Because of MLB's rookie eligibility rules being prorated given the shortened 2020 season, many players you grew familiar with a year ago are still rookie eligible, making the pool of . 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). In the next 25 starts, including his '20 showing, the righty logged a 2.40 ERA with a 34.6 percent strikeout rate and miniscule 3.4 percent walk rate in 157 2/3 innings. Justin Verlander and Albert Pujols are two of the most decorated superstars in baseball history -- and each added one more honor to his name on Tuesday night. In short, Ohtani is batting and running like Griffey in his prime while also pitching well enough to be the ace of at least 20 of the league's 30 pitching staffs. Sixto Sanchez was supposed to be Miami's NL ROY candidate, but he has not pitched this season and has already undergone season-ending shoulder surgery. That whole time he was waiting for a question about his defense. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar). It may feel a little early to bet on NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Mancini even competed in the Home Run Derby -- and nearly won it, before falling to Pete Alonso in the finals. Coming off of an Achilles tear in 2021, Graham recorded a career-high 11.0 sacks in 2022. [ November 7] Geno Smith has taken over as the new favorite to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year, as his odds improved from +225 to -135 after he led the Seahawks to a win over the Cardinals in Week 9. Braves: Travis dArnaud, CThose two homers he hit in the World Series might have distracted you from the fact that dArnaud was, uh, kind of terrible last year. But hes also developed his slider to get hitters off the changeup, and it worked for him down the stretch. After some frustrating years, he bounced back well in his final year with the Red Sox in 2020, and the Brewers signed him hoping hed unlock some of that initial potential. Since the start of 2018, Cole leads all AL starters in fWAR, innings, wins and strikeouts and ranks second in ERA and FIP. In 2019, Mancini had the best season of his four-year career and was a bright spot for. During the playoffs, Posey became the Giants' career postseason hits leader, with 57, and he's also played the most postseason games in franchise history, with 58. The MLB Comeback Player of the Year Award winners are determined by a vote from the 30 MLB.com club beat reporters. He's nearly three years removed from being an All-Star, but the Mariners believe that with Haniger now full healthy he can once again be that caliber of player. But one of the unique benefits of being a human, after things havent gone well, after youve been knocked down, is that you can pick yourself back up and get back after it again. As a pitcher, Shohei Ohtani has regained his pre-Tommy John surgery form. But Gregorius put up the worst numbers of an already-sort-of-inconsistent career in 2021 (.639 OPS). 2 minute read. Skubal and Casey Mize retain their rookie eligibility for next season, having been called up Aug. 18 and 19, respectively. NL: Adam Wainwright, Cardinals Wainwright was nowhere near being thought of as a rotation mainstay, even after posting a 3.15 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in the abbreviated 2020 season. Baker Mayfield +1200. Trey Mancini wins MLB Comeback Player of the Year Nick Shepkowski November 22, 2021 6:42 pm ET In a year that saw some incredible performances there was no easier Major League Baseball. Martinez loved playing for Cora and the two have already started brainstorming about a plan for a rebound season. Pirates: KeBryan Hayes, 3BLast year there was probably too much put on Hayes, who not only was supposed to boost a struggling team but in fact establish himself as the National Leagues Next Great Third Baseman. Analyzing the betting odds for MLB's major awards, including Cy Young, MVP, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year. Mets: Dominic Smith, 1B/OF In 2019 and 2020, Smith finally turned into the player of Mets fans dreams, getting on base regularly and showing considerable pop. Alcantaras slider, a big pitch for him, has improved, as well. 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. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip). Through 89 team games, he's on pace to finish the year with 60. None of them has more than eight. Both Darvish and Snell finished with ERAs above 4.20, so that ended up being a moot point. 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. Take your pick as to who has the better chance of a breakout season in 2021. Anderson's 1996 season will forever be one of baseball's biggest oddities, but the other three members of that club rank among the best hitters of all time. Mancini missed the entire pandemic-shortened 2020 season after undergoing surgery for colon cancer. It could be an award-worthy sort of combination. 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. Could that be an offseason adjustment that assures he retains his title? 