was originally selected by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. But Im really thankful and feeling a lot of gratitude., after a year away battling -- and beating -- Stage 3 colon cancer. That didnt happen in 2021, thanks largely to control issues (4.4 walks per nine), but the stuff is still there. 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. Then, Darvish flipped an incredible switch. Can he go back-to-back? 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. Each part of his triple-slash line is a bit below his previous career levels, but he's, like, two good games away from matching those averages. Lets not forget the Aug. 25 no-hitter he threw against the Pirates and the perfect game bid that Giolito carried into the seventh inning in the opener of the AL Wild Card Series against the As. Reds: Mike Moustakas, INFThe Reds were moving all sorts of pieces this offseason, but one of the reasons Moustakas is still there was just how bad he was in 2021. The defense is still there, but the Twins would love 2019 Urshela at the plate. MLB Awards: 2020 results, all-time winners. MLB's Comeback Player of Year candidates to watch in 2023 FILE - Seattle Mariners' Mitch Haniger is congratulated and showered with sunflower seeds after his [+] 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. 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. He and the Yankees both believe a lot. But if you think the big Canadian playing for the Purdue Boilermakers won't win and an upset will . If you take away those two innings, his ERA would have been just 1.77. Since the day Jameson Taillon had his second Tommy John surgery in August 2019, teammates have been touting him as a lock for NL Comeback Player of the Year in '21. Posey will be back in '21 and he should be poised for a bounceback season now that hes further removed from August 2018 hip surgery that sapped his power and hampered his production in each of his previous two seasons. 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. Damar Hamlin is currently listed as the favorite to win the 2023-24 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. MLB awards 2021 expert picks: Tatis, Soto, Acuna eye NL MVP; will He missed the majority of the 2019 season and all of 2020 because of a ruptured testicle and several subsequent surgeries, but he has hit 20 home runs already this season as the brightest star of the surprisingly good Mariners. 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. Mancini missed all of the 2020 season as he underwent treatment for Stage 3 colon cancer, which he was diagnosed with in March of that year after a colonoscopy revealed a malignant tumor. 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. As a hitter, Ohtani is easily one of the best in the majors, if not definitively the best. And Clayton Kershaw called Betts the best right fielder hes ever seen. 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. In his stead, Trevor Rogers has emerged as one of the best starting pitchers in the National League, rookie or otherwise. Mitch Haniger never saw the field in 2020 for the Seattle Mariners. Then, his pride surfaced as he said pointedly: "I felt like my defense was better than it's ever been. With his intriguing combination of power, speed and competitive drive, Kelenic ranks as the No. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar), Toronto Blue Jays in the top of the second inning of a spring training game at the George M Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., on March 3, 2021. From April 20 through the end of May, Tatis triple-slashed .359/.431/.845 with 14 homers and 12 steals in just 29 games, earning NL Player of the Month honors for May. Net income. The Reds' second baseman won 29 of the 30 votes -- the Marlins' Trevor Rogers got the other one -- and he firmly established himself as not just one of the best players on the Reds, but also as a cornerstone. 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. 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. Chiefs Super Bowl odds on this betting app are set at +575. MLB Awards: 2020 results, all-time winners. GIANTS: Buster Posey, NL Comeback Player of the Year. 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. He went two games below .500 in his two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies and finished two games below .500 with the Giants last year. Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin tops the board after suffering a cardiac arrest during a MNF game back in January. 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. He wont be relied on as much in 2022 -- he might not even be starting -- but even a few glimmers of what he was before would go a long way. The New York Giants' offense had a plethora of issues up and down the roster. Posey is only the second player to retire after being named Comeback Player of the Year since MLB first presented the award in 2005, along with Yankees closer Mariano Rivera after the 2013 season. But the Rays have seen him pull it off before. Between testing positive for COVID-19 at the beginning of the season and subsequently having season-ending surgery on both of his knees, he missed all but two games last year. Red Sox: Jackie Bradley Jr., OFThere was a time, I swear, when it looked like Jackie Bradley Jr. was going to be a superstar in this league. The NFL season fired up once again for the 2022 season with the Buffalo Bills heading to to face the Rams on September 8. Take your pick as to who has the better chance of a breakout season in 2021. The two-time American League Cy Young Award winner is attempting to get his career back on track with the New York Yankees. He only has a 7-6 record to show for it, but Rogers has a 2.31 ERA and has held the opposition to three or fewer runs in each of his 18 starts. 