MLB Comeback Player of the Year: Who won the prestigious honor in the AL and the NL?

MLB announced the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year Award winners for both the American and National Leagues last night. Albert Pujols and Justin Verlander, both future first-ballot Hall of Famers, received the award following their outstanding 2022 seasons.

Both players had memorable seasons, adding another trophy to their legendary careers. While both Pujols and Verlander have been superstars in their combined 39 years in the Majors, no one could have predicted what each player would accomplish in 2022.

Albert Pujols entered the season with the intention of retiring at the end of the year, and while he had a Hall of Fame career up until the beginning of last season, he had been a shell of himself in recent years. A career .296 hitter, Pujols had only hit above .250 once since 2015. It seemed like time had defeated "La Maquina", yet Pujols gave his fans one last unforgettable season.

"A magical farewell season in his return to St. Louis. The NL Comeback Player of the Year is Albert Pujols!" - MLB

At 42 years old, Pujols had his best season in recent memory. On his return to St. Louis, Albert finished the season with 24 home runs, 68 RBIs, and his best batting average since 2014 by maintaining a .270 average through 109 games.

Not only did Albert help the St. Louis Cardinals secure a playoff spot, but he crossed off historic milestones along the way. He cemented his place as 4th in all-time career home runs, hitting his historic 700th career homer on September 23rd. He also passed Babe Ruth for the 2nd-most RBIs in history.

"Xavier Scruggs breaks down what led to Albert Pujols' success in 2022 leading to his NL Comeback Player of the Year award." - Cardinals Dude

Justin Verlander's incredible 2022 capped with the Comeback Player of the Year Award

Not only did Verlander deliver one of the best seasons of his illustrious career, but he also had one of the best American League seasons of all time. He finished the season with an ERA of 1.75 while recording 185 strikeouts and posting a 18-4 record for the Houston Astros, en route to his third career Cy Young award.

While he has been one of the best pitchers of his generation, his comeback in 2022 was one of the most surprising storylines of last season. At 39 years old and coming off of Tommy John Surgery, the odds were against him, yet the future Hall of Famer proved that age is just a number.

"More hardware for Justin Verlander’s shelf." - MLB

Verlander finished the season with a World Series title, Cy Young Award, Comeback Player of the Year award, as well as being named to the All-Star team.