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. Trout is the best player in the game and is always in the conversation for AL MVP, winning the award three times and finishing in the top 5 in each of the past nine seasons. Damar Hamlin is currently listed as the favorite to win the 2023-24 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. If he can be that star we all think he is, he could usher in the next era of Mariners baseball. But before the action really gets intense, Chloe Davey delivers her preview and tips for the season ahead. Also Considered: Gerrit Cole, New York; Lance Lynn, Chicago; Nathan Eovaldi, Boston. And then the six-time (now seven-time) All-Star catcher opted out of his age-33 season. Its been a decade since any Padre has taken home a major award from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. deGrom will turn 33 next June, still in the prime of his career without quite as much mileage on his arm as many pitchers his age. The Baltimore Orioles first baseman/designated hitter missed all of last season while undergoing chemotherapy for stage 3 colon cancer discovered in March 2020. Mancinis absence was far from being his choice. He still finished with a 167 ERA+ and he figures to only get better with experience. Per Baseball Reference, no qualified MLB pitcher has ever finished a season with an H/9 rate below 5.0. Kansas City believes that end-of-the-season burst has allowed Mondesi to turn a corner, and that he is capable of racking up at least 40 doubles, 10 triples and 20 homers, all while stealing 60-plus bases. The Yankees would love to find out. The Yankees brought him to New York to be the best pitcher in baseball. Brewers: Christian Yelich, OFAgain: Yelich isnt bad by any stretch of the imagination. We predict that Mondesi . Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott leads the way at +1300, coming off an injury in Week 5 against the NFC rival New York Giants. The rebuilding Mariners believe they are posed to take a step forward this season and are hopeful the 29-year-old Haniger can spark their offense from the leadoff spot in the batting order. After he finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting in a stellar '19 season, Bieber climbed all the way to the top of the AL by winning the award in '20. But I would rather bet on him for Comeback Player of the Year than MVP. The Yankees are banking on Kluber to be a key part of their rebuilt rotation behind ace Gerrit Cole and fellow newcomer Jameson Taillon, who is making his own comeback after missing last season with the Pirates while recovering from Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery. Updated: Mar 4, 2023 / 02:59 PM EST. Gallen doesnt get the attention of some pitchers in larger markets, but if he continues to pitch as he has in his first year-plus in the big leagues, that could change in a hurry. Jayce Tingler finished second in NL Manager of the Year voting in '20. On Opening Day, Mancini knocked a single down the third-base line at Fenway Park for his first hit since returning to baseball. 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. 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. Posey, who announced his retirement earlier this month, opted out of the 2020 season for health and safety reasons. Then consider how he finished: .225/.386/.442. Also Considered: Jacob deGrom, New York; Trea Turner, Washington. He placed fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 2020, going 7-3 with a 2.84 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 12 starts, owning a share of the big league lead in both complete games and shutouts. 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. Verlander and Pujols were named the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year Award winners in the American League and National League, respectively, by Major League Baseball. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. But the Rays have seen him pull it off before. With his growing comfort with the Cubs, a freedom to be himself on the mound and elite command of the strike zone and his 10-plus pitches, Darvish should once again be a Cy Young contender in 21. Look at his slash line before he tweaked his back in late August in Atlanta: .343/.478/.714. However, Strasburg has also had 10 stints on the injury list during his 11-year career. He's averaging just under 11 K/9 and a little better than 3.5 K/BB. Across a full season, Ryus numbers could look even more impressive as he works deeper into games with an opportunity to rack up wins in front of a Blue Jays team that is young, improving and expected to be very aggressive this winter. Yankees: Gleyber Torres, 2BIts now mostly apparent that Gleyber is unlikely to become the superstar the Yankees thought they had when he was hitting 38 homers at the age of 22 back in 2019. Is it possible we just got too excited about McKenzie just a year early? Mancini is among many players poised to make a run at Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2021. Red Sox: Jackie Bradley Jr., OFThere was a time, I swear, when it looked like Jackie Bradley Jr. was going to be a superstar in this league. It sure would be nice to see a vintage Bumgarner season, wouldnt it? And while it seems absurd to suggest he could get even better in the second half, it bears mentioning that the Mets have been taking it easy on their ace since the minor injuries he suffered in May. Way back in February, Chapman arrived to Spring Training as a darkhorse candidate for the AL MVP Award. The Giants have played 89 games, but not a single player has appeared in 80 of them. But after a delayed start to the '20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chapman battled injuries and struggled to get into a good rhythm, with his season coming to an end on Sept. 12 after learning he needed season-ending hip surgery. Those gruesome numbers should be a distant memory by the time the 21 season ends. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip), Hickey looks on, before the team's spring training baseball game against the Houston Astros, Tuesday, March 9, 2021, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky), solo home run against the Houston Astros in the third inning of a baseball game in Seattle, in this Tuesday, June 4, 2019, file photo. But this was supposed to be a perpetual MVP candidate. Bleacher Report's 2021 Midseason MLB Awards Kerry Miller July 15, 2021 Shohei Ohtani Elaine Thompson/Associated Press The 2021 Major League Baseball season is approximately 56 percent. 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.