Hard to imagine anyone coming back from that, given how rare it is for catchers to thrive into their mid-30s, let alone turn their career back around at that age after a steep decline. He had a 4.99 ERA to go with an 11.7 percent walk rate in 137 innings in that time period, which had been defined by injury issues and command troubles. Also Considered: Craig Counsell, Milwaukee. Betts surprised manager Dave Roberts with the power generated by an undersized body. (No other team in the majors has a W/L record more than four games better than its Pythagorean record.) NFL COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS. MLB Awards: 2020 results, all-time winners. GIANTS: Buster Posey, NL Comeback Player of the Year. Still, he showed what a dominant force he could be with his one postseason start, when he allowed one run in six innings while striking out eight Padres in the Wild Card Series. Thats not what the Yankees got in 2021. With his intriguing combination of power, speed and competitive drive, Kelenic ranks as the No. It's clear the 2010 first-round pick still has plenty left in the tank following his showing in 2022. against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, Fla., Monday, March 22, 2021. Hes still in the middle of this lineup, so hell have plenty of opportunities to rebound. 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. He slugged .373 last year, which is roughly 300 points lower than his 2019 mark of .671. Bregman had wrist surgery last November, so maybe that will turn him around. 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. That's what makes Comeback Player of the Year so interesting. Take your pick as to who has the better chance of a breakout season in 2021. Not quite Cy Young numbers, but he's not far off from matching the current production of Shane Bieber,last year's AL Cy Young winner: 3.28 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 12.9 K/9. 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. The naysayers love to complain about his errors in the field, but if Tatis is able to do something that hasn't been done in more than a century, it's going to be mighty hard to argue against him for NL MVP. For three-quarters of the season this year, Tatis was the obvious MVP frontrunner before a late-season slump. Per Baseball Reference, no qualified MLB pitcher has ever finished a season with an H/9 rate below 5.0. The Orioles' Trey Mancini and the Giants' Buster Posey were named MLB's Comeback Players of the Year for 2021 on Monday. If he makes the Leap in 2021 without missing a beat, his odds to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year just increased substantially from the +800 that you see above. Since the day Jameson Taillon had his second Tommy John surgery in August 2019, teammates have been touting him as a lock for NL Comeback Player of the Year in '21. 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. deGrom may not have won a third consecutive NL Cy Young Award in 2020, but hes still arguably the favorite to take home that award when he returns to the field in 21. Giolito has been named an All-Star and finished tied for sixth ('19) and seventh ('20), respectively, in AL Cy Young voting since the start of the '19 season, when he moved his career on a direct path to the top after a dismal '18 campaign. He and the Yankees both believe a lot. Expect the right-handed hitter to bounce back in a big way in 21, and having Alex Cora back as his manager will only help. And here are the top five betting favorites for MVP and Cy Young in both leagues entering the season (odds via Caesars Sportsbook): AL MVP Shohei Ohtani, +325 Mike Trout, +450 Vladimir Guerrero,. If he can be that star we all think he is, he could usher in the next era of Mariners baseball. Also Considered: Mitch Haniger, Seattle; Yordan Alvarez, Houston; Carlos Rodon, Chicago. This is a BETA experience. In his second start, he threw a no-hitter against Cleveland. Arozarenas emergence with the Rays was one of baseballs greatest stories in 2020, as the 25-year-old set Major League postseason records in hits (29), home runs (10) and total bases (64). 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. Simply put, he was one of the top three or four players in the game. Maybe they can shake more of that back out of him. Geno Smith's shocking rise could lead to him winning Comeback Player of the Year (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez). He's averaging just under 11 K/9 and a little better than 3.5 K/BB. We were in unanimous agreement on five of the 10 awards, and there was a three-fourths agreement on four of the other five. In just 87 games, he had 27 homers and 78 RBIs while hitting .313/.412/.655. Luis Patio, MacKenzie Gore, Luis Campusano and Ryan Weathers all still have rookie eligibility. Behind Posey's .304 batting average, 18 home runs, 56 RBIs and .889 OPS, the Giants set a franchise record with 107 wins. He had trouble with walks, but he also only struck out six batters per nine innings -- far, far below what he was doing in the Minors. In other words, the Mariners have won eight more games than they "should" have, thanks to a ton of success in close contests. