Carpenter, Hill named Comeback Players of the year

It’s always a tough competition when disease is not involved:

Chris Carpenter has been voted NL comeback player of the year and Aaron Hill has won the AL award.

Limited to four starts over the prior two seasons because of elbow surgery and a shoulder injury, Carpenter was 17-4 with a league-leading 2.24 ERA for the St. Louis Cardinals. The 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner, Carpenter won 11 consecutive decisions from early July to early September.

Hill appeared in just 55 games in 2008 due to a concussion. He hit .286 for the Toronto Blue Jays this year and established career highs with 36 homers and 108 RBIs, the most among major league second basemen.

Next year’s is going to be tough in the N.L., with about 16 Mets all vying for the honor.