Christian Franklin – Picture by Todd Johnson

Yesterday, I went over our comeback player of the year award winner in Alexander Canário. Today, though, is all about the guys who basically came in a distant second. I can remember watching guys perform throughout the year and it seemed like there could’ve been a different comeback player of the month each month all season long. You can look at every affiliate and pick two or three guys who really had bounce back seasons, many of which we were hoping to see the past couple of years.

Tennessee

Cole Roederer, Chris Kachmar

To begin the year, Tennessee’s outfield was pretty stacked and I wondered just exactly how Roederer was going to get ABs. And after a somewhat lukewarm start, Cole really turned it on in the summer and showed flashes of the player we thought he could be when the Cubs drafted him in 2018. Had the Cubs continued to announce players of the month awards, Cole would’ve easily won for the month of June. He ended the year by getting a promotion up to Iowa and that’s probably where he’s going to start his 2024 campaign and where it’s pretty much a make or break year for him as he is a free agent at the end of next season. I still need to remind myself that he’s just 24 years old, which is still very young even for AA. He won’t turn 25 until after next season. Think about that for a second.

Chris Kachmar was not one of those flashy guys in terms of bouncing back this year. The more he pitched, the better he got. Towards the end of the year, I thought his multi-use capability would result in him being sent to Arizona. After missing most of 2022, Kachmar has rebounded back from an injury to possibly be a guy who could be a long man in relief, a set up man, or even a spot starter this coming season at Iowa.

South Bend

Luis Verdugo, Christian Franklin, Derek Casey

When Luis Verdugo was sent down from Tennessee to South Bend, it was a disappointing move as Verdugo just never seemed to click at AA. He was one of my favorite players to talk to everyday in 2022 during the championship run. The guy who drove the ball with authority the previous year looked to be a player who was pressing and lacked confidence when he showed up in South Bend. That lasted about two weeks. By the end of the season, Verdugo bounced back from a terrible start to the season and finished strong and looked to regain his confidence and that’s an extremely positive thing heading into 2024 as he will probably be back in Tennessee. Hopefully adapting and overcoming some struggles is just what he needed to do to take the next step.

Sometimes, there is a “Come to Jesus” moment for many players when they realize that it’s time to put it in another gear. For Christian Franklin, he had battled injuries since being drafted out of the University of Arkansas in 2021. This year, he arrived late to South Bend and then struggled at high A. He was put on the development list and sent to Arizona where changes were made both physically and mentally. When he got back to South Bend, he just was a monster in the second half for the Cubs. So much so that MLB Pipeline added him to the top 30 prospect list. He should be in Tennessee to start next year and hopefully he picks right up where he left off driving the baseball.

After missing the better part of two years to Tommy John surgery, Derek Casey came back and pitched well as a reliever for the Cubs. But at 27-years-old, the Cubs decided it was time to release him at