Predicting the Comeback Player of the Year Award Winners in 2015

Every year around this time I begin the season long process of completely embarrassing myself by trying to predict the major award winners, playoff teams, and World Series victor before the season even begins. This season will be no different and I will start the 2015 prediction show by predicting the Comeback Player of the Year Awards for both leagues. I should, and wanted to, pick Alex Rodriguez for the American League side of the award but I feel like most would stop reading and remove your bookmark for the blog so rest assured, it’s safe to keep reading.

For the American League I am going to stay with the Yankees, I’m a homer sometimes what can I say, and I am going to pick Masahiro Tanaka. There aren’t many comeback trail type stories except for Barry Zito’s this season so I will go with the player that is coming back from a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow in 2014. I believe Tanaka, after following the diagnosis and advice of four highly acclaimed doctors, did the right thing in resting and rehabbing the elbow rather than going under the knife and will show the dividends of that decision in 2015. Tanaka has altered his mechanics a bit and added more of an attack to his repertoire with the addition of a two-seam fastball that he will use more consistently and should be better physically. The results have looked great thus far in spring training despite what the stat line says as the velocity is consistent with what it was last year before the injury and the command and control is as crisp as ever. I may be totally forgetting someone and it may just be the Yankees fan in me but I am going with Tanaka as my Comeback Player of the Year in 2015.

For the National League I thought about going with Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals or Matt Harvey for the New York Mets but I ultimately decided on Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies. Why you ask? For the first time in his career the Rockies are at least toying with the idea of trading Gonzalez and/or Troy Tulowitzki out of Colorado to a contender. Every player wants to win and having a big season so he can be traded to a playoff contender is the ultimate motivator. Gonzalez has done nothing to make you believe this is going to come true so this may be a bit of a bold prediction but I get these wrong nine times out of ten anyway so go big or go home, just like Gonzalez is going to this season.