Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award
The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award is the oldest of three annual awards in Major League Baseball given to one player in each league who has reemerged as a star in that season. It was established in 1965. The winner in each league is selected by the TSN editorial staff.
In 2005, Major League Baseball officially sponsored its own Comeback Player of the Year Award for the first time. TSN and MLB honored the same players in 2005—Ken Griffey, Jr. in the National League and Jason Giambi in the American League. The Players Choice Awards, awarded by the Major League Baseball Players Association, also began a Comeback Player honor in 1992.
In 2016, Miami Marlins pitcher José Fernández was posthumously given the award. He was killed on September 25 in a boating accident.
Listed below are the players honored with the TSN award by year, name, team and league.
Honorees
Notes
- The only players to be named twice in the American League are Norm Cash, Boog Powell and Bret Saberhagen.
- The only players to be named twice in the National League are Andrés Galarraga and Chris Carpenter.
- The only player to be named in both leagues is Rick Sutcliffe.
- Since the official MLB Comeback Player of the Year award began in 2005, the recipients have been identical to the TSN award with the following exceptions: 2008 NL (TSN honored Fernando Tatís, MLB honored Brad Lidge), 2010 AL (TSN honored Vladimir Guerrero, MLB honored Francisco Liriano), and 2012 AL (TSN honored Adam Dunn, MLB honored Fernando Rodney).
- Although Bob Uecker joked that he had won the award five years in a row, he never actually won the award.
See also
- Baseball awards
- List of MLB awards
- TSN Player of the Year
- TSN Pitcher of the Year
- TSN Rookie of the Year
- TSN Reliever of the Year
- TSN Manager of the Year
- TSN Executive of the Year