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. But there are plenty of opportunities to change that in 2021. Thames hasnt played in the Majors since 2020, but he was a monster after coming over from the KBO in Milwaukee from 2017-19. 9 overall prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline and he figures to be a big part of the Mariners youthful makeover. He barely saw the field in 2019. Baseball's best base stealer could literally swipe twice as many bags as any other player if he can find a way to play in 140 games. Betts surprised team leader Justin Turner with a tone-setting Spring Training address that rivaled Kirk Gibsons eye-black meltdown in 1988. Five months later, he was on the field again, receiving a standing ovation at the Orioles Spring Training complex in Sarasota, Fla. He remains an elite player and will be only 27 years old on Opening Day. Flaherty was one of the best pitchers in baseball in 2019, thanks to his historic second half of the season that saw him finish fifth in NL Cy Young voting. The 21-year-old was expected to make his MLB debut this past year, but with only 21 games above Class A under his belt, the Mariners opted to keep Kelenic at their alternate training site in the shortened campaign. We were in unanimous agreement on five of the 10 awards, and there was a three-fourths agreement on four of the other five. Through 13 starts this season, he's sitting at 3.49, 1.21 and 11.7, respectively. Amid the challenges of a global pandemic, Mancini underwent six months of chemotherapy treatments at John Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore. Unfortunately, a lot of star players went down with serious injuries last year, but on the bright side, it's made for a fun and competitive CPOY race in 2021. His strikeout rate rose slightly from 26.3 percent to 29.7 percent this year, but there were still signs of encouraging plate discipline. Astros: Alex Bregman, 3BLook, Bregman is still a terrific player: Who wouldnt want Alex Bregman on their team? Yarbrough does not throw hard, at all, so he has less of a margin for error than almost anyone in baseball. The Baltimore Orioles hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Grapefruit League opener at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla. Orioles first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini stepped to the plate in the bottom of the first inning and received a big ovation from the socially distanced crowd. (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. He's batting .328 and slugging .547, which are the highest marks of his career with the exception of his 2012 NL MVP year (.336 and .549, respectively). The Braves would very much welcome his 2020 form. 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. 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. Still just 23 years old, the Astros believe Alvarez can be one of their key players for years to come. Mitch Haniger never saw the field in 2020 for the Seattle Mariners. The team still believes in him and now, with Alex Reyes out, they need him. It's clear the 2010 first-round pick still has plenty left in the tank following his showing in 2022. 2021 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Kluber made just seven starts for the Cleveland Indians in 2019 as his season ended May 1 when he sustained a fractured right forearm when struck by a line drive off the bat of the Miami Marlins Brian Anderson. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip). The American League features a trio of new managers in 2021, although none are first-time skippers. 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. Soto finished fifth in NL MVP voting this past season, ranking just behind fellow phenom Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres. Henry is a superior player, but quarterbacks have the upper hand in this award. 2021-22 - QB Joe Burrow (Cincinnati) 2020-21 - QB Alex Smith (Washington) 2019-20 - QB Ryan Tannehill (Tennessee) 2018-19 - QB Andrew Luck (Indianapolis) 2017-18 - WR Keenan Allen (L.A. Chargers) 2016-17 - WR Jordy Nelson (Green Bay) As is the case each year, several big-name players missed significant time due to injury last year. 2021. JK Dobbins +1200. 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. This year, Posey's home run total was his highest since 2015, and his OPS was his highest since 2012. 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. Seattle Mariners: 83.5 wins Under -110 . However, Strasburg has also had 10 stints on the injury list during his 11-year career. 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! Returning from a. Geno Smith's shocking rise could lead to him winning Comeback Player of the Year (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez). At 27, this is theoretically his prime. Perhaps the most remarkable part is he has managed this team through a litany of injuries and absences. 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. Zach Edey is the runaway odds favorite and his lead over the field is absolutely laughable. Then consider how he finished: .225/.386/.442. The Bills' safety is given very short +250 odds to win the award after announcing his goal is to return to the NFL after an extremely scary incident where his heart stopped on the field. Theres still a ton of power left, youd think, and the Rangers can lengthen their lineup considerably if he can tap into it. The award debuted in 2005. What else does Cole have in the tank? 