In the second year of a seven-year, $245-million contract, Strasburg has felt no ill effects from the surgery this spring. How can a guy hit 38 homers in 144 games in 2019 and then just hit nine in 127 two years later? He hit five home runs in the span of six games in mid-June. Simply put, Giolito has top-of-the-rotation stuff and he has figured out how to make the most effective usage of his repertoire. He should be the Comeback Player of the Year, Cora said all the way back on April 4. He did that in just 89 games in 2019 and 50 in 2020, but stretched out to 145 in 2021, his slugging dropped a shocking 253 points. 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. (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. Even with Manny Pia here, hes still the primary catcher. Heading into spring training, the fifth starting job appeared to be a toss up between Rodon, Reynaldo Lopez and highly touted prospects Michael Kopech and Garrett Crochet. The man mashed 10 home runs in 18 games during the 2020 postseason. Phillies: Didi Gregorius, SSThe Phillies signing of Gregorius looked like one of those tactical moves that would work out perfectly for them, and in 2020, you thought it might. Four months ago, it wasn't even clear if Carlos Rodon would be a part of Chicago's 2021 starting rotation. He remains an elite player and will be only 27 years old on Opening Day. But before the action really gets intense, Chloe Davey delivers her preview and tips for the season ahead. And Manny Machado finished third in NL MVP voting in '20. The 2021 Major League Baseball season begins this week, and with it comes a new group of young players looking to make names for themselves in the majors. Yet the 26-year-old has still had a strong year, leading all rookies in runs scored (50) and . He placed fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 2020, going 7-3 with a 2.84 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 12 starts, owning a share of the big league lead in both complete games and shutouts. teammate and person could make him . Mancini is the first Oriole to win MLB's Comeback Player of the Year Award. Instead, Trevor Bauer won on the strength of 11 excellent starts. This year, Posey's home run total was his highest since 2015, and his OPS was his highest since 2012. 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. 9 overall prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline and he figures to be a big part of the Mariners youthful makeover. (2019, anyway.) 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. American League National League The first month was less than stellar before he was dominant in the second month and helped the Reds reach the postseason. He doesnt need to get any MVP votes, but rising somewhere back toward the middle would do wonders for this lineup. Until last year, it was much more of the former. And here are the top five betting favorites for MVP and Cy Young in both leagues entering the season (odds via William Hill Sportsbook): AL MVP Mike Trout: +200 Alex Bregman: +1100 Aaron Judge:. Also Considered: Alex Cora, Boston; Dusty Baker, Houston. Its been a roller-coaster, a huge wave of emotion all year. Outside of FanDuel Sportsbook, the next best odds can be found at Caesars Sportsbook. With the 2021 MLB season over, our staff came together to share their picks for the annual end-of-year awards. Haniger appeared in just 63 games in 2019 then missed the entire 2020 season. He may be leading off this year, so a step forward would be handy. 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. Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott was arguably the best player to be sidelined, with New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley, Carolina . Well, Hendricks had his worst season last year (4.77 ERA), proving just how thin a margin for error he, and pitchers like him, have. There were times early on when I wasnt entirely sure Id be playing baseball again, Mancini said this spring. 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). He has the benefit of hitting in front of fellow superstar Anthony Rendon, who could also make a run at the AL MVP Award with a strong season. 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. I'd be lying if I said that was the first thing that came to mind. But you certainly would expect more than a .203 average with two homers. Alvarez played a big hand in the Astros reaching the World Series in 2019 for the second time in three years. None of them has more than eight. But that was merely his second-most noteworthy contribution to 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. Giants: Tommy La Stella, 2BIts not easy to find disappointments on this Giants roster from last year, but its fair to think they expected a little bit more than a .250 average from one of their more high-profile free agent signings. Saquon Barkley (+700) 5. Analyzing the betting odds for MLB's major awards, including Cy Young, MVP, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year. 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) Twins: Gio Urshela, 3BAs bizarre as it is to see an Urshela-Carlos Correa infield in Minnesota rather than The Bronx, its worth remembering that Urshela did take a step back offensively last year. And then the six-time (now seven-time) All-Star catcher opted out of his age-33 season. And as a baserunner, Ohtani has stolen 12 bases, putting him on pace for roughly 22 swiped bags by the end of the year. The 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award odds give Derrick Henry the upper hand, but Jameis Winston is right on his heels. 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! And it's not like Kapler came into the year with a stellar managerial track record. Five months later, he was on the field again, receiving a standing ovation at the Orioles Spring Training complex in Sarasota, Fla. NFL Comeback Player of the Year Odds 1. Also Considered: Kevin Gausman, San Francisco; Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee. But it sure feels like it has been a while since he was finishing second in MVP voting? Everybody has a bad year. The following year, those numbers dipped to .257 and .368, respectively. The 22-year old shortstop has had an impressive season so far. 