2023 Angels award predictions: Comeback Player of the Year

As the season draws near, it's time to start getting into predictions. Every day I'll come up with a team award and think about which Los Angeles Angel can win it. We're going to start with Comeback Player of the Year.

Deciding who the Comeback Player of the Year on this team is a very easy decision.

Anthony Rendon will be the Angels Comeback Player of the Year

Anthony Rendon's Angels tenure has been rough, to say the least. He made a pretty good first impression in the shortened 2020 season as he played in 52 of the 60 games and had a .915 OPS. He even finished 10th in the AL MVP race. Since then, it's been all bad.

Rendon has played in 105 games since that debut season. He's slashed .235/.328/.381 with 11 home runs and 58 RBI in those games. He's dealt with numerous injuries that have caused him to miss over 100 games in each of the last two seasons.

Rendon is healthy now, and has looked like the Rendon of old in Spring Training. Of course Spring Training is, well, Spring Training, but it's encouraging to see him swing the bat so well nonetheless.

All Rendon really has to do to win this award at least for the Angels team is play in games. He's given the Angels 58 and 47 games in the last two seasons respectively. For him to win the AL Comeback Player of the Year award he'll have to be closer to the MVP-caliber player he was in Washington.

At this point, Angels fans just want something out of the third baseman. The Halos have the ability to rest Rendon on a regular basis to keep him on the field and healthy with guys like Gio Urshela, Luis Rengifo, and Brandon Drury serving as capable fill-ins.

I'm expecting a big year from Rendon if he can stay healthy. Health will always be the number one concern.