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Through 13 starts this season, he's sitting at 3.49, 1.21 and 11.7, respectively. 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. That whole time he was waiting for a question about his defense. Mancini is the first Orioles player to claim the honor; he also earned the same distinction from his peers in October. 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. But it was rough sledding getting to that point, and he ended up with 106 strikeouts in 377 plate appearances. But you certainly expect at least an above-average offensive season from him. Can he go back-to-back? One of the best-known sportsbooks on the market, DraftKings offers great MLB sports betting options . After a Silver Slugger season in 2020, he hit .220 and slugged only .388, in a season where he only played 60 games. That impressive performance after a major injury led him to finish fourth in Comeback Player of the Year voting. 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. The right-hander struck out 97 over 72 1/3 innings in 20 -- ranking second in the AL behind only Cy Young winner Shane Bieber -- after fanning 228 in 19. He started to turn it around in the postseason, and if he can return to his MVP-caliber self, sheesh, this lineup just shoots off into the stratosphere. I know there are other guys coming back from injuries, but to come back from [colon cancer] is amazing.. But if you think the big Canadian playing for the Purdue Boilermakers won't win and an upset will . Soto also recorded the highest rates by a qualified hitter since Barry Bonds in 2004 in on-base percentage (.490), slugging percentage (.695), OPS (1.185) and wRC+ (201). It . In 20, he won eight of his 12 starts, posted a 2.01 ERA, had 93 strikeouts against 14 walks in 76 innings and finished as the NL Cy Young runner-up. 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. We all knew the Miami Marlins had one of the most intriguing pitching prospects in all of baseball. but +1000 is great value for an electric player that saw far more of the . 2021. Both Darvish and Snell finished with ERAs above 4.20, so that ended up being a moot point. Rangers: Kole Calhoun, OFThe Rangers brought in two stars in Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, but theres also a lot of upside to be had from Calhoun, who was terrific from 2019-20 in Anaheim and Arizona before injuries knocked him out last year. Bregman finished a very close second to Trout in the 2019 AL MVP race after hitting .296 with 41 homers, 112 RBIs and 119 walks, all while leading the AL in bWAR (8.4). Four months ago, it wasn't even clear if Carlos Rodon would be a part of Chicago's 2021 starting rotation. 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. Last year's winners were Royals catcher Salvador Perez and Rockies closer Daniel Bard. The award was created for a player who was once a star, but had to come back from either injury or ineffectiveness to reclaim his status. With the NBA regular season more than half over, this is an exciting time for hard-core hoop heads, who have a chance to get some real value on the best 2022-23 NBA awards odds. Cardinals: Ryan Helsley, RHPThe Cardinals looked like they had the next dominant relief pitcher during the 2019 playoffs, but Helsley, who throws hard and has had moments of looking downright incredible, has now had two down seasons in a row, with a walk rate of more than 5 per nine in that span. 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. 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. Like many of his Astros teammates, Bregman tailed off in the shortened '20 season and he wound up slashing .242/.350/.451 with six homers and 22 RBIs in 153 at-bats. Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott leads the way at +1300, coming off an injury in Week 5 against the NFC rival New York Giants. One of these days, Jacob deGrom has to throw a no-hitter, right? Back in the preseason, Tampa Bay's Randy Arozarena was the heavy favorite to be named AL Rookie of the Yearand with good reason. 2021 Marvin Miller Man of the Year The American League features a trio of new managers in 2021, although none are first-time skippers. Twelve players were named to the Major League Baseball All-Star team in their Comeback Award-winning season: Jim Thome, Nomar Garciaparra, Dmitri Young, Cliff Lee, Brad Lidge, Aaron Hill, Tim Hudson, Lance Berkman, Jacoby Ellsbury, Buster Posey, Fernando Rodney, and Mariano Rivera, with Posey also being named to the All-MLB Team. