All-time MLB Comeback Player of the Year winners. For three-quarters of the season this year, Tatis was the obvious MVP frontrunner before a late-season slump. Geno Smith's shocking rise could lead to him winning Comeback Player of the Year (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez). But you certainly expect at least an above-average offensive season from him. Brewers: Christian Yelich, OFAgain: Yelich isnt bad by any stretch of the imagination. He wouldnt spend 20 on the field. He's also more patient at the plate these days, drawing walks at a career-best rate of 13.3 percent, which in turn translates to a career-best on-base percentage of .421. Seattle Mariners: 83.5 wins Under -110 . He wasn't just the Rookie of the Year in 2021; it wasn't even close. Below is a look at how all of the beat reporters responded, as well as a brief explanation for each pick. Saquon Barkley (+700) 5. . He only has a 7-6 record to show for it, but Rogers has a 2.31 ERA and has held the opposition to three or fewer runs in each of his 18 starts. The other was Ty Cobb (9 HR, 76 SB) in 1909. The Orioles' Trey Mancini and the Giants' Buster Posey were named MLB's Comeback Players of the Year for 2021 on Monday. NFL best bets and picks: odds and predictions for 2022 Comeback Player of the Year, including Jameis Winston. The 34-year-old played all 12 seasons of his career with the Giants and was a three-time World Series champion with the team. He's averaging just under 11 K/9 and a little better than 3.5 K/BB. The New York Giants' offense had a plethora of issues up and down the roster. Five months later, he was on the field again, receiving a standing ovation at the Orioles Spring Training complex in Sarasota, Fla. On April 23, 1999, Fernando Tatis became the only player in MLB history to hit two grand slams in a single inning. He hit 35 home runs and drove in 97 runs in 154 games while batting .291/.364/.535. Each part of his triple-slash line is a bit below his previous career levels, but he's, like, two good games away from matching those averages. If you like him, it's best to bet on him early to maximize his value. But Rodon's excellent spring (13.2 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 16 K) coupled with a disastrous spring training for Lopez (11 ER in 11 IP) gave Rodonthe No. The White Sox dont necessarily need that guy, but somewhere in the middle would be a substantial improvement. But it should be noted that he has never had an OPS+ above 98, so when you adjust for Coors Field, he has been a below-average hitter. DeGrom has thrown fewer than 90 pitches in nine of his past 10 starts, averaging 75.3 pitches per start over the past two-plus months. RAYS: Randy Arozarena, AL Rookie of the Year. The Baltimore Orioles first baseman/designated hitter missed all of last season while undergoing chemotherapy for stage 3 colon cancer discovered in March 2020. He remains an elite player and will be only 27 years old on Opening Day. As we approach the beginning of the season, somehow less than two weeks away, we look at those players who had difficult 2021 seasons -- players who are talented, who have had success in the past or can reasonably be expected to have success in the future, but just didnt have things work out for them in '21. And he did all that despite the pressure of being the focal point of a blockbuster trade and then signing a jaw-dropping contract extension. Bleacher Report's panel of MLB scribesAbbey Mastracco, Joel Reuter, Zachary Rymer and myselfoffered up picks for Manager, Comeback Player, Rookie, Cy Young and MVP in each league from the first half of the season. Bieber showed just how lethal his repertoire can be after adding a cutter to create more separation between his fastball and breaking pitches. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. ORIOLES: Trey Mancini, AL Comeback Player of the Year Fully recovered from Stage 3 colon cancer, Mancini aims to be back on the field by Opening Day 2021. As long as they don't drop off a cliff in the next 73 games, though, he's a shoe-in for NL Manager of the Year. Simply put, Giolito has top-of-the-rotation stuff and he has figured out how to make the most effective usage of his repertoire. The more Alcantara refines his pitch arsenal, the closer he gets to stacking up with the usual suspects in the Cy Young Award conversations. Michel Anderson February 21, 2023. Mitch Haniger never saw the field in 2020 for the Seattle Mariners. Only three qualified pitchersin MLB history previously had a season with a ratio better than 10.0, the highest of which was Phil Hughes' mark of 11.6 in 2014. By the end of the season, the 29-year-old first baseman had played in 147 games, batting .255 with 21 homers, 71 RBIs and 77 runs scored. Garcia was designated for assignment by the St. Louis Cardinals in December 2019, and again by the Rangers this past February. Last year he, for the first time since 2013, made more than 30 starts. 2021 Marvin Miller Man of the Year He did that in just 89 games in 2019 and 50 in 2020, but stretched out to 145 in 2021, his slugging dropped a shocking 253 points. On Opening Day, Mancini knocked a single down the third-base line at Fenway Park for his first hit since returning to baseball. Daniel Jones could be an intriguing pick with new head coach Brian Daboll. In 2019, Mancini had the best season of his four-year career and was a bright spot for an Orioles team that lost 108 games. deGrom may have become the third pitcher in Major League history to three-peat had he had the luxury of a full, six-month season, given how brilliantly he pitched down the stretch in both 18 and 19. Over his first seven starts, the right-hander was 0-5 with a 4.10 ERA. RB Christian McCaffrey, 49ers. As good as everyone already knows that Betts is, hes even better than that because of the subtleties that dont show up on a stat sheet. If he does, he could help the Phillies offset any potential losses to the lineup, including J.T Realmuto and/or Didi Gregorius, and win his second NL MVP Award. American League Manager was the only one without a clear consensus, so let's start there. We were in unanimous agreement on five of the 10 awards, and there was a three-fourths agreement on four of the other five. Maybe they can shake more of that back out of him. I'd be lying if I said that was the first thing that came to mind. Because he's so darn efficient, though, he still managed to go at least five innings in nine of those