. Prorating that over 590 at-bats (which he had last year) bumps the HRs up to about 20 and has him swiping 11 bases. That seems about right this season.

Paul Konerko, 33
The White Sox captain had a rough 2008 campaign, hitting .240 with only 22 HRs; his average for the previous four years was .283 with 37 HRs. A lot of last year's disappointment was due to Konerko hitting .215 for the first two-and-a-half months before finally admitting he had a problem -- in this case, a strained oblique -- and going on the DL. When he returned, he hit 14 HRs in 60 games which, not-so-shockingly, averages out to the above-mentioned average of 37. Look for him to get near those numbers again.

Andruw Jones, 31
Already one of the great comeback stories of 2009 -- unless you're a Dodgers fan -- Jones has already knocked out a HR and collected four RBIs in very limited at-bats. To give you a sense of how drastic this is, during his Chavez Ravine purgatory, Jones only hit three home runs and 14 RBIs. If he keeps on hitting, which he should, the Rangers will find him at-bats. It's also worth noting Jones has a $200,000 bonus written into his contract if he wins the Comeback Player of the Year award.

Fernando Rodney, 32
It's still early to call Ol' Tilty Ballcap an elite closing option, but he's 2-for-2 in save opportunities and has yet to give up a run. Meanwhile, the Tigers other closer option, Brandon Lyon, is allowing more men to get to home plate than Madonna. And don't be too worried about flame-thrower Joel Zumaya coming back from his injury. This is a team that values experience over talent, as evidenced by Todd Jones holding the closer role for the past three seasons.

Kevin Millwood, 34
Sure, his four-year, $48 million contract with the Rangers has been a bust, but Millwood has been dealing with some intense BABIPs over the past three years in Arlington (in order, .311, .343. and .359). Millwood's start this year has been promising: 11 strikeouts in 14 innings and an 0.64 ERA over two starts. While he'll never get close to his 2.86 ERA with the 2005 edition of the Indians, keep in mind he put up those numbers while angling for a new contract. Just as he's doing this year.

Orlando Hudson, 31
Like Manny, O-Dog just seems the type to revel in the laid-back-yet-still-passionate lifestyle of Dodger fandom. He already has three stolen bases (2008 total: 4) and two HRs (2008 total: 8). While you won't see another cycle this season, a 15-15 season with a .300 average isn't out of the question.

Player On My Team of the Week: Ian Kinsler, who's proven his high price tag already by hitting .333 over the past week, along with two HRs, seven RBIs and a stolen base. That's how you fill out a stat card, young man.

How to Heckle One of My Players of the Week: "Hey Alexi Casilla, it's tough to justify your no-hit, all-speed combination when you apparently forgot how to steal a base."

The Best Television-Related News of the Week: Eastbound & Down, one of the funniest shows in the past forever, has been renewed for a second season. If you haven't checked out the first six-episode season yet, do so immediately. Unlike ticket holders for Observe & Report, you will not be disappointed.

Buy High: Twitter finally reaching its full potential, after the folks over at Instructables have developed an office chair that "tweets" whenever it detects natural gas, "such as that produced by human flatulence." How this differs from everyone else's "tweets," who knows.

Sell Low: A peaceful night's sleep, after viewing the trailer for the upcoming Lars Von Trier horror movie Anti-Christ. I don't entirely know what's happening in it or what it's about, but there's certainly something unsettling lurking about. Maybe it's because he's using the two largest-jawed actors in the history of film.

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