Posey and Mancini are the Comebacks of the Year

Trey Mancini of the Orioles and Buster Posey of the Giants were recognized Monday as the Comebacks of the Year for the 2021 season.

Mancini earned the distinction in the American League after beating colon cancer and returning to Baltimore to star in his fourth season with 20 home runs or more. Posey took National League honors after one of his best seasons since winning the MVP award in 2012, after deciding not to play in 2020 due to personal concerns about the COVID situation.

Mancini missed all of 2020 while undergoing treatment for Stage 3 colon cancer, which was diagnosed in March of that year after a colonoscopy revealed a malignant shift. He underwent surgery to remove the tumor and chemotherapy for six months, returning for training in 2021 cancer-free.

Mancini, who returned to the Orioles’ opening day lineup, hit his 100th career home run in 2021 and by the end of the season had played 157 games, hitting .255 with 21 homers, 71 RBIs and 77 runs scored. Mancini even competed in the Home Run Festival and nearly won it before falling in the final to Pete Alonso.

Posey decided not to play in 2020 and returned to lead the Giants to the best regular season in franchise history in 2021. Posey hit .304 with 18 homers, 56 RBIs and a .889 OPS. The Giants set a record for the club with 107 wins. During the playoffs, Posey became San Francisco’s career postseason leader with 57 hits.

It was a year of rallies compared to his last season, 2019, when he hit .257 with just seven home runs and a .688 OPS. This year, Posey’s home run total was his best since 2015 and his OPS his highest since 2012. Posey led all receivers with at least 100 games played in batting average and OPS. He won an NL Silver Bat for the fifth time and went to the All-Star Game for the seventh time.

At the end of the season, Posey, 34, announced his retirement after 12 major league seasons, all with the Giants, with whom he won the World Series three times.

Mancini is the first Orioles member to win the MLB Comeback of the Year award, while Posey won it a second time after taking it back in 2012 as well.

Winners of the MLB Comeback of the Year award are determined by a vote among MLB.com reporters covering all 30 teams. Last year, the honorees were Venezuelan receiver Salvador Pérez of the Royals and Rockies closer Daniel Bard.