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. Rick Scuteri/USA Today Sports Mookie Betts has the next-best odds at +900 after slugging a career-high 35 home runs in 2022. Saquon Barkley (NYG) +550. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip). Comeback Player of the Year finalists RB Saquon Barkley, Giants. Gallen had just two poor innings in '20 -- he allowed four runs in the sixth inning on Sept. 7 and four runs in the first inning on Sept. 12. 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. However, he has been slowed by tightness in his left calf that caused him to miss a Grapefruit League start. And baseball definitely was on the back burner when I was going through all that.. RAYS: Randy Arozarena, AL Rookie of the Year. Even before Buster Posey opted out of the entire pandemic-shortened 2020 season, it felt like he was in the denouement of his career. Last year's winners were Royals catcher Salvador Perez and Rockies closer Daniel Bard. A case in point came on the first day of Major League Baseballs exhibition season last month. The winners are determined by a vote of the 30 club beat reporters from MLB.com. 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. Also Considered: Mitch Haniger, Seattle; Yordan Alvarez, Houston; Carlos Rodon, Chicago. The floodgates have opened, with NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds, Sixth Man of the Year odds and Most Improved Player of the . 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. In just 87 games, he had 27 homers and 78 RBIs while hitting .313/.412/.655. Baltimore Orioles' Trey Mancini runs to first base in a spring training exhibition baseball game [+] against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, Fla., Monday, March 22, 2021. 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. Updated: Mar 4, 2023 / 02:59 PM EST. Giants catcher Buster Posey was this years National League recipient. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. With his growing comfort with the Cubs, a freedom to be himself on the mound and elite command of the strike zone and his 10-plus pitches, Darvish should once again be a Cy Young contender in 21. This lineup is stacked now, but he could raise it even higher and hey, while hes at it, can he catch every ball in the field too? Bleacher Report's panel of MLB scribesAbbey Mastracco, Joel Reuter, Zachary Rymer and myselfoffered up picks for Manager, Comeback Player, Rookie, Cy Young and MVP in each league from the first half of the season. That is despite cooling off considerably over the past month-plus. The 40-year-old . 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. The defense will always be there, but he was certainly thought, at the plate, to be more than this. From 2010-17, Posey was a regular recipient of NL MVP votes. In a normal year, Yordan Alvarez would be a solid candidate for AL Comeback POY. And it has been a couple of years since he has been anything close to that. As long as they don't drop off a cliff in the next 73 games, though, he's a shoe-in for NL Manager of the Year. 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. GIANTS: Buster Posey, NL Comeback Player of the Year. But hes also developed his slider to get hitters off the changeup, and it worked for him down the stretch. Fully recovered from Stage 3 colon cancer, Mancini aims to be back on the field by Opening Day 2021. The Comeback Player of the Year Awards are presented annually to one player in each league who has re-emerged on the field during the season. The 25-year-old dominated the shortened 2020 season, taking home the MLB pitching Triple Crown by topping all other pitchers in wins (eight), strikeouts (122) and ERA (1.63). 2023 MLB Cy Young Award Odds. The 25-year-old is starting to back that up, and if he continues to make strides like he has in the past two seasons, the hard-throwing right-hander could find himself in the NL Cy Young Award mix. Over his first seven starts, the right-hander was 0-5 with a 4.10 ERA. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File). But Gregorius put up the worst numbers of an already-sort-of-inconsistent career in 2021 (.639 OPS). He made just two starts in 2020 before underdoing season-ending carpal tunnel surgery to relieve numbness in his pitching hand. Heck, sometimes it feels, looking back at the last couple of years, that everybody has had the same pair of bad years. The D-backs acquired the right-hander from the Marlins at the 2019 Trade Deadline and he put up an ERA+ of 157 over eight starts down the stretch. Mitch Haniger never saw the field in 2020 for the Seattle Mariners. Athletics: Eric Thames, 1BThere are roster spots to be had in Oakland this spring, particularly at first base. The New York Giants' offense had a plethora of issues up and down the roster. Rockies: Ryan McMahon, 2BThe Rockies obviously feel comfortable betting on McMahon: They just gave him a sizeable contract extension, after all. That crunch-time success wouldn't be all that noteworthy if the Mariners had one of the best closers in the big leagues, but they don't even have a closer. Theres still a ton of power left, youd think, and the Rangers can lengthen their lineup considerably if he can tap into it. And during one three-game stretch in late May, the M's won three consecutive games saved by three different relievers. He has allowed just 3.8 hits per nine innings, which is outrageous. That's what makes Comeback Player of the Year so interesting. 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. As a pitcher, Shohei Ohtani has regained his pre-Tommy John surgery form. Posey was named MLB's Comeback Player of the Year in 2012 after returning from a devastating leg injury to win NL MVP honors. 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. Its safe to say that the stage wont be too big for Kirilloff whenever he appears in a big league uniform in 2021. But the Rays have seen him pull it off before. against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, Fla., Monday, March 22, 2021. Garcia was designated for assignment by the St. Louis Cardinals in December 2019, and again by the Rangers this past February. 