Indians: Carlos Carrasco deserves AL Comeback Player of the Year

Carlos Carrasco completed his 2020 comeback by winning an award, as the Indians starter claimed the Sporting News AL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

The Cleveland Indians may not have won in the playoffs, but at least they’re getting some much-deserved love for having some fine talent. Carlos Carrasco missed a huge chunk of time in 2019 as he was being treated for leukemia. Carrasco battled through it and returned to play in September after it went into remission. Carrasco then went from battling for his life to dealing with a global pandemic that targeted people with a compromised immune system.

Carrasco was having none of 2020’s crap.

Carrasco completed 2019 with a 5.29 ERA and had easily the worst season of his professional career ever. Carrasco rebounded in 2020 by having one of, not the best season of his career. In a shortened season, Carrasco posted a 2.91 ERA, with 82 strikeouts, and only 27 walks.

Carrasco joins Andre Thornton (1982) and Cliff Lee (2008) as the only Indians players to ever win the award since its inception. According to Cleveland.com, Carrasco received 38% of the votes cast in the Comeback Player category, finishing ahead of Kansas City’s Salvador Pérez (18 votes), Angels pitcher Dylan Bundy (six), and Houston’s Lance McCullers Jr. (six). He is a finalist for the 2020 AL Comeback Player of the Year Award along with teammate José Ramírez and Pérez.

The year may have ended prematurely for the Indians, but the team is still the talk of baseball with all of the post season awards still to be announced. Jose Ramirez is in the running to win the AL MVP and a Silver Slugger, while Francisco Lindor may snatch a Golden Glove. Sandy Alomar should be in contention for Manager of the Year, considering Terry Francona missed pretty much the entire year due to health issues. Yet, the most obvious is Shane Bieber who is all but a lock to win the AL Cy Young award.