Latest news with #AmericanLeagueComebackPlayeroftheYear
NBC Sports
10 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Whit Merrifield retires after twice leading MLB in hits over his 9 seasons
Vaughn Dalzell analyzes current odds for this year's American League Comeback Player of the Year award, including why he's looking past favorite Jacob deGrom and instead targeting veteran outfielder Byron Buxton. Whit Merrifield is retiring after a nine-season career that included twice leading the MLB in hits and three trips to the All-Star Game. The 36-year-old posted on social media that the birth of his daughter last year played a role in the decision. Merrifield, a utilityman whose career began with Kansas City, was granted free agency after finishing last season with Atlanta. He didn't play in 2025. 'At this point in my life, I'd much rather chase around a toddler than chase sliders,' wrote Merrifield, who had 192 hits for the Royals in 2018 and led the majors again a year later with 206. Merrifield played his last game with the Braves on Sept. 30, 2024, when they had to play a Monday doubleheader against the New York Mets to settle the National League wild-card race. Heavy rains from Hurricane Helene had rained out both games in Atlanta a week earlier. The Mets clinched a wild card with a victory in Game 1, which Merrifield played. He sat for the second game, which the Braves won to move on to the postseason as well. Merrifield was a ninth-round pick by Kansas City in the 2010 amateur draft and made his debut with the Royals six years later, the season after the club won its first World Series in 30 years. Merrifield played in every game from 2019-21, which included the 2020 season shortened to 60 games by the pandemic. The Royals didn't make the playoffs in any of Merrifield's six full seasons, and he was traded to Toronto in 2022. He went to the postseason twice with the Blue Jays, but wasn't a regular in the lineup. Merrifield led the majors in stolen bases three times, including a career-high 45 in 2018. He hit .280 with 94 homers, 485 RBIs, 29 triples and 218 steals in 1,147 games. The last All-Star trip for Merrifield came in 2023 with Toronto, and he signed as a free agent with Philadelphia that next offseason. The Phillies released Merrifield last July, and the South Carolina native signed with the Braves.
NBC Sports
21 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
'Buy' Buxton's AL Comeback Player of the Year odds
Vaughn Dalzell analyzes current odds for this year's American League Comeback Player of the Year award, including why he's looking past favorite Jacob deGrom and instead targeting veteran outfielder Byron Buxton.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Tigers' Javier Báez celebrates 10 years of MLB service time in best way possible
It was Javier Báez Day at Comerica Park. Not just because of his two home runs, but because he officially reached 10 years of MLB service time on Tuesday, June 17 — exactly 3,969 days after his debut. Less than 10% of all MLB players reach 10 years, which fully vests them in the league's pension plan and symbolizes longevity in the game) complete with a lifetime pass to MLB games). Báez celebrated the moment with a pair of homers for the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. "It's fun to watch him thrive on this team," manager A.J. Hinch said. "He gives us a ton on the field, behind the scenes, and he's all in. I love this for him tonight." Celebrate 125 seasons of the Tigers with our new book! There were other celebrations, too. His locker was decked out with balloons. Puerto Rican food was served in the cafeteria. Flags from his homeland hung in the clubhouse. His teammates gifted him a signed bottle of champagne. After that, Báez put on a spectacular performance during Tuesday's 7-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates — solo homers in the fifth and seventh innings. "It feels great to be here," said Báez, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and delivered his second two-homer game of the season. "It's been a long way. A lot of ups and downs in this game. I've been down many times. I never kept my head down. I kept working. And I'll keep working to the last day." This story is about more than one night. It's about a player who has seen the darkest of days and is finally seeing the light again. The stats show Báez was the worst hitter in baseball in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, but in 2025, he is the frontrunner for American League Comeback Player of the Year and is on the doorstep of representing the Tigers in the All-Star Game. "Usually, when I do good, it's in the second half," said Báez, who ranked fifth among AL outfielders in thr All-Star Game fan voting released Monday, June 16. 'If I get to the All-Star Game, I'm honestly going to be happy. If not, I'm going to get my rest for the second half." In 2025, Báez is hitting .289 with nine home runs, for a .798 OPS in 62 games. That's a massive improvement from the past three seasons: a .238 batting average and .671 OPS in 2022, .222 with a .593 OPS in 2023 and .184 with a .516 OPS in 2024 — the worst stretch of his 12-year MLB career. Báez leads Tigers' position players with 1.8 bWAR, trailing only starting pitcher Tarik Skubal. He started the season as a utility player for matchups against left-handed pitchers, became the everyday center fielder for more than a month and is now back to his old role as the primary shortstop. His 22% strikeout rate is the lowest mark of his career. He has been a positive contributor to the team with the best record in baseball. "You guys get such a guarded version of him, and we get the unfiltered version behind the scenes," Hinch said. "He still has a lot of youthfulness in him. He still has a ton of energy. He loves being at the ballpark and being with his teammates. I think he's really embracing Detroit and trying to help us win." Before Tuesday's