Five candidates for Baseball Comeback Player of the Year in 2016

Spring training is still a few weeks away, but there are already wild predictions for the upcoming Major League Baseball season. While most tipsters have focused on which team could win the World Series and who could be the MVP of each league, an Internet article addressed a less publicized award.

the site called 120 sports raised the idea of ​​which player is the most likely candidate for Comeback Player of the Year. His pick was Yu Darvish, a former All-Star pitcher for the Texas Rangers.

Darvish missed most of last season due to Tommy John surgery, a common procedure for baseball players. Many have bounced back to return at full strength from him, so Darvish could very well become an All-Star pitcher once again.

Here are five other players who could also earn Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2016. The list includes position players from both the American League and the National League.

Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers

The Cuban lightning rod took the sport by storm during his rookie season in 2013. Yet last season, Puig hit forty points shy of his career average of .296, hitting just half his home run average. New trainer Dave Roberts should be a good influence on Puig.

Jayson Werth, Washington Nationals

The veteran outfielder’s .221 batting average last year was fifty points shy of his career mark, and his power numbers were cut in half. New coach Dusty Baker has always been a good patron for veteran players, so he should be a boon to Werth.

Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins

Since converting to first base from behind the plate a few years ago, Mauer’s stats have plummeted. Still, the former AL MVP hit more doubles and homers in September than in any other month of last year’s season, and his on-base percentage rose nearly fifteen points. His overall batting average has dropped over the last month, indicating that he focused more on his power than singles. That’s a good sign for the Twins, considering Mauer is playing the power position at first base.

Pablo Sandoval, Boston Red Sox

The former World Series MVP has a .288 career average and is averaging 19 home runs per season. Last year, after signing a lucrative free-agent deal that took him from San Francisco to Boston’s Fenway Park, Kung Fu Panda struggled. His 2015 numbers were a .245 average with just ten home runs, production that should improve as he becomes more acclimated to playing for the Red Sox.

Starlin Castro, New York Yankees

Although his Chicago Cubs made it to the National League Championship Series, Castro suffered a bad year. His average dropped nearly 30 points from .292 in 2014, but a trade to New York over the winter should allow Castro’s talent to be fully realized.