Tagged: Chris Young
Chris Young Sweeps Comeback Player of the Year Awards
Mariners pitcher Chris Young was named MLB’s American League Comeback Player of the Year. The award is officially sanctioned by Major League Baseball and presented annually to one player in each League who has reemerged 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).
Young, 35, returned to the Majors for the first time since 2012 to go 12-9 with a 3.65 ERA (67 ER, 165.0 IP) in 30 games/29 starts with the Mariners. The 6-10 right-hander did not pitch in the Majors in 2013 after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder. From 2009-2012, Young made just 42 Major League starts battling various shoulder injuries.
The right-hander was also named the Sporting News American League Comeback Player of the Year on Oct. 20 and the Players Choice American League Comeback Player of the Year on Nov. 3.
Video Rewind: Felix and Chris Young Talk About Players Choice Awards
Felix Hernandez (AL Outstanding Pitcher) and Chris Young (AL Comeback Player) were winners of Players Choice Awards announced earlier this week on the MLB Network. Both players were interviews on the MLB Network as part of the selection show. You can vie the videos below.
Players Choice Awards – Charitable Donations from Felix and Chris
MLB’s end-of-season awards are in full swing and Mariners players have been featured among the finalists and winners.
Players Choice Awards, which are voted on by the players themselves, were given out tonight on the MLB Network. Felix Hernandez received the American League Outstanding Pitcher and Chris Young was named American League Comeback Player. (Chis was also named the Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year two weeks ago.)
In honor of each winner, the Major League Baseball Players Trust donates grants to the charity of the player’s choice. Felix has chosen Make-A-Wish® Alaska & Washington as the recipient of his $20,000 grant, and Young has designated DonorsChoose.org as beneficiary of his $20,000 donation.
Since arriving in Seattle, Felix has reached out to numerous kids with life-threatening medical conditions in an effort to help bring hope and joy to each child. He has visited hundreds of children at local hospitals and has granted wishes and entertained kids from the Make-A-Wish on numerous occasions. He also helps Make-A-Wish fundraising events and has donated countless autographed items over the years.
Sophia Robinson of Anchorage, Alaska, fulfilled her wish to meet Felix Hernandez in 2013. He’s kept in close touch with the family ever since.
Young’s award will benefit Seattle projects listed on DonorsChoose.org, an online crowd-funding model that teachers use to pay for supplies, technology or experiences they want their students to have. (Sort of like Kickstarter for small, classroom-based projects.) Chris and his wife Liz are longtime supporters of education and have themselves made several donations to worthy projects through DonorsChoose.org.
Chris Young, right, is joined by teammates and volunteers at the MLBPA Buses for Baseball event that gave a group of underserved kids a day at Safeco Field.
In honor of Felix and Chris, the Mariners will make donations to Make-A-Wish and DonorsChoose.org in their names.
Felix and Young Win Players Choice Awards
Seattle Mariners pitchers Felix Hernandez (American League Most Outstanding Pitcher) and Chris Young (American League Comeback Player of the Year) were recognized by their fellow players in the annual Major League Baseball Players Choice Awards.
Hernandez, 28, was named the American League Outstanding Pitcher by his peers to earn his first Players Choice Award. He led the AL with a 2.14 ERA and a 0.915 WHIP while yielding a league-low 6.5 hits per nine innings over 34 starts for the Mariners. Felix went 15-6 with 248 strikeouts in his 10th season in the Majors.
Young, 35, returned to the Majors for the first time since 2012 to go 12-9 with a 3.65 ERA (67 ER, 165.0 IP) in 30 games/29 starts with the Mariners. The 6-10 right-hander did not pitch in the Majors in 2013 after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder. From 2009-2012, Young made just 42 Major League starts battling various shoulder injuries.
This is the first Players Choice Award for a Mariners player since Ichiro was selected as the AL Outstanding Player in 2004.
The Players Choice Awards, presented by PlayStation, benefit the Major League Baseball Players Trust, the charitable foundation created and run by the players themselves. Players Choice Awards have been presented each year since 1992.
