Carlos Pena went to camp last spring as an afterthought, made the Rays when Greg Norton got hurt and wound up with 46 homers. Fausto Carmona, a failed closer, was ticketed for Triple-A a year ago; instead won 19 games for the Indians.

Here are five guys no one’s talking about this year – yet. 

Francisco Liriano – LHP (Twins): Word is he’s on track to open the season in the rotation after recovering from Tommy John surgery in November 2006, which may explain why the Twins might decide to hold on to Johan Santana a while longer. If Liriano is as nasty as he was in the first half of 2006, Minnesota could have the best 1-2 starters in the game. We’ll see if he still throws that wicked slider, but he’s a 24 year old lefty who brings mid-90′s heat. Bet on him.

A.J. Burnett RHP (Blue Jays): The great stuff is still there. Burnett was overpowering in the second half, striking out 70 in 71 2/3 IPs and holding hitters to a .202 BA in his last 10 starts. And he has 70 million reasons to take the ball: At 31, he has an opt-out this fall, which could lead to a deal that would be topped only by guys named Santana and Sabathia. Bold Prediction: This is going to be the best season of Burnett’s injurt-plagued career.

Rich Harden RHP (Athletics): The oft-injured, slow healing Harden declined to make a couple of starts at the end of last season, and it seems Oakland’s patience has expired. The 26 year old won’t be babied this year, and he may even open the season in the minors, in the hope that he’ll respond to the challenge. When Harden pitches, he’s dominant, racking up 431 K’s in 464 2/3 IPs, with an opposing BA of just .226. 

Asdrubal Cabrera 2B (Indians): Every time Mark Shapiro’s phone rings this winter, it’s another GM asking about this 22 year old switch hitter. “Which is probably why we haven’t made a big trade,” says Shapiro, who’s looking for a big bat. Holding on to Cabrera makes sense, considering the poise he showed after replacing Josh Barfield in August. Cabrera isn’t fast and lacks pop, but he’s a smart player who rarely make mistakes.

Rickie Weeks 2B (Brewers): Despite playing with a lingering wrist injury, he finally lived up to his enormous potential in the last two months of 2007. He hit 11 of his 16 HRs, while compiling OBPs of .500 in August and .409 in September. Overall, Weeks scored 87 runs in just 118 games because he put up career highs in walks (78), doubles (21), triples (6), and steals (25 in 27 attempts). And he’s still only 25.