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is having a sensational season, but what Ohtani has been up to is downright historic. Dak Prescott (+200) 2. As a pitcher, Shohei Ohtani has regained his pre-Tommy John surgery form. With Mancinis help, the Orioles and Colorectal Cancer Alliance raised $80,000 for the cause in 2020. Until he takes a step back -- and hes shown no indications of doing so to date -- he will remain a perennial Cy Young favorite. But they got Santana just in time for the worst season of his career, one where he hit only 19 homers (despite playing 158 games) and put up a career-low .319 OBP. Simply put, Giolito has top-of-the-rotation stuff and he has figured out how to make the most effective usage of his repertoire. So where does the slugging left-hander go from here? MLB Oct 23, 2021 How to Watch Braves Vs. Astros in 2021 World Series In 2019, Mancini had the best season of his four-year career and was a bright spot for. RAYS: Randy Arozarena, AL Rookie of the Year. If Harper can stay healthy in 2021, there is no reason to think he cannot continue to crush the baseball like he did in the first half of '20. The more Alcantara refines his pitch arsenal, the closer he gets to stacking up with the usual suspects in the Cy Young Award conversations. The Yankees would love to find out. He hit .255 with 21 home runs and 71 RBIs in 147 games for the Orioles in 21, finished second in the Home Run Derby at Coors Field and inspired millions both inside the game and out with his story of resilience and perseverance. More importantly, it denied Burnes an opportunity to pitch Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Dodgers, and sent him into the offseason with a bitter taste in his mouth. Posey, who announced his retirement earlier this month, opted out of the 2020 season for health and safety reasons. Fresh off center fielder Kyle Lewis Rookie of the Year honor, why not make it two in a row for the Mariners, who likely will call up Kelenic early in the season and put him in the outfield next to Lewis. Here is a look at four other major leaguers looking to bounce back in 2021: Tampa, Fla.: New York Yankees starting pitcher right-hander Corey Kluber throwing against the [+] Toronto Blue Jays in the top of the second inning of a spring training game at the George M Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., on March 3, 2021. To make it through the whole season and not go on the injured list, to make it to the end, Im really happy to be here, Mancini told MLB.com in October. Considering his five-tool skill set, theres no reason to believe Tatis wont be in the forefront of the MVP discussion next year -- and in the future. The other was Ty Cobb (9 HR, 76 SB) in 1909. 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. Now, he will be working with new pitching coach Ethan Katz, his coach at Harvard-Westlake High School in California who also helped Giolito make significant changes to his repertoire and delivery in the offseason prior to the 19 campaign. Henry is a superior player, but quarterbacks have the upper hand in this award. Posey elected not to play in 2020, and the Giants' longtime catcher returned to lead San Francisco to the best record in baseball in '21. Mancini earned American League Comeback Player of the Year honors, it was revealed on MLB Network, for a 2021 campaign during which he re-established himself as one of the games better run producers after a year away battling -- and beating -- Stage 3 colon cancer. Listed below are the 2023 Odds to Win the American League and National League Cy Young awards. We predict that Mondesi . Zach Edey is the runaway odds favorite and his lead over the field is absolutely laughable. Theres no telling what the 21-year-old shortstops ceiling is. He was the first pitcher to come to Toronto to try to turn around this staff, but he has more help, and theoretically less pressure, this year. But along the way, too, just watching opposing players, when he was playing first base, youd see a guy get to first base and the interaction there, with how much respect Trey has around the league. But the Rays have seen him pull it off before. And, by the way, Mancini singled in that first at-bat. 