Francisco has been named the MLB NL Comeback Player of the Year as well as the Players Choice NL Comeback Player of the Year.
The Comeback Player of the Year Awards are officially sanctioned by Major League Baseball and presented annually to one player in each League who has re-emerged on the field during the season. The 30 Club beat reporters from MLB.com, the official web site of Major League Baseball, selected the winners from an original list of 30 candidates (one per MLB Club).
Liriano, who also won the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2010, is now the first ever to win the award twice – and in each League – since the award’s inception in 2005. After posting a 6-12 record with a 5.34 ERA in 2012, Liriano bounced back in 2013 to set a career high with 16 wins in his first season with the Pirates as he helped lead the club to its first Postseason berth since 1992.
His 16 victories tied for third in the National League and tied for seventh in the Majors. The left-hander posted a 3.02 ERA, which marked his lowest since he compiled a 2.16 ERA during his rookie season with Minnesota in 2006.
In 161.0 innings pitched in 2013, the Dominican Republic native permitted 54 runs on 134 hits with 63 walks and 163 strikeouts while holding opposing batters to a .224 batting average.
Liriano held left-handed hitters to a .131 batting average, which led the N.L. and ranked second in the Majors. The 30-year-old fell one inning shy of qualifying for the N.L. ERA rankings, and his 3.02 ERA would have ranked 10th. The 2006 A.L. All-Star started and won Pittsburgh’s first Postseason game in 21 years, a 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in the N.L. Wild Card Game.
Francisco went 8-2 with a 1.26 ERA following a Pirates loss, and he was 8-1 with a 1.47 ERA in 11 starts at PNC Park. Liriano put his name in the Pirates record books from the start, becoming just the second Pittsburgh pitcher over the last 95 seasons to win each of his first three starts and allow one run-or-less, joining Dave LaPoint, who accomplished the feat in his first three starts with the Pirates after joining the team in August of 1988. In addition, Liriano became the first Pirates pitcher since Larry French in 1930 to record a decision in each of his first 22 starts of a season (French received a decision in each of his first 24 starts in 1930).
Mariano Rivera won AL Comeback Player of the Year.
Past winners of the Award include: Jason Giambi and Ken Griffey, Jr. (2005); Jim Thome and Nomar Garciaparra (2006); Carlos Peña and Dmitri Young (2007); Cliff Lee and Brad Lidge (2008); Aaron Hill and Chris Carpenter (2009); Francisco Liriano and Tim Hudson (2010); Jacoby Ellsbury and Lance Berkman (2011); and Fernando Rodney and Buster Posey (2012).
(Photo Credit: Fred Vuich / Sports Illustrated)