2014 Players Choice Award Winners:
American League:
Outstanding Player: Mike Trout (LA Angels)
Outstanding Pitcher: Felix Hernandez (Seattle)
Outstanding Rookie: Jose Abreu (Chicago White Sox)
Comeback Player: Chris Young (Seattle)
National League:
Outstanding Player: Giancarlo Stanton (Miami)
Outstanding Pitcher: Clayton Kershaw (LA Dodgers)
Outstanding Rookie: Jacob deGrom (NY Mets)
Comeback Player: Casey McGehee (Miami)
Player of Year: Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles)
Man of the Year: Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles)
Chris Young Named AL Comeback Player of the Year
The Sporting News announced its annual Comeback Player of the Year award today and Mariners right-handed pitcher Chris Young was named the American League winner.
Young, 35, returned to the Majors for the first time since 2012 to go 12-9 with a 3.65 ERA (67 ER, 165.0 IP) in 30 games/29 starts with the Mariners. The 6-10 right-hander did not pitch in the Majors in 2013 after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder. From 2009-2012, Young made just 42 Major League starts battling various shoulder injuries.
“I am extremely honored to be named Comeback Player of the Year by the Sporting News,” said Young. “There are many deserving players who have demonstrated the commitment, dedication and perseverance to overcome similar obstacles and I am humbled to be recognized amongst them. The life lessons I have learned throughout this experience are invaluable and will stay with me the rest of my career. Furthermore, I hope that I can serve as inspiration to other players in the same manner in which I was inspired to pursue my comeback. I am extremely grateful to my teammates, coaches, the Seattle Mariners organization and my family, as each and every member contributed to my success.”
Young’s 12 wins tied his career-high set in 2005 with the Texas Rangers, and recorded the 3rd-most innings (165.0) of his 10-season Major League career. The span of 8 years between 12+ win seasons is tied for the 3rd-longest in MLB history behind Danny Darwin (12 years, 1980-93), Lindy McDaniel (9 years, 1963-73) and Ron Kline (9 years, 1958-68).
“Chris was a big part of our success in 2014, really solidifying our rotation,” said manager Lloyd McClendon. “To think he won as many games as he did, and made 29 starts, coming off the type of surgery and the injuries that he had, I think it’s just tremendous. He is a tireless worker and showed his determination with his performance. This is a very deserving award for him in every way possible.”
“This is a tremendous and well-deserving honor for Chris,” added pitching coach Rick Waits. “He worked tirelessly and stuck to his routine to keep himself healthy and on the mound throughout the season. He had a breakthrough year making a comeback, but it wasn’t really that surprising to me. This is a testament to his resolve, patience, determination, hard work, his routine and his tireless study of opposing hitters.”
Young is the fifth player in Mariners history to win the Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award, joining Willie Horton (1979), Richie Zisk (1981), Gorman Thomas (1985) and Gil Meche (2003).
Miami’s Casey McGehee was the NL Comeback Player of the Year. Here are the voting results:
American League (voting by only AL players)
1. Chris Young, Mariners-49
2. J.D. Martinez, Tigers-22
3. Scott Kazmir, Athletics-14
4. Derek Jeter, Yankees-11
5. Melky Cabrera, Blue Jays-6
Others-30
National League (voting by only NL players)
1. Casey McGehee, Marlins-26
2. Tim Hudson, Giant-17
3. Matt Kemp, Dodgers-15
4. Starlin Castro, Cubs-2
5. Others-4
2014 Mariners Award Winners
Prior to Friday’s Fan Appreciation Game, several players were recognized for their outstanding accomplishments during the 2014 season. Here are some photos of the players that were honored tonight:
Felix Hernandez was named the Mariners Most Valuable Pitcher by the Seattle chapter of the BBWAA.
Robinson Cano was named the Most Valuable Player by the Seattle chapter of the BBWAA.
Chris Young was named the Unsung Hero.
Fernando Rodney was presented with a Fireman’s Hat for setting the Mariners single-season saves record.
Kyle Seager was presented the MLBPAA Heart and Hustle Award.
Felix Hernandez was honored as the Mariners recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award.
From the Corner of Edgar & Dave 