Comeback Player of the Year Award

Comeback Player of the Year Award

This is the first Comeback Player of the Year Award officially sanctioned by Major League Baseball, which will be presented annually to one player in each League. The award will recognize the players who have re-emerged on the baseball field during a given season. Representatives of Major League Baseball and the editorial staff at MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball select the nominees, six players from each League, for the Major League Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award. Those nominees are then featured on MLB.com where fans of the game can vote for who they believe best deserves the award.

To further engage fans in the selection process during its inaugural year (2005), Pfizer, maker of Viagra ® (sildenafil citrate) introduced an online sweepstakes in conjunction with the Major League Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award Presented . As part of the program, one lucky sweepstakes winner will have the opportunity to throw out a ceremonial first pitch prior to a 2005 World Series game.

"It's (the Comeback Player of the Year Award) not really something you want to have, as far as the things you've had to go through to get it. But it's one that I will cherish forever." - Cincinnati Reds Outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. on MLB.com (Anthony Castrovince, 10/06/2005)

Comeback Player of the Year Award Comeback Player of the Year Award Official Logo (2005 - 2009) by Major League Baseball
Year	P.R.	League	Comeback Player of the Year^(Quantity)	Team ^{(Franchise Quantity)}
2005		AL	Jason Giambi⁽¹⁾	New York Yankees⁽¹⁾
2005		NL	Ken Griffey, Jr.⁽¹⁾	Cincinnati Reds⁽¹⁾
2006		AL	Jim Thome⁽¹⁾	Chicago White Sox⁽¹⁾
2006		NL	Nomar Garciaparra⁽¹⁾	Los Angeles Dodgers⁽¹⁾
2007		AL	Carlos Pena⁽¹⁾	Tampa Bay Devil Rays⁽¹⁾
2007		NL	Dmitri Young⁽¹⁾	Washington Nationals⁽¹⁾
2008		AL	Cliff Lee⁽¹⁾	Cleveland Indians⁽¹⁾
2008		NL	Brad Lidge⁽¹⁾	Philadelphia Phillies⁽¹⁾
2009		AL	Aaron Hill⁽¹⁾	Toronto Blue Jays⁽¹⁾
2009		NL	Chris Carpenter⁽¹⁾	St. Louis Cardinals⁽¹⁾
2010		AL	Francisco Liriano⁽¹⁾	Minnesota Twins⁽¹⁾
2010		NL	Tim Hudson⁽¹⁾	Atlanta Braves⁽¹⁾
2011		AL	Jacoby Ellsbury⁽¹⁾	Boston Red Sox⁽¹⁾
2011		NL	Lance Berkman⁽¹⁾	St. Louis Cardinals⁽²⁾
2012	--	AL	Not Yet Announced^(10-2012)	--
2012	--	NL	Not Yet Announced^(10-2012)	--
Year	P.R.	League	Comeback Player of the Year^(Quantity)	Team ^{(Franchise Quantity)}
Comeback Player of the Year Award Winners

The American League winner of the 2005 Comeback Player of the Year Award, Jason Giambi, said during a phone interview, "I'm speechless. I'm definitely honored. It's been a lot of hard work and a long road. It's definitely been the most challenging season, no doubt about it. Even more than being a rookie, when you don't know what to expect. I didn't know what to expect this year after being sick and everything, because New York is a tough town to come back in. To do this in New York makes it even more special."

The six American League nominees in 2005 were: Jason Giambi, Jay Gibbons, Roy Halladay, Richie Sexson, Bob Wickman and Barry Zito. Do you believe the fans, who cast more than 400,000 votes, chose the correct winner in 2005 and the years that followed? Share your opinion on Baseball Fever.

The six National League nominees in 2005 were: Cliff Floyd, Brian Fuentes, Troy Glaus, Ken Griffey, Jr., Todd Jones and Andy Pettitte. From wire-to-wire both Ken Griffey, Jr., who finished with 101,264 votes, and Jason Giambi, who finished with 100,037 votes, led their respective league.

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