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. Barkley played in 13 games in the 2021 season, but at a level well below what we were used to seeing from him. Mancini is the first Oriole to win MLB's Comeback Player of the Year Award. But you certainly expect at least an above-average offensive season from him. 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. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. The A's sent a split-squad of players to Las Vegas for two games against Cincinnati as . 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. RB Christian McCaffrey, 49ers. The Oakland Athletics are calling Las Vegas home for this weekend. And it's not like Kapler came into the year with a stellar managerial track record. 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. Adalberto Mondesi, Royals. Giants catcher Buster Posey was this years National League recipient. Also Considered: Alex Cora, Boston; Dusty Baker, Houston. All-time MLB Comeback Player of the Year winners. 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. So where does the slugging left-hander go from here? 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. Posey was named MLB's Comeback Player of the Year in 2012 after returning from a devastating leg injury to win NL MVP honors. AFC Playoff Order Buffalo Bills Cincinnati Bengals Kansas City Chiefs Indianapolis Colts Los [] However, he has been slowed by tightness in his left calf that caused him to miss a Grapefruit League start. In his first start, he went five scoreless innings with nine strikeouts against Seattle. The diagnosis came six weeks after that, on his 28th birthday: Stage 3 colon cancer, necessary chemotherapy. And the best player on the roster (Buster Posey) has only played in 58 games. Mitch Haniger would also be a fantastic option in most years. ORIOLES: Trey Mancini, AL Comeback Player of the Year. The defense will always be there, but he was certainly thought, at the plate, to be more than this. 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. Despite not making his season debut until April 13, Garcia was tied with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the MLB lead with 16 home runs on May 26. November 19th, 2021 Anthony Castrovince @ castrovince You probably would have been dismissed as delirious had you predicted, one year ago, that the Angels' Shohei Ohtani would be the 2021 American League Most Valuable Player. Check out the full list of player odds for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2021, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. After a Silver Slugger season in 2020, he hit .220 and slugged only .388, in a season where he only played 60 games. In the case of the Seattle Mariners and Scott Servais, the team is actually 48-43 and has a reasonable shot at making the postseason, while its Pythagorean recordotherwise known as the expected record based solely on the numbers of runs scored and allowedis 40-51. Take your pick as to who has the better chance of a breakout season in 2021. For the first time in college basketball history, the player of the year award is likely going to be won by a Canadian. Factor in the injuries to starting pitchers Aaron Sanchez and Logan Webb, and it's rather astounding how successful this club has been. The 40-year-old . You may opt-out by. Mitch Haniger never saw the field in 2020 for the Seattle Mariners. 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 . Hell be entering his age-26 season in '21. Dak Prescott (+200) 2. 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. The first month was less than stellar before he was dominant in the second month and helped the Reds reach the postseason. His numbers fell off a cliff last year, providing 665 plate appearances of a .297 OBP with only two homers basically making just about as many outs as anyone in the sport. The greater came a few months before that when his son was born. For three-quarters of the season this year, Tatis was the obvious MVP frontrunner before a late-season slump. 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. He and the Yankees both believe a lot. (No other team in the majors has a W/L record more than four games better than its Pythagorean record.) In five September starts, Castillo went 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA, 37 strikeouts and nine walks. 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. Not even an offseason, halted Spring Training, shutdown period or short Summer Camp could disrupt Darvishs rhythm. 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. This was still one of the most promising starters in the game a couple of years ago. Hes finished second and third in Cy Young voting the past two seasons (2019 came with the Dodgers in the NL), so this shouldnt be far from his reach if hes healthy and making at least 30 starts. It sure would be nice to see a vintage Bumgarner season, wouldnt it? So, yeah, Gabe Kapler for NL Manager of the Year (to date) was a rather easy decision. 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. 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. 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. 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.