 In his first seven full big-league seasons, Colorado first baseman Todd Helton was putting together offensive numbers that placed him among the game's elite. He averaged 35 home runs and 118 RBI and hit .340. Then came a sudden decline. In the next four years, he never hit more than 20 home runs. He never drove in 100 runs. And he even slid below .300. The whispers began. Turned out, Helton was suffering in silence — mentally from his struggles and physically from a lower back problem that he finally had to admit last year when the problem became so severe that he lost the feeling in his left leg. Suddenly, it appears, the obits on Helton's career were premature. He underwent surgery late last September to alleviate the pressure on the nerve that runs into his left leg, and after a winter of rehab, and a delayed start to spring training there were signs that at the age of 36 Helton is ready to once again torment National League pitchers. He is at the top of the list of players braced for a big comeback in the National League this season. With the season about to begin it's time for National League High Fives in: Comebacks to Watch1. First baseman Todd Helton, Colorado, is vital to the impact of the Rockies lineup. No coincidence that with him limited to two games after the All-Star Break last year the Rockies didn't have a player drive in 100 runs. FOX Fantasy Baseball game: Advice:- Draft guide: Find out rankings, positional previews, sleepers, flops and more!
1. Outfielder Kosuke Fukudome has three years and $38 million left on the four-year deal he signed to leave Japan, but in his first year with the Cubs he played his way into manager Lou Pineilla's doghouse, which has not been known to have an exit. 2. Left-handed pitcher Barry Zito, San Francisco, has five years and $99.5 million remaining on the record-setting seven-year, $126 million deal he originally signed, and the Giants are just happy he was able to claim the fifth spot in the rotation. 3. Outfielder Juan Pierre, Los Angeles, was signed because the Dodgers didn't trust that Gary Matthews Jr. was more than a one-year wonder, but knew what Pierre was — a contact hitter with limited power, great speed and one of the weakest arms in the game. That was good enough to get him a five-year, $44 million deal two years ago. But it isn't good enough to appease manager Joe Torre, who has pushed the hard-working Pierre into a dark corner. 4. Outfielder Carlos Lee, Houston, has power but is a DH-in-waiting with an NL team, and the four years, $74 million remaining on the six-year, $100 million contract he originally signed is a hefty chunk of a tightening Astros budget. 5. Outfielder Eric Byrnes, Arizona, someone was given a three-year, $30 million deal prior to last year. He's been slowed by injuries, but truth is, he is a fourth outfielder, and all the enthusiasm in the world won't hide that. Play FOX Fantasy Baseball today
Author:Fox Sports
Author's Website:http://www.foxsports.com
Added: April 2, 2009
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