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. He has been around forever but is not, actually, that old (he turned 33 last September); a bounce-back season is far from unreasonable. It may feel a little early to bet on NFL Comeback Player of the Year. With Mancinis help, the Orioles and Colorectal Cancer Alliance raised $80,000 for the cause in 2020. It sure would be nice to see a vintage Bumgarner season, wouldnt it? In the abbreviated 20 season, Martinez slashed .213/.291/.389 and was one of the least productive position players in the game. Comeback Player of the Year finalists named for 2023 AL Division Odds to Win, American League Divisional Lines | 2022 MLB Betting. Acua finished three stolen bases shy of a 40-40 season in 2019 and produced a 37-homer pace in the shortened '20 campaign despite the fact that his left wrist bothered him for all but the first three weeks of the season. Alcantara is missing more bats, as his strikeout percentage rose to 22.7, compared to 18 percent when he was an All-Star who logged 197 1/3 innings in 2019. Baker Mayfield +1200. The Orioles' Trey Mancini and the Giants' Buster Posey were named MLB's Comeback Players of the Year for 2021 on Monday. RHP Chris Flexen. He's also more patient at the plate these days, drawing walks at a career-best rate of 13.3 percent, which in turn translates to a career-best on-base percentage of .421. There were times early on when I wasnt entirely sure Id be playing baseball again, Mancini said this spring. Mancini won the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award after beating colon cancer and returning to Baltimore to post the fourth 20-home run season of his career. American League National League On Opening Day, Mancini knocked a single down the third-base line at Fenway Park for his first hit since returning to baseball. NBA Awards Odds for the 2022-23 Season | Odds Shark But Rodon's excellent spring (13.2 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 16 K) coupled with a disastrous spring training for Lopez (11 ER in 11 IP) gave Rodonthe No. Joe Burrow, not Dak Prescott, is the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Cubs: Kyle Hendricks, RHPHendricks was the nominal ace for the Cubs, but he also was their North Star who was going to prove you could have a rotation that didnt throw hard but still won. 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. As we approach the beginning of the season, somehow less than two weeks away, we look at those players who had difficult 2021 seasons -- players who are talented, who have had success in the past or can reasonably be expected to have success in the future, but just didnt have things work out for them in '21. Giants catcher Buster Posey was this years National League recipient. So, yeah, Gabe Kapler for NL Manager of the Year (to date) was a rather easy decision. He has allowed just 3.8 hits per nine innings, which is outrageous. Trey Mancini wins MLB Comeback Player of the Year Nick Shepkowski November 22, 2021 6:42 pm ET In a year that saw some incredible performances there was no easier Major League Baseball. You can always be renewed. As Acua continues to combine his incredible power with good discipline, hell show why some consider him to be the games next Trout. I know there are other guys coming back from injuries, but to come back from [colon cancer] is amazing.. The final treatment came on Sept. 21, 2020. But it was rough sledding getting to that point, and he ended up with 106 strikeouts in 377 plate appearances. But I just wasn't, in the 60-game race." Until he takes a step back -- and hes shown no indications of doing so to date -- he will remain a perennial Cy Young favorite. Yarbrough does not throw hard, at all, so he has less of a margin for error than almost anyone in baseball. Mancini, who has a $4.75-million salary this year, has hit at least 24 homers in each of his three full major league seasons. 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) You can always try again. 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. Ryu was excellent in his first season with the Blue Jays, posting a 2.69 ERA and finishing third in AL Cy Young voting behind only runner-up Kenta Maeda and winner Shane Bieber. 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. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Astros: Alex Bregman, 3BLook, Bregman is still a terrific player: Who wouldnt want Alex Bregman on their team? Way back in February, Chapman arrived to Spring Training as a darkhorse candidate for the AL MVP Award.