Matt Harvey, Prince Fielder win MLB’s Comeback Players of the Year
A couple of stars returned to the field in 2015 after missing significant time with significant injuries and their perseverance was rewarded.
New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey and Texas Rangers designated hitter Prince Fielder were named MLB’s Comeback Players of the Year on Thursday.
Harvey sat out the entire 2014 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. While we all know about the drama surrounding his supposed innings limit, when the 26-year-old right-hander took the mound he brought the goods. Harvey put up a 2.71 ERA in 29 regular-season starts with nearly a strikeout per inning and made four playoffs starts for the Mets during their run to the World Series. He almost capped the season with what would have been a legendary performance in Game 5 against the Kansas City Royals, but he lost his shutout bid in the ninth and the Royals went on to win the game in extra innings and take the series.
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A neck injury forced Fielder to shut it down last year after just 42 games and three home runs with the Rangers. It was a disappointing start to his tenure in Texas after being traded there in the offseason for Ian Kinsler. He recovered from surgery in time for spring training and it didn’t take long for him to get back to doing what he does best: hit. Fielder had a .305/.378/.463 slash line with 23 home runs and 98 RBI while playing 158 games and leading the Rangers to the AL West title.
Harvey and Fielder are definitely two worthy recipients for the award, and the league is probably thankful Fielder bounced back like he did so they avoided the awkward situation of giving it to Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod had a remarkable season at age 40, hitting 250/.356/.486 with 33 homers. But, you know, since he was coming back from a PED suspension and all that, we don’t think many people out there wanted to honor him.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
