Considering the severity of the pandemic and the persistent disconnect between Major League Baseball and the MLBPA, the fact that we are having a season at all could be considered a comeback story of its own.
The whole reason for the delay, of course, has been due to health concerns. The increased focus on health has now allowed players more time to recover from their own preexisting injuries that may have derailed these players from qualifying for player awards. Many players that were expected to start the season on the injured list (e.g. Yoenis Cespedes) will now be ready to rumble come Opening Day 2.0 this week.
MLB's Comeback Player of the Year Award still falls short of definition and objectivity. Nonetheless, the award is normally given to a player who bounces back from either injury or significant on-field struggles to put together a productive subsequent season. Josh Donaldson took home last year's honors after playing in just 52 games in 2018 and clubbing 37 homers with 94 RBI in 2019.
With a three-plus month hiatus in the rearview mirror and a 60-game sprint on deck, this year's candidates for comeback player of the year reminisce a laundry list.
Here are 25 of the top candidates to take home the award (the order has no significance).
  Yankee fans are thirsty for a resurgence from the former NL MVP after a knee injury limited him to 18 games last year. |
  Cutch could be the X-factor for the Phillies in a brutally competitive NL East division. |
  Diaz was relieved of his closing duties midway through last season, but is confident he will reassume the position in 2020. |
 The baseball entertainment capital of the world may just be in Queens when Cespedes is in the lineup. He missed all of 2019 after an incident with a wild boar led to a fractured ankle. |
  The former two-time Cy Young winner has plenty to prove, especially considering he's quickly approaching a contract year in 2021. |
  We're all overjoyed to see Salvy back behind the dish after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March of 2019. |
  The ever-powerful Gallo could be the favorite to take home the award considering he is more than recovered from his wrist surgery. |
  The last time we saw the curveball-specialist McCullers on the mound was in the 2018 ALCS against Boston where he surrendered just one run across five appearances out of the bullpen. |
  Since 2014, Garrett Richards has a lower ERA than Stephen Strasburg and Noah Syndergaard (3.23), higher SO/9 than Zack Greinke and Masahiro Tanaka (8.6), and lower WHIP than Gerrit Cole and Madison Bumgarner (1.179). He just needs to stay healthy. |
  After the infamous 54 consecutive hitless at-bat streak, Chris Davis is still looked upon by Baltimore to play a major role as the Orioles are still on the hook for three years of his $161 million contract signed in 2016. |
 If not for Steve Pearce's robust World Series hot streak, Eovaldi was likely next in line for 2019 World Series MVP. Can he stay healthy for 10-12 starts this year? |
 Keep your eyes on Graveman this year. He threw 3 innings in an intrasquad last Thursday, averaging mid-90's on his fastball and touching 97-MPH twice. A sinker-ball pitcher most of his career, Graveman is now increasing his four-seam fastball usage (greater spin rate) a la Charlie Morton. |
  Shoemaker had the hot hand to start the 2019 season before tearing his ACL in a start against Oakland last April. |
 Shaw is just one year removed from putting together back-to-back 30-plus home run seasons. |
  Considered by many to be one of the best bullpen arms in baseball, Bettances partially tore his achilles in his lone appearance with the Yankees last season. |
  Andujar might be a bit of a stretch simply because at-bats will be hard to come by due to the depth the Bronx Bombers have in their lineup. He is currently making a transition to the outfield. |
 Manager Ron Gardenhire was optimistic when describing the 2016 Rookie of the Year Fulmer in summer camp-- saying he was looking "super" and that his knee and elbow are both "feeling good." |
  Upton is expected to be healthy out in Southern California and he will have plenty of protection around him in a star-studded Angels lineup. |
 Davis' struggles against the breaking ball last season were disturbing. If he can make an adjustment, he's proven to have as much power from the right side as anybody in the league. |
 Since receiving an All Star bid two seasons ago, Aguilar has seen his role diminish. However, he will be looked upon to be the Marlins everyday first baseman in 2020. |
  Polanco recently tested positive for the coronavirus which could complicate his chances. |
  St. Louis is starved for a power bat to protect Paul Goldschmidt in their lineup. Carpenter was once the most-feared hitter in their lineup just two seasons ago. |
 After a short stint in Cincinnati, Wood is back among the palm trees in Dodger blue and his career numbers at Dodger Stadium are promising (2.87 career ERA). |
  After finishing top-four in Cy Young voting in 2017, there were rumors that Freeland's tendencies became too predictable. He will certainly be looking to change that narrative with a bounce back campaign. |
Johnny Cueto
SP
GS4 ERA5.06 IP16.0 BB9 K13 Cueto has tallied just 13 starts in the past two seasons combined after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He threw two very uplifting games (10 innings, zero runs) and two not so promising ones (six innings, nine earned runs) in his limited return last season. |
