The Major League Baseball season is long and grueling, and players go hot and cold at the drop of a hat. But while most starting players get hot at some point, most fans do not expect them to keep it up. The players being highlighted in this article were not expected to take their streaks through most of the 2008 season, but they did. Some of them have been in the league for years, some of them are younger guys who never reached their potential, and the others will be tearing up the league for seasons to come.

*A small disclaimer: This article is not for players like Josh Hamilton or Brad Lidge. Had he played a full season in 2007, Hamilton would have had very similar numbers to 2008. And while it was a career year for Lidge, it was not much of a surprise to anybody besides the NL East and the Houston Astros. One more thing, Evan Longoria had a great year, but he also received a ton of hype before he arrived on the scene.

The Superstars in Waiting

Tim Lincecum
Did anybody expect Tim Lincecum to be this good? Without question. The question is, did anybody expect him to be this good this early in his career? At 22 years old he was getting drafted by the San Francisco Giants. At 23 years old he was a solid pitcher on a bad team. At 24 he was still on a bad team, but at least now he has a Cy Young Award for his troubles. He led the league in strikeouts while picking up 18 wins and only five losses. He may look like he is only 12 years old, but that face will be on the cover of MLB 2K9. Maybe his rise will make Giants fans forget about the Barry Zito signing...maybe not.

Dustin Pedroia
Dustin Pedroia nabbed the cover of MLB 09 this year. He won Rookie of the Year in 2007, and everyone assumed he was on his way to a solid major league career with the Red Sox. Still, I doubt anyone predicted an MVP in 2008, besides maybe the Red Sox Nation. Pedroia got 213 hits, 54 of them were doubles. He also won the Gold Glove at second base. Bottom line, Pedroia had a great year, and now he does not take a backseat to anybody on that Red Sox team. His MVP award will be argued until the end of this season, but you cannot deny what he did for Boston in 2008.

The Comeback Kids

Ryan Dempster
Before 2008, Ryan Dempster was a fairly solid closer. He was not killing the Cubs, but he was not exactly lighting it up either. Before he was a closer though, he was a starter in Florida and Cincinnati. His best season as a starter was in 2000 when he won 14 games and compiled a 3.66 ERA. Eight years later as a starter for the Chicago Cubs, he won 17 games and had a 2.96 ERA. That career year led to a four-year contract worth $52 million. Whether that contract had something to do with his production remains to be seen, but we all know his ratings will receive a huge bump in '09.

Cliff Lee
Cliff Lee was cooked in 2007. He posted a 6.29 ERA, almost two runs above the league average. In July of that year he was sent to AAA. One year later he is the AL Cy Young Award winner. To compare the two seasons, Lee gave up more runs, walks and home runs in 97 innings in 2007, than the 223 innings he pitched for Cleveland in 2008. He will get the ultimate ratings boost in 2009, and at least Indians fans have a pitcher to play with now that C.C. is gone.

The "Where Did They Come From?" Players

Carlos Quentin
Carlos Quentin’s coming-out party was supposed to be in 2007 for the Arizona Diamondbacks. During that year, he hit a robust .214 with five taters while striking out 54 times in only 229 at-bats. Flash forward to December 2007 and he is packing his bags for the South Side of Chicago. I have a feeling the Diamondbacks would like a do-over. Quentin hit 36 homers, batted .288 and walked nearly as much as he struck out (66 to 80). Had he not injured his wrist in early September, I think Carlos Quentin would have won the MVP award.

Ryan Ludwick
After being bounced around Texas and Cleveland, Ryan Ludwick finally found a suitable spot, batting in front of Albert Pujols. He did not get much of a chance to succeed elsewhere, but his .220 average was not really helping. Now he is a Silver Slugger winner in right field who had a .375 on-base percentage and hit 37 home runs last year. And at age 30, he should be entering the prime of his career, which means the Cardinals should have another reliable presence in the lineup.

Nate McLouth
This guy was the savior of my fantasy team in 2008. From the beginning of April when I picked up him up to the end of my playoff season in September, I had an outfield spot reserved for Nate McLouth. While he was always an above-average defensive center fielder, McLouth was not hitting very well. In 2008 he posted career highs in every useful offensive category and doubled his home runs by hitting 26 of them. Now Pirates fans have at least one shining star in their lineup.


There is no denying what these guys did for their teams in 2008, but there is no guarantee that these players will keep it up in 2009. But hey, at least they can hold onto their juiced up ratings this season.

Are any of these guys undeserving of this list? Is Carlos Quentin the real AL MVP? Are you going to argue your case for Josh Hamilton anyway? Sound off below!