Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas was selected as the American League Comeback Player of the Year by The Sporting News today. The publication’s awards are voted on by a panel of players in each league. Moustakas is the second Royal to garner the award, joining Bret Saberhagen, who was named AL Comeback Player of the Year in 1987.
Moustakas, 29, enjoyed a career year after being limited to just 27 games in 2016 due to a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). In 2017, he slugged a career-best 38 home runs to set the franchise’s single-season record, passing Steve Balboni’s 36 homers in 1985.