Posey Earns NL Comeback Player of the Year, Mancini Recognize in AL

First baseman/designated hitter Trey Mancini of the Baltimore Orioles and catcher Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants were selected the recipients of the 2021 American League and National League Comeback Player of the Year Awards, respectively, Major League Baseball announced Monday. 

The Comeback Player of the Year Awards are officially sanctioned by Major League Baseball and have been presented annually since 2005 to one player in each League who has re-emerged on the field during the season. The winners were determined following a vote by the 30 Club beat reporters from MLB.com, the official web site of Major League Baseball.

Mancini, who missed the entire 2020 season while undergoing treatment for Stage 3 colon cancer, returned to the field to play in 147 games during the 2021 campaign.  The 29-year-old hit .255 with 21 home runs and 71 RBI while adding 33 doubles, 77 runs scored and a .432 slugging percentage.  He collected 38 multi-hit games, which ranked second on the team behind Cedric Mullins (46), and he connected for at least 20 home runs in his fourth consecutive season played.  Mancini belted his 100th career home run on June 20th against Toronto, becoming the fastest player in Orioles history, who began their career with Baltimore, to reach 100 career home runs (531 games). 

Mancini, an eighth round selection in the 2013 MLB Draft, posted his best month of the season in May, when he slashed .320/.405/.588 with six homers, eight doubles, 25 RBI, 18 runs scored and 13 walks across 26 games.  The University of Notre Dame product participated in the 2021 T-Mobile Home Run Derby during All-Star Week in Colorado, and finished as the runner-up after squaring off against Pete Alonso of the Mets in the final round.  Mancini, who participated in Stand Up To Cancer’s annual telecast in August, was named Baltimore’s 2021 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, the most prominent individual player award bestowed by MLB.

Posey returned to the Majors in 2021 after opting out of the 2020 season, and registered one of his best offensive seasons since 2015 while helping the Giants to a franchise-best and Major League-leading 107 wins.  The 34-year-old backstop, who announced his retirement earlier this month following 12 big league seasons, hit .304 with 18 home runs, 56 RBI, 23 doubles, 68 runs scored and a .499 slugging percentage.  His .889 OPS was his highest since his 2012 NL MVP Award-winning campaign (.957) and his 18 round-trippers marked his highest since collecting 19 homers in 2015.  Posey’s .304 batting average, .390 on-base percentage, .499 slugging percentage and .889 OPS were the best among NL catchers who played at least 100 games this season. 

The three-time World Champion received his fifth career Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award, tied for fifth-most among catchers and the second-most in Giants history.  The Georgia native collected six hits during the 2021 Postseason and now has 57 career Postseason hits, which surpassed former teammate Pablo Sandoval for the most in Giants history.  In addition, Posey’s 58 career Postseason contests are the most in Giants history. 

The seven-time All-Star caught two shutouts in the NLDS and now has 14 career Postseason shutouts caught, marking the most of any catcher in Major League history.  The fifth overall selection in the 2008 MLB Draft becomes the first offensive two-time winner of the Comeback Player of the Year Award, and joins left-hander Francisco Liriano (2010, 2013) as the only players to be honored multiple times. 

Posey previously won in 2012 while capturing the NL MVP and batting title after being limited to just 45 games in 2011 due to injury.  He is one of 20 players in Major League history to earn an MVP Award and win three World Series titles, and one of just four catchers to do so, joining Hall of Famers Yogi Berra and Mickey Cochrane, as well as Elston Howard.  Of the previous 19 to accomplish the feat, 12 are in the Hall of Fame.

Year

American League

National League

2005

Jason Giambi, NYY

Ken Griffey Jr., CIN

2006

Jim Thome, CWS

Nomar Garciaparra, LAD

2007

Carlos Peña, TB

Dmitri Young, WSH

2008

Cliff Lee, CLE

Brad Lidge, PHI

2009

Aaron Hill, TOR

Chris Carpenter, STL

2010

Francisco Liriano, MIN

Tim Hudson, ATL

2011

Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS

Lance Berkman, STL

2012

Fernando Rodney, TB

Buster Posey, SF

2013

Mariano Rivera, NYY

Francisco Liriano, PIT

2014

Chris Young, SEA

Casey McGehee, MIA

2015

Prince Fielder, TEX

Matt Harvey, NYM

2016

Rick Porcello, BOS

Anthony Rendon, WSH

2017

Mike Moustakas, KC

Greg Holland, COL

2018

David Price, BOS

Jonny Venters, ATL

2019

Carlos Carrasco, CLE

Josh Donaldson, ATL

2020

Salvador Perez, KC

Daniel Bard, COL