game, Tigers players and coaches honored Báez behind the scenes in the hitters meeting. They all talked about Aug. 5, 2014 — the night Báez made his MLB debut. In the 12th inning, on his sixth plate appearance, he crushed a solo home run off Boone Logan for his first hit in the big leagues. Then came the perspective: Riley Greene was only 13 years old that night; Colt Keith was just 12. The room of players and coaches also credited Báez for everything he's accomplished since then: World Series championship in 2016, All-Star selections in 2018 and 2019, a Silver Slugger in 2018 and a Gold Glove in 2020. Báez was the center of attention. He showed his emotions in the way he responded to their praise in the meeting — a little bit shy, a little bit embarrassed, but very thankful. "It means a lot," Báez said. "I still got a long way to go, but I can say I did it. It feels like it was yesterday, and it feels like it's been forever, but I'm just blessed to be here." On Tuesday, Báez reflected on his family. Back in August 2014, Báez had ten family members at his MLB debut against the Colorado Rockies in Denver— including his sister, Noely. She was born with spina bifida and died in April 2015, just eight months after her brother's first game. His earliest goal was simple: Make it to the big leagues in time for his sister to see him play. "I've never seen a person fight for their life more than my sister," Báez said. "My kids ask me about her. I'm always happy to talk about her. I get sensitive about it, but it's a good thing to remember her and have her present in my life and in my family." In June 2025, Báez had his wife, Irmarie Márquez, and his children in the stands for the 1,284th game of his career, in which he hit two home runs against the Pirates. He has two sons — his youngest is 4; his oldest turns 7 soon. His latest goal is just as simple: keep playing until it's time to be a full-time dad. "After every game, my oldest kid tells me what I didn't do right," Báez said, laughing. "He tells me that I didn't put my leg out on my stance and a lot of things. It's just funny the way they see the game. But the game is the same." Báez has been many things in his MLB career — a prodigy, a star, a champion, a struggling veteran. These days, he is still standing after all of those experiences, both good and bad. He's playing for a World Series contender again. He's still playing for his family. And he's back to playing some of his best baseball. "His story in Detroit is not over, but it's been written a couple of different ways," Hinch said. "He's had to ride a pretty big roller coaster in his time here, and now he's contributing to a good team and doing a lot of different things for us — and being that same joyful young guy behind the scenes."
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Seattle Mariners Veteran Making Comeback Player of Year Case
It was not supposed to be like this. No one believed the Seattle Mariners were capable of competing this season after making no additions to their offense in the offseason. To this point, they have done more than just compete. They entered Wednesday with a 17-12 record, good enough for first in the American League West, and the third-best record in the American League overall. Advertisement The success, in large part, has come thanks to a veteran infielder who has simply just existed for much of his career. Now in his 12th Major League campaign, Jorge Polanco entered 2025 with a career OPS+ of 109. So far this season, his second with the Mariners, that metric sits at 264. Polanco, 31, is currently batting .389/.423/.819 with nine home runs and 25 RBI across 79 plate appearances in 21 games. The infielder has shown flashes of power before, hitting 33 home runs for the Minnesota Twins in 2021, but he has never hit long balls at this pace. If you extrapolate Polanco's games played over a full season, he is currently on pace to play in only 117 games. That is not an outlandishly low total, as he played in only 118 last year, and has topped 118 only three other times in his career. Advertisement The outlandish part comes from his current pace of home runs. Polanco, who has hit 30 or more home runs in a single season only once, and 20 or more home runs in a single season only twice, is currently on pace to mash 50 bombs this year across those 117 games. This insane pace is thanks in large part to a recent power surge that has seen the infielder knock five home runs over his last seven games. Of those five, two alone came in Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels. It has been a strong start to the year at the plate for Polanco. While regression is certainly due sooner rather than later, if he can keep up even half of his current pace, he would be a serious contender for American League Comeback Player of the Year.
Reuters
19-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Liam Hendriks activated by Red Sox, returns after nearly 2-year hiatus
April 19 - The Boston Red Sox on Saturday activated Liam Hendriks from the 15-day injured list, marking the right-hander's return to the majors for the first time in nearly two years. Hendriks, 36, sustained an elbow injury while pitching for the Chicago White Sox on June 9, 2023, that ultimately would require Tommy John surgery. He was making his fifth appearance of that season after undergoing treatment for Stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He reported to his first spring training with the Red Sox but was sidelined by inflammation in his right elbow. A three-time All-Star and American League Comeback Player of the Year in 2023, Hendriks owns a 33-34 record with 116 saves and a 3.82 ERA in 476 career appearances (44 starts) with the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals, then-Oakland Athletics and White Sox. Right-hander Hunter Dobbins was optioned to Triple-A Worcester following Friday's game against the White Sox. --Field Level Media
