And now the N.L. nominees:

Nomar Garciaparra, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers
Garciaparra, my how far his star had fallen.  He was considered one of the best in the game back during his heyday with the Boston Red Sox and was even given the accolade of being the Red Sox’s best ever by Ted Williams.  And the fact that the Red Sox almost traded him for Alex Rodriguez a few seasons ago, had many of Red Sox Nation up in arms.  Unfortunately, Garciaparra was traded and was never the same, thanks in part to injuries.  He went close to home last season by signing with the Dodgers, but got injured and didn’t play much at all for his new club.  Well, Garciaparra has this season, although he’s on the D.L. currently, and he’s been wicked good when he’s been on the field.

Carlos Beltran, OF, New York Mets
I guess a year helps.  What am I talking about?  I’m talking about Beltran unjustifiably being called a savior for the Mets franchise (at least on the offensive side; they did sign Pedro Martinez in the same offseason), the media pressure, playing in New York and the spotlight that came with it from diehard fans, and of course the attempt to be worth all that money Beltran signed for.  With a year under his belt, veteran leadership from Carlos Delgado, and no pressure on him for the most part, Beltran is thriving and showing his high potential.

Joe Borowski, RP, Florida Marlins
Borowski excelled last year as a middle reliever when he played for that other Florida franchise, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.  He had closer experience with the Chicago Cubs, but didn’t get a real opportunity to show his stuff.  This season, he started off slow, thanks to the Marlins team starting slow, but now with the Marlins doing pretty well, so has JoBo.

Johnny Estrada, C, Arizona Diamondbacks
Estrada showed a lot good things while with the Atlanta Braves.  He hadn’t really been the same since leaving the Braves, but seems to have settled in with the Diamondbacks this season.  He’s just one of the reasons that the D-Backs are seriously contending in the N.L. West.

Edgar Renteria, SS, Atlanta Braves
Several seasons ago, Renteria was right up there with the Garciaparras, the A-Rods, the Jeters as far as who the top shortstops in the game were.  Then he went to Boston last season and forgot how to play the way he was capable of.  Well, I guess we can assume that Renteria was never an A.L. sort of player because being back in the N.L. has really brought his game back to the way it used to be.

Scott Rolen, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals
Rolen was hampered by injury last season, which was too bad because of the MVP type year he had the season before.  While he didn’t win the MVP that year, he has a real shot to win this season’s Comeback award as he provides excellent protection for Albert Pujols (like he really needs any help to do what he does) and, of course, continues to play stellar defense at the hot corner.