MLB Rookie of the Year Odds & Betting Picks: Our Staff Drafts its Best But it seems his accelerated career path and 2020 trial by fire did the flame-throwing lefty quite a bit of good. It shouldnt be overlooked that Betts sparked the Dodgers when he became the full-time leadoff hitter, a spot in the order that Los Angeles has struggled to fill for years. The 21-year-old was expected to make his MLB debut this past year, but with only 21 games above Class A under his belt, the Mariners opted to keep Kelenic at their alternate training site in the shortened campaign. The right-hander struck out 97 over 72 1/3 innings in 20 -- ranking second in the AL behind only Cy Young winner Shane Bieber -- after fanning 228 in 19. Royals: Carlos Santana, DHThe decision to bring in the veteran Santana last season felt like a savvy move for the Royals, a way to raise their floor with a long-underappreciated hitter and on-base guy. Heading into spring training, the fifth starting job appeared to be a toss up between Rodon, Reynaldo Lopez and highly touted prospects Michael Kopech and Garrett Crochet. Simply put, he was one of the top three or four players in the game. Fellow core veterans Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford enjoyed resurgent seasons in '20 after working with the Giants new coaching staff, which brought fresh ideas and offensive philosophies in manager Gabe Kaplers first year in San Francisco. Mets: Dominic Smith, 1B/OF In 2019 and 2020, Smith finally turned into the player of Mets fans dreams, getting on base regularly and showing considerable pop. What Ill remember most is the Spring Training reaction, the fan reaction in our first home game, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. NFL Awards: 2021 Comeback Player of the Year odds, picks and prediction The Orioles' Trey Mancini and the Giants' Buster Posey were named MLB's Comeback Players of the Year for 2021 on Monday. He missed the majority of the 2019 season and all of 2020 because of a ruptured testicle and several subsequent surgeries, but he has hit 20 home runs already this season as the brightest star of the surprisingly good Mariners. Harper batted .268 with 13 home runs, 33 RBIs, a .962 OPS and a 157 OPS+ this past season, despite playing with a bad back over the final month. Here's a look at three futures picks to make during the dead zone of the NFL offseason The first month was less than stellar before he was dominant in the second month and helped the Reds reach the postseason. Comeback Player of the Year The Sporting News Pitchers & Players of the Year Hank Aaron Award Branch Rickey Award Hutch Award Lou Gehrig Award Babe Ruth Award Roberto Clemente Award Wilson Defensive Players of the Year All-MLB Team -- but took a big step back last year, dropping 140 points off his slugging percentage. Ahead are our picks for who'll take home the five biggest awards in the American League and National League: Comeback Player of the Year, Manager of the Year, Rookie of the Year, the Cy. D-backs: Madison Bumgarner, LHPHe finally made a (mostly) full season of starts in 2021, but he still was barely a league average pitcher. RED SOX: J.D. The man mashed 10 home runs in 18 games during the 2020 postseason. And that doesn't even include the back-to-back starts in late May in which his combined line against the Yankees and Cardinals was 12.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 23 K, nor the seven innings of one-hit ball that he threw against the Tigers in mid-June. Orioles' Trey Mancini Tops List Of MLB Comeback Player Of The Year