Mancini, Mountcastle win Comeback Player, Rookie awards

Trey Mancini and Ryan Mountcastle were both named award winners on Thursday. Mancini picked up two awards for American League “Comeback Player of the Year,” one from The Sporting News, and another in the “Players’ Choice” Awards. Mountcastle was named American League Rookie of the Year in the Players’ Choice Awards.

Mancini, who underwent colon cancer surgery in March 2020 and endured five months of chemotherapy, missed the entire 2020 season, played 147 games for the Orioles in 2021, hitting .255 with 21 home runs, driving in 71 runs with a .758 OPS.

According to the Sporting News, Mancini was an overwhelming winner in the vote of players, managers and executives.

Mountcastle, whose 33 home runs led all major league rookies, set an Orioles’ season single record for most homers. He hit .255, drove in 89 runs and had a .796 OPS.

Cedric Mullins was also a finalist for the AL Comeback Player of the Year in the Players’ Choice Awards.

Longtime Orioles’ shortstop Mark Belanger, who was a former official for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association was named the winner of the Curt Flood Award, which, according to the MLBPA is given to “a former player, living or deceased, who in the image of Flood demonstrated a selfless, longtime devotion to the Players Association and advancement of Players’ rights.”

Belanger, who won eight Gold Glove Awards in his 17 seasons with the Orioles, died in 1998.

No Oriole was named as a finalist for a Gold Glove Award.