*Photo from the Tampa Bay Times*
Two old vets get another distinction in their careers. Houston Astros RHP Justin Verlander and St. Louis Cardinals 1B/DH Albert Pujols were announced as the 2022 AL and NL Comeback players of the year on Tuesday night.
On the AL side, Verlander gets the nod after missing most of 2020 and all of 2021 after undergoing Tommy John Surgery. Verlander becomes the first Astros player in history to win the award, taking home the honor almost a week after winning his 3rd career Cy Young award, doing so in unanimous fashion.
Instead of just returning, Verlander came back with a bang. He finished the year with a 18-4 record to go with a 1.75 ERA, 2.49 FIP, and 0.83 WHIP. He struck out 185 hitters over 175 innings pitched, split between 28 starts. He threw 20 innings over 4 playoff starts in the Astros World Series run.
Pujols took home the honors following a torrid second half to the season. He's the 3rd Cardinal to win the award thanks to 18 second half homers, exceeding the 700 homer mark in his age 42 season, which was his last in the MLB, as he officially retired following the season. Only Aaron Judge hit more homers following the all star break than Pujols.
Over the whole season, Pujols had a .270 batting average, .345 on base percentage, and .550 slugging percentage. He belted 24 home runs and drove in 68 over 109 games, which included an appearance in the all star game. Pujols had two hits in 8 at bats over two postseason games.
At this point in the offseason, Pujols is officially retired, while Verlander is a free agent after opting out of the last season of his two year deal with the Astros.
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