Major League Baseball announced this afternoon that Carlos Carrasco and Josh Donaldson have won the Comeback Player of the Year Awards in the American and National League, respectively.
Usually the Comeback Player of the Year Award goes to someone who had a bad year for some reason and then came back the following year and returned to form. For Carrasco, it was a much quicker comeback -- from much more serious a setback -- than most winners experience.
Carrasco was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in early June, missed three months of the 2019 regular season, began his rehab assignment on August 19, and returned to the active Major League roster on September 1, after which he made 11 relief appearances. He capped his year off by winning the Roberto Clemente Award. Not shabby.
Donaldson’s route to the award was a bit more traditional. He was limited to just 52 games in 2018 due to injury but came back in 2019 to hit 37 home runs and 94 RBI with 33 doubles, score 96 runs and draw 100 walks over 155 games for the Braves. He’s now a free agent and, based on his outstanding season, stands poised to sign a multi-year deal with a contender.
The Comeback Player of the Year Award, officially sanctioned by Major League Baseball, is given to one player in each League who has “re-emerged on the field during the season.” The award is voted on by 30 Club beat reporters from MLB.com.