Comeback Player of the Year
The Comeback Player of the Year Award goes to a player who had a great season, but was coming off of a rough season the year before. It is an honor that goes to a great player who possibly battled injuries or just had a down year. Winning this award takes lots of hard work and perseverance, as it means you had a rough season before.
Anthony Rendon won the award last season, which effectively takes him out of the running this year, but the Nats have a couple candidates to keep the award in DC.
The Nats’ first candidate is Ryan Zimmerman. It is not often that the frontrunner for Comeback Player of the Year is also an MVP candidate, but that is exactly the case with Zimmerman.
He struggled while battling injuries over the previous few seasons, but he came back in a big way this year. The face of the franchise finished the season with a slash line of .303/.358/.930 to go with his team-leading 36 homers and 108 RBI’s.
Seeing Zimmerman rebound was a much-welcomed sight for Nats fans, as it was tough to see the face of the franchise struggle over the past few seasons. While Zimmerman most likely will not win the NL MVP Award, he has an excellent shot at the Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Gio Gonzalez is also in the running for Comeback Player of the Year. He had a great season in 2012, but then fell off the map a bit. He was always respectable, but was extremely erratic at times and the Nats never really knew what they were getting from him.
That is, until this year. Gonzalez finally harnessed his control for the most part and played a crucial role in the Nats’ elite starting rotation. He is one of the best third starters in the league and does an excellent job of lengthening the Nats’ rotation.
He probably won’t win the award due to a weak finish, but made an excellent case and should finish right behind Zimmerman.
While it’s tough to watch players struggle, it’s very exciting to watch them return to form and possibly be recognized as the Comeback Player of the Year.