Especially in April and May, much of baseball fandom comes down to recognizing and appreciating what's shiny and new. We're forever on the hunt for the best new rookies or the most improved young players. Shohei Ohtani is already one of the most compelling players to appear in the majors in decades. There's a national conversation about how good Didi Gregorius actually is. The Braves are more exciting than they've been in a while because of an improving Ozzie Albies and an emerging Ronald Acuna Jr.
Fans are wired to think in terms of player ceilings. Every young player is trying to be as good as he possibly can, and we all closely monitor his progress. In some ways we're addicted to the concept of players on the upswing. There's less interest in players who appear to be post-ceiling. And there's less interest in players who can't get to their ceiling. Fans are inclined to believe in everyone, until they've simply had enough. Then it's just a matter of replacing disappointing players with new ones with potential.
In general, that's sensible enough. When a player's career looks as if it has already had its best days, all that's really left is decline. But it's not only the youngest players who can improve. Sometimes veteran players pick themselves up off the mat. Maybe it's less exciting than improvement from some 24-year-old, but it might be more inspiring. And these cases can be excellent reminders that baseball careers don't always follow a normal trajectory.
With that in mind, let's identify five players who appear to be resurrecting their careers. These are players from whom little was expected. This isn't like Mookie Betts' power outbreak; it's one thing to be good when you're supposed to be. It's quite another to be good when most people around you have lost that faith. These five players look relevant again, and if I got to include a sixth, I would've given a shout to Jordan Zimmermann.