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. Chiefs Super Bowl odds on this betting app are set at +575. 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. The Comeback Player of the Year Award was awarded by The Sporting News every season from 1965 to 2006, with one award given in each league every season. With Correa gone, the Astros sure could use a return to that MVP form. Sixto Sanchez was supposed to be Miami's NL ROY candidate, but he has not pitched this season and has already undergone season-ending shoulder surgery. Theres no telling what the 21-year-old shortstops ceiling is. RED SOX: J.D. You may opt-out by. He's also batting .270 and slugging .527, which are both the highest marks among Rangers who have made at least 25 plate appearances. Derrick Henry is favored to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year after missing much of last season before returning for the Titans only playoff game. 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. If he gets back to full strength and gets stretched out for some eight- and nine-inning outings, perhaps that elusive no-hitter will finally come. Yankees: Gleyber Torres, 2BIts now mostly apparent that Gleyber is unlikely to become the superstar the Yankees thought they had when he was hitting 38 homers at the age of 22 back in 2019. He won four games in a row with a 1.26 ERA before dropping his final regular-season outing. If he does manage to pull it off, though, he would become just the second player to do so. 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. 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. Even if he misses that deadline, he's a heavy favorite for Comeback Player of the Year honors after sitting out all of '20 to undergo chemotherapy treatment. Astros: Alex Bregman, 3BLook, Bregman is still a terrific player: Who wouldnt want Alex Bregman on their team? ORIOLES: Trey Mancini, AL Comeback Player of the Year Fully recovered from Stage 3 colon cancer, Mancini aims to be back on the field by Opening Day 2021. Posey won the National League Comeback Award following one of his best seasons since winning the MVP Award in 2012, after he didn't play at all in 2020 due to COVID concerns. But after a delayed start to the '20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chapman battled injuries and struggled to get into a good rhythm, with his season coming to an end on Sept. 12 after learning he needed season-ending hip surgery. 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. But while Arozarena has managed just 10 home runs thus far during the 2021 regular season, a different rookie outfielder crushed his way onto the All-Star roster. VI Staff. Though he is coming off his worst finish in the balloting for AL MVP, finishing fifth in the shortened 2020 season, Trout is showing no signs of slowing down and he should put up monster numbers yet again in '21. Seattle Mariners: 83.5 wins Under -110 . Justin Verlander and Albert Pujols are two of the most decorated superstars in baseball history -- and each added one more honor to his name on Tuesday night. Mitch Haniger would also be a fantastic option in most years. Guardians: Triston McKenzie, RHPHeading into last year, you wondered whether the lanky, powerful McKenzie was going to become the next Cleveland pitcher to come up through their system and turn himself into an ace. The award debuted in 2005. 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. 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. 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. 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 As are happily rolling the dice to see what he might have left. Kluber, 34, was limited to one inning last year in his lone season with Texas. Coming off of an Achilles tear in 2021, Graham recorded a career-high 11.0 sacks in 2022. And while it seems absurd to suggest he could get even better in the second half, it bears mentioning that the Mets have been taking it easy on their ace since the minor injuries he suffered in May. Thats MVP stuff. His re-addition to the Dallas Cowboys has helped take them from 6-10 and a third place NFC East finish in 2020 to 11-5 and the division title this year. This isn't exactly a "top prospect seizes his opportunity to shine" sort of situation. He did that in just 89 games in 2019 and 50 in 2020, but stretched out to 145 in 2021, his slugging dropped a shocking 253 points. That whole time he was waiting for a question about his defense. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is having a sensational season, but what Ohtani has been up to is downright historic. That impressive performance after a major injury led him to finish fourth in Comeback Player of the Year voting. Per Baseball Reference, no qualified MLB pitcher has ever finished a season with an H/9 rate below 5.0. 2021 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Yarbrough does not throw hard, at all, so he has less of a margin for error than almost anyone in baseball. As a hitter, Ohtani is easily one of the best in the majors, if not definitively the best. 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. The Orioles' Trey Mancini and the Giants' Buster Posey were named MLB's Comeback Players of the Year for 2021 on Monday. But it should be noted that he has never had an OPS+ above 98, so when you adjust for Coors Field, he has been a below-average hitter. 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. He hit .208 in 62 games and never really got on track. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. It is time for Gallo to put together a full season without any injuries as the force he can be in the middle of the Rangers' lineup. Below, we look at the odds to be named the 2021 Comeback Player of the Year, with NFL picks, predictions and best bets. He hit his first home run on April 10 in Baltimore, and on June 20 at Camden Yards, he hit the 100th home run of his career. Amid the challenges of a global pandemic, Mancini underwent six months of chemotherapy treatments at John Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore. In his stead, Trevor Rogers has emerged as one of the best starting pitchers in the National League, rookie or otherwise.