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. Angels: David Fletcher, 2BFletcher was one of the lovely surprise stories of 2020 -- do you realize he finished 17th in MVP voting? And then the six-time (now seven-time) All-Star catcher opted out of his age-33 season. But its Tatis who seems like the best bet. Mondesi, already an elite defender at shortstop, overmatched the league over the final 22 games, posting a .376 average, 1.130 OPS, six doubles, six home runs, 19 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. He put up a 1.022 OPS over his 23 games in the regular season, and when you combine his potential to put up excellent counting stats with his all-around game and his knack for performing in big moments, he could be chasing some other awards down the road, too. Perhaps the most remarkable part is he has managed this team through a litany of injuries and absences. In five September starts, Castillo went 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA, 37 strikeouts and nine walks. Odds have been released for the 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. In fact, its fair to say that Hayes will enter '21 as the favorite to take home the award after slashing .376/.442/.682 with five homers, seven doubles and two triples on his way to winning NL Rookie of the Month honors in September. This isn't exactly a "top prospect seizes his opportunity to shine" sort of situation. He may be leading off this year, so a step forward would be handy. Fellow core veterans Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford enjoyed resurgent seasons in '20 after working with the Giants new coaching staff, which brought fresh ideas and offensive philosophies in manager Gabe Kaplers first year in San Francisco. He's also batting .270 and slugging .527, which are both the highest marks among Rangers who have made at least 25 plate appearances. 2022 could be a bounce-back fantasy season for Adalberto . The 29-year-olds cancer is now in remission. The designated hitter wound up having surgery on both knees. The Baltimore Orioles first baseman/designated hitter missed all of last season while undergoing chemotherapy for stage 3 colon cancer discovered in March 2020. Hell be a Gold Glove Award candidate at the hot corner, and the surprising power he displayed at the plate during his debut makes him a much more interesting all-around player to watch. The defense will always be there, but he was certainly thought, at the plate, to be more than this. Marlins: Jess Luzardo, LHPThe Marlins couldnt have been that surprised by Luzardos struggles in his 12 starts for them last year: Those struggles were why they were able to trade for him, after all. Because he's so darn efficient, though, he still managed to go at least five innings in nine of those starts. The White Sox (-115) have leapfrogged the Twins (+140) as pre-season Central favorites, and there are several key questions the Twinkies have heading into the 2021 campaign. In what universe does Cody Bellinger hit .165? 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. Rick Scuteri/USA Today Sports Mookie Betts has the next-best odds at +900 after slugging a career-high 35 home runs in 2022. Heck, sometimes it feels, looking back at the last couple of years, that everybody has had the same pair of bad years. Twenty-two years later, Fernando Tatis Jr. has emerged as the National League's leader in home runs, stolen bases and bat-flipping swag for what might be the best Padres team in franchise history. Mancini earned American League Comeback Player of the Year honors, it was revealed on MLB Network, for a 2021 campaign during which he re-established himself as one of the game's better run producers after a year away battling -- and beating -- Stage 3 colon cancer. Now that hes had a taste of the playoffs and the chance to watch Bauer work up close, Castillo could give Cincinnati two Cy Young winners in a row next season. The winners are determined by a vote of the 30 club beat reporters from MLB.com. He batted .309 and slugged .475, averaging 21 home runs per 162 games. D-backs: Madison Bumgarner, LHPHe finally made a (mostly) full season of starts in 2021, but he still was barely a league average pitcher. He is also still a bargain as his salary will be close to the major league minimum of $570,500 this season as he does not yet have the requisite service time to be eligible for salary arbitration. Haniger appeared in just 63 games in 2019 then missed the entire 2020 season. Nick Bosa (+1000) 7. