MLB Awards 2010: Braves' Tim Hudson Is B/R's NL Comeback Player of the Year

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Every year, managers, coaches and writers from around Major League Baseball award honors and trophies to the players—and every year, they screw up.

So Bleacher Report's Featured Columnists decided to do it ourselves. Instead of just complaining about the awards as they are announced as we would normally do on our own, we teamed up to hold our own mock awards vote.

Yesterday, we kicked off Week 2 of our four-week-long results series with our picks for AL Comeback Player of the Year. Today, we look at the veterans from the Senior Circuit who best resurrected their careers in 2010.

Of the 17 players who received votes, the top five are featured here with commentary from people who chose them. The full list of votes is at the end.

So read on, see how we did and be sure to let us know what we got wrong!

No. T4: David Wright, Mets

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Featured writer: Jeremiah Graves

David Wright is a great ballplayer. He’s established himself as one of the finest third-sackers in the game since entering the league. He’s hit for power and average, he’s shown speed on the bases and—once upon a time—he used to flash the leather at the hot corner.

In 2009, however, Wright fell apart at the seams. He had his worst defensive season as a professional, posted the lowest WAR of his career and watched his vaunted power stroke disappear. All the while, he watched his strikeouts rise and his walks plummet.

In 2010, Wright managed to right the ship. His power stroke came back, and he once again became a feared middle-of-the-order slugger.

No. T4: R.A. Dickey, Mets

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Featured writer: Robert Knapel

Dickey was an afterthought when he was signed to a minor league deal this offseason by the Mets. He was coming off a year where he went 1-1 with a 4.62 ERA out of the Twins bullpen.

The Mets sent him to the minors to start off the year. Once he was called up, Dickey posted the seventh lowest ERA in the NL as well as the third lowest walk rate in the NL. Dickey managed to win 11 games for a bad Mets team.

He was able to epitomize the idea of revitalizing one’s career even as they get older. At age 35, Dickey has finally found success after all the hype of being a first round pick in 1996.

No. 3: Brett Myers, Astros

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Featured writer: Brandon Williams

The Astros’ acquisition of free agent Brett Myers raised barely a blip on the radar in January. After all, no one thought much of a surgically-repaired arm who had run out of favor with the Phillies and was coming off a 2009 season that saw him put up a pedestrian 4-3 mark with a 4.84 ERA.

Myers got through six innings in his first start and kept the theme up the entire season, getting into the seventh in all 33 of his outings en route to a 14-8 record and a 3.14 ERA to boot.

He became the anchor of the Houston rotation, and once Roy Oswalt was traded at the deadline, Myers emerged as the undisputed ace—and a solid choice as NL Comeback Player of the Year.

No. 2: Aubrey Huff, Giants

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Featured writer: Julian Levine

After putting up miserable numbers in 2009 (a slash line of .241/.310/.384), Aubrey Huff has had a major comeback season with the Giants.

He’s played above average defense in left field, right field and first base, but more importantly, he has bounced back offensively: He hit a slash line of .290/.385/.506 this year with a career-best 12.4 percent BB percentage...and for what it’s worth, he was even rather successful on the basepaths, with seven stolen bases in seven attempts.

Huff’s big numbers have led the Giants to their first postseason berth since 2003.

No. 1: Tim Hudson, Braves

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Featured writer: Doug Mead

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Tim Hudson is clearly the deserving choice for National League Comeback Player of the Year award. 

After sitting out almost the entire 2009 season due to Tommy John surgery performed in August 2008, Hudson returned to his pre-injury form in 2010, posting a 17-9 record with a 2.83 ERA, good for sixth in the NL.

Hudson was clearly the ace of the Braves pitching staff and was selected to the National League All-Star team for the first time.

Hudson also displayed great durability coming back from major surgery, placing fourth in the NL overall with 228.2 innings pitched.

Full Results

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Voting on a 5-3-1 basis. First-place votes are in parentheses.

 

1. Tim Hudson, Braves—60 (11)

2. Aubrey Huff, Giants—42 (7)

3. Brett Myers, Astros—16 (1)

T4. R.A. Dickey, Mets—15 (2)

T4. David Wright, Mets—15 (1)

6. Chris Young, Diamondbacks—12 (1)

T7. Corey Hart, Brewers—11 

T7. Rickie Weeks, Brewers—11 (2)

9. Scott Rolen, Reds—10 

10. Billy Wagner, Braves—9 (1)

T11. Pat Burrell, Giants—6

T11. Kelly Johnson, Diamondbacks—6

13. Jose Reyes, Mets—5

14. Roy Oswalt, Astros/Phillies—3

T15. Omar Infante, Braves—1

T15. Brad Lidge, Phillies—1

T15. Edinson Volquez, Reds—1

Schedule of Results

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AL Gold Gloves	October 25
NL Gold Gloves	October 26
AL Silver Sluggers	October 27
NL Silver Sluggers	October 28
AL Comeback Player of the Year	November 1
NL Comeback Player of the Year	November 2
AL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year	November 3
NL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year	November 4
AL Rookie of the Year	November 8
NL Rookie of the Year	November 9
AL Manager of the Year	November 10
NL Manager of the Year	November 11
AL Cy Young	November 15
NL Cy Young	November 16
AL Most Valuable Player	November 17
NL Most Valuable Player	November 18