If Major League Baseball wanted to give its Comeback Player of the Year Award a less generic name, the Purple Heart Award would be a good place to start.
After all, the leading nominees are players who went missing after being hurt in action, then returned to have an impact. (In a more serious vein, we could do a lot worse than Tommy John Award, since he furnished the groundbreaking medical recovery and patients of the elbow surgery bearing his name are annual contenders.)
This is the award no one wants to win. Rather, the award for which no one wants to be eligible. Because to be celebrated for your comeback, you first had to have gone away. It is the one baseball honor built on frustration, humility, and often, pain.
So the platform for earning 2010 National and American League honors is crowded with these involuntary candidates. Next month's Spring Training camps will teem with numerous players seeking to return, many to their previous lofty statures.
For about a dozen of them, it will pay to produce the most eye-catching comeback -- literally. A contract incentive clause for being chosen Comeback Player of the Year may be the ultimate redundancy -- after all, there can be no greater incentive than earning back one's on-field status and, yes, that follow-up contract.
Still, when negotiating contracts for special-case players, agents will ask teams to include the clause. And teams never refuse: This is a check they would love to have to make out.
NL Comeback Player of the Year candidates
| Player | 2009 club | 2009 stats | 2010 club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gustavo Chacin | Did not play | Did not play | Astros |
| Jim Edmonds | Did not play | Did not play | Brewers |
| Kelvim Escobar | Angels | 0-1, 3.60 | Mets |
| Mike Fontenot | Cubs | .236-9-43 | Cubs |
| Jay Gibbons | Did not play | Did not play | Dodgers |
| Troy Glaus | Cardinals | .172-0-2 | Braves |
| Eddie Guardado | Rangers | 1-2, 4.46 | Nationals |
| Kelly Johnson | Braves | .224-8-29 | D-backs |
| Paul Lo Duca | Did not play | Did not play | Rockies |
| Scott Proctor | Marlins | Did not play | Braves |
| Josh Towers | Yankees | 5 1/3 IP | Dodgers |
| Chad Tracy | D-backs | .237-8-39 | Cubs |
| Billy Wagner | NYM/BOS | 17 Gs | Braves |
| Brandon Webb | D-backs | 4 IP | D-backs |
| Rickie Weeks | Brewers | .272-9-24 | Brewers |
"If we have to pay up on it, it will be well worth it," said Oakland assistant general manager David Forst, whose team has a trifecta in the 2010 Comeback Derby.
Of the 11 players known to have the Comeback incentive clause, the A's have three: right-handers Ben Sheets, Joey Devine and Justin Duchscherer.
All are returning from years lost to elbow surgeries.
"They all fit the profile of players who might be eligible for that award," Forst said. "We have a standard incentives package, but a bonus for Comeback Player of the Year isn't one of the included clauses.
"It's always suggested by the agent, and we're open to it. It's good for everyone. We have an excellent feeling about these clauses, and certainly hope it happens."
In various permutations, Comeback Player of the Year is one of the oldest awards in baseball's trophy case, bestowed along league lines two years before the Cy Young followed suit.
The Comeback once was strictly performance-based. Pirates right-hander Vernon Law, for instance, was the first NL recipient in 1965 for rebounding from a 12-13 season to go 17-9 -- even though he'd actually made more starts the prior season.
Gradually, as sports medicine evolved, so did this recognition of resilience, to affirmation of a rehab job well done.
Reflecting that trend, five of the 11 Comeback clauses affect players coming off idle seasons: the Oakland threesome, plus Atlanta infielder Troy Glaus and Mets right-hander Kelvim Escobar.
Recent winners after being essentially inactive the prior season have included Chris Carpenter (2009), Fernando Tatis (2008), Gil Meche (2003), Matt Morris (2001) and Bret Saberhagen (1998).
You'll note that four of the five cited examples are pitchers (Tatis being the exception), for reasons that could be obvious: They are the highest-maintenance players, and their triumphs over physical knockouts are the most conspicuous.
Among the six pitchers with the incentive clause is Escobar, who is coming off two lost seasons. He was shelved at the beginning of 2008 by shoulder pain, which eventually led in July to surgery on his torn labrum, and he resurfaced only briefly in '09 for one June start.
AL Comeback Player of the Year candidates
| Player | 2009 club | 2009 stats | 2010 club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garrett Atkins | Rockies | .226-9-48 | Orioles |
| Milton Bradley | Cubs | .257-12-40 | Mariners |
| Joey Devine | A's | Did not play | A's |
| Justin Duchscherer | A's | Did not play | A's |
| Khalil Greene | Cardinals | .200-8-24 | Rangers |
| Ken Griffey Jr. | Mariners | .214-19-57 | Mariners |
| Bill Hall | MIL/SEA | .201-8-36 | Red Sox |
| J.J. Putz | Mets | 1-4, 5.22 | White Sox |
| Ben Sheets | Did not play | Did not play | A's |
| Jake Westbrook | Indians | Did not play | Indians |
A perfect candidate for a little Comeback of the Year carrot.
"I just think that incentive is a prudent thing to put in there, to cover all the bases," said Peter Greenberg, Escobar's agent. "We try to get it into the contracts of any of our clients coming back from injury -- established players who've had good careers before being injured."
That's an important distinction voters for the award -- full disclosure: MLB.com team reporters currently do the honors -- should bear in mind. It rewards regaining production, not health. So bona fide candidates need a track record.
Again, Escobar is the perfect candidate. The season before breaking down, the righty was 18-7 with a 3.40 ERA for the Angels.
"Typically," Greenberg said, "these players sign lower contracts with incentives. The idea of the incentive for Comeback Player always comes from the player's side -- and I don't think I've ever been turned down for it.
"I'll ask on behalf of players who have a realistic chance to compete for it. It gives them something to perhaps be proud of, and to get a little bonus for."
Far more players than those with a contract incentive for it are set up for Comeback of the Year campaigns. Competing for the award is a product of opportunity and environment.
For instance, Bill Hall, after a tailspin of several years, might have a great shot at replacing Jason Bay as the left fielder in Fenway Park, where he could recapture his 35-homer season in 2006 for Milwaukee.
And Garrett Atkins, lost in the managerial shuffle in Colorado last season, has a chance in Baltimore to regain the hot-corner spotlight and the clutch bat that had seen him average 110 RBIs in 2006-08.
So it goes for dozens who next month will embark on the comeback trail. For those holding contracts with incentives, it could be a gold-paved road.
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