starts. Baltimore Orioles' Trey Mancini runs to first base in a spring training exhibition baseball game [+] against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, Fla., Monday, March 22, 2021. The 25-year-old dominated the shortened 2020 season, taking home the MLB pitching Triple Crown by topping all other pitchers in wins (eight), strikeouts (122) and ERA (1.63). Mancini missed the entire pandemic-shortened 2020 season after undergoing surgery for colon cancer. It was as if he was laying his '21 manifesto: He will return to the form of five straight seasons from 2015-19 in which he finished with 37 or more homers and 110 or more RBIs. There is little reason to think he cant capture that title as soon as 2021. Players/managers listed as "Also Considered" is a combination of those who received votes from our panel and those whom I at least contemplated for more than a moment. With Correa gone, the Astros sure could use a return to that MVP form. The two-time American League Cy Young Award winner is attempting to get his career back on track with the New York Yankees. The fact that he's doing this as the heart and soul of the team with the best record in baseball is like throwing gas on the comeback fire. Last year's postseason hero hasn't quite set the world on fire in 2021 like he did last October. NFL Comeback Player of the Year Odds 1. Tony La Russa has won three World Series and four Manager of the Year awards, although he hasn't manned an MLB dugout since 2011 in St. Louis. That whole time he was waiting for a question about his defense. Mancini is the first Oriole to win MLB's Comeback Player of the Year Award. Perhaps Taillon, a hard worker and legitimate top-of-the-rotation pitcher in '18, will nab that award after tweaking his mechanics to protect his elbow. NL Comeback Player of the Year 1 of 13 Stephen Strasburg Associated Press Fenn: Mike Soroka, Atlanta Braves Soroka is on track to return as early as mid-April after tearing his Achilles last. GIANTS: Buster Posey, NL Comeback Player of the Year. Their improvements should bode well for Posey, who will be entering the final year of his contract. 2021 Comeback Player of the Year odds. While winning AL Rookie of the Year in 2018, he had a 3.31 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 11.0 K/9 in 10 starts. Mancini, who has a $4.75-million salary this year, has hit at least 24 homers in each of his three full major league seasons. He had a 5.19 ERA in seven starts in 2019 before undergoing Tommy John surgery, and he had an unsightly 8.22 ERA in his limited 7.2 innings of work last season. This isn't exactly a "top prospect seizes his opportunity to shine" sort of situation. But he had the worst year of his career since 2013 in 2021, putting up a 5.28 ERA just a year after he had a 1.99 ERA that ended with him fifth in Cy Young voting. The games highest-paid pitcher is a four-time top-5 finisher in Cy Young voting, including each of the past three seasons. Hell be entering his age-26 season in '21. He hit .208 in 62 games and never really got on track. His OBP dropped more than 60 points from his 2020 season (and 50 from his 2019 season), and his walk rate plummeted while his strikeout rate skyrocketed. VI Staff. Mets: Dominic Smith, 1B/OFIn 2019 and 2020, Smith finally turned into the player of Mets fans dreams, getting on base regularly and showing considerable pop. Also Considered: Jacob deGrom, New York; Trea Turner, Washington. Whether it was the long layoff because of coronavirus or the hangover from the sign-stealing scandal that seemed to permeate the club, Bregman will be looking to shake off a disappointing season in 21. From his leadership, accountability and unselfishness to his instinctive baseball IQ that shows itself mostly on the basepaths, which might be the greatest of all his skills. A bit later in the month, he hit three home runs in the span of four innings in a win over the Diamondbacks. Orioles: Anthony Santander, OFSantander was a Rule 5 pick from Cleveland who was one of the happy stories of the Orioles 2020 season -- a year in which the Orioles were in second place a third of the way through the season! (Photo by J. Conrad Williams Jr./Newsday RM via Getty Images). The MLB Comeback Player of the Year Award winners are determined by a vote from the 30 MLB.com club beat reporters. Could that be an offseason adjustment that assures he retains his title? As is the case each year, several big-name players missed significant time due to injury last year. MLB Awards: 2020 results, all-time winners. He has the benefit of hitting in front of fellow superstar Anthony Rendon, who could also make a run at the AL MVP Award with a strong season. Since it's never too early to start thinking about next season, MLB.com asked its beat reporters to pick the one player from each team who has the best chance to take home an award in 2021. Theyare 19-8 in one-run games and 10-1 in extra-inning games, boasting the best winning percentage in the majors in both of those categories. Regardless, Barkley only had 162 rushes for 593 yards and two touchdowns in the time he played. Then consider how he finished: .225/.386/.442. If he can be that star we all think he is, he could usher in the next era of Mariners baseball. So to project a Coach of the Year, you have to look at teams who will absolutely dominate or be surprisingly good. Mancini is the first Orioles player to claim the honor; he also earned the same distinction from his peers in October. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. And it has been a couple of years since he has been anything close to that. Since the last time he stepped on the field in a regular season game, Haniger has had surgeries to repair a ruptured testicle, torn core muscle and ruptured disc in his back. Athletics: Eric Thames, 1BThere are roster spots to be had in Oakland this spring, particularly at first base. Even before Buster Posey opted out of the entire pandemic-shortened 2020 season, it felt like he was in the denouement of his career. The prognostications for Chapman made sense given the year he was coming off of in 2019, when he earned his first All-Star selection and appeared in his first Home Run Derby in a campaign that saw him slash .249/.342/.506 with a career-high 36 home runs and 91 RBIs while also capturing the Gold and Platinum Glove Awards for a second straight year. And baseball definitely was on the back burner when I was going through all that..