For the second time since he retired earlier this month, former Giants catcher Buster Posey received one of baseball's big awards.
Posey was named the National League Comeback Player of the Year on Monday, adding to the Silver Slugger Award he won the week after he hung up his spikes. Posey and Baltimore Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini were the two winners, with Posey taking the award home for a second time. He was also honored in 2012 when he returned from a devastating leg injury to win NL MVP honors.
This time around, Posey returned from a year off that was completely by choice. He opted out of the 2020 MLB season after he and his wife, Kristen, adopted twin girls who were born prematurely. Posey retired after an All-Star season in large part to spend more time with Ada and Livvi, along with his older set of twins.
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SIGN UP HERE Posey was about as good as he's ever been upon returning to the field in 2021. He hit .304 with 18 homers, his most since 2015, and led NL catchers with 4.9 Wins Above Replacement. Posey also led NL catchers in average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
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Posey also won the Players Choice Comeback Player of the Year Award earlier this offseason. He became the first position player to win MLB's version twice and joined longtime big league left-hander Francisco Liriano as the only players to win it twice.
Mancini was an easy choice in the American League. He missed the entire 2020 season while undergoing treatment for colon cancer and then returned to hit 21 homers and drive in 71 runs in 2021.