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. The 2023 MLB regular season will begin on Thursday March 30, 2023 and bettors can start placing wagers on the futures odds for Cy Young winners. Posey is now a two-time Comeback Player of the Year -- he also won the award in 2012 and is the only Giants player to win. Over his first seven starts, the right-hander was 0-5 with a 4.10 ERA. He's five home runs behind Shohei Ohtani and four stolen bases behind Whit Merrifield, so he probably won't wind up leading the majors in both categories. It shouldnt be overlooked that Betts sparked the Dodgers when he became the full-time leadoff hitter, a spot in the order that Los Angeles has struggled to fill for years. This year, Posey's home run total was his highest since 2015, and his OPS was his highest since 2012. He wasn't just the Rookie of the Year in 2021; it wasn't even close. The awardees, in collaboration with the MLB Players Trust, will have an opportunity to donate $70,000 to their choice of charity. Comeback Player of the Year is often a tricky one to nail down, because you have to consider both how impressive the player's season is and how unlikely his comeback was. AL Comeback Player of the Year: Mitch Haniger, Seattle Mariners 1 of 10 Elaine Thompson/Associated Press Mitch Haniger was one of the Mariners' biggest question marks heading into the 2021. 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. It didnt work -- he hit .163 in 428 plate appearances, yikes -- but now hes back in Boston, no longer an up-and-comer, but at least in a place that hes comfortable. The MLB Comeback Player of the Year Award winners are determined by a vote from the 30 MLB.com club beat reporters. On April 23, 1999, Fernando Tatis became the only player in MLB history to hit two grand slams in a single inning. Here's a look at three futures picks to make during the dead zone of the NFL offseason Mancini is among many players poised to make a run at Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2021. Despite both a slow start (Tatis was batting .118 as late as April 19) and missing 17 of the team's first 43 games (minor shoulder injury and a stint on the COVID-19 list), El Nino has hit 28 home runs and stolen 20 bags. Mancini is the first Oriole to win MLB's Comeback Player of the Year Award. Ahead are our picks for who'll take home the five biggest awards in the American League and National League: Comeback Player of the Year, Manager of the Year, Rookie of the Year, the Cy. Carson Wentz (+1000) 6. You can always be renewed. He has allowed just 3.8 hits per nine innings, which is outrageous. The Orioles' Trey Mancini and the Giants' Buster Posey were named MLB's Comeback Players of the Year for 2021 on Monday. As Acua continues to combine his incredible power with good discipline, hell show why some consider him to be the games next Trout. Not only that, but so little was expected of the Giants that 64 percent of the money bet on that line came in on the under. He set plenty of postseason rookie records along the way, too, but with his rookie status still intact through '21, Arozarena has to be the favorite for the AL Rookie of the Year Award, even with all of the young talent on the cusp across the big leagues. From April 20 through the end of May, Tatis triple-slashed .359/.431/.845 with 14 homers and 12 steals in just 29 games, earning NL Player of the Month honors for May. That didnt happen (.689 OPS), but hes still got talent vibrating off him. 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. What else does Cole have in the tank? But Gregorius put up the worst numbers of an already-sort-of-inconsistent career in 2021 (.639 OPS). 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. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. NFL Comeback of the Year Odds Analysis. 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. The A's sent a split-squad of players to Las Vegas for two games against Cincinnati as . Saquon Barkley has moved to second, as his odds dropped from -155 to +140 while his Giants were on bye. Outside of FanDuel Sportsbook, the next best odds can be found at Caesars Sportsbook. He has a $3.01-million salary. Look beyond Skubals 5.63 ERA in eight games, and his 7.9 hits per nine innings, 10.4 strikeouts per nine and 3.36 strikeout-to-walk ratio suggest better times ahead for the lanky lefty -- probably sooner than later. Harper said he only needed to rest following the season to be healthy by the time Spring Training opens in February. Had it not been for the pandemic eliminating the 2020 minor-league season, Rogers probably would have spent last year in either Double-A or Triple-A. (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. In his first start, he went five scoreless innings with nine strikeouts against Seattle. Throw in the fact that their third-highest paid player (James Paxton) lasted just 1.1 innings before undergoing Tommy John Surgery and their second-highest paid player (Kyle Seager) is batting .213, and it sure feels like Servais is some sort of wizard. 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. 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. Presented annually to one player in each league since 2005, the Comeback Player of the Year Award aims to honor an individual who re-emerged on the field during each season.