Marlins third baseman Casey McGehee and Mariners right-hander Chris Young were named the Comeback Players of the Year in the National League and American League, respectively, on Friday by Major League Baseball. The two players were also named the Comeback Players of the Year last week by the Sporting News (who have been giving the award out since since 1965 -- 40 years before MLB decided to create their own version.)
Casey McGehee, Chris Young win Comeback Players of the Year
That would be the really tall Chris Young who pitched for the Mariners, if you needed clarification.
Otto Greule Jr
These ... these are actually good choices? These are great choices, possibly the best combo in the history of the award. The CPOTY award had become kind of a joke over the years, roughly translating to The Player Who Came Back From Injury And Did Really Well award. In 2011, Lance Berkman won the award after returning from knee problems. He beat out Ryan Vogelsong, who was basically pitching in a Russian gulag in the months before he was an excellent starting pitcher for the Giants. These two players are legitimate comeback stories worth appreciating, though.
McGehee played his way out of the majors after two consecutive lousy seasons, hitting a combined .221/.282/.351 in 864 at-bats between 2011 and 2012. He rediscovered his stroke in Japan, though, hitting .292/.376/.515 in a pitcher-friendly league, and the Marlins took a chance on him as their starting third baseman this season. He finished the 2014 season with a .355 on-base percentage and 76 RBI, setting a career-high for walks in the process.
Young, the 6’10 Ivy Leaguer who gets hitters to flail at 85-mph fastballs, sort of qualifies for the Player Who Came Back From Injury label, except he’s perennially injured, which makes him something of a special case. Even in his prime, he never topped 200 innings, and before missing the 2013 season entirely, he had averaged 67 innings per season since 2008. He threw 165 innings for the Mariners, with a 3.65 ERA and 100 ERA+. He struggled mightily in September, but still managed to give the Mariners five excellent, consistent months.
Both players will be back with their current teams next year without a chance to win the Comeback Player of the Year Award again. Somehow, I think they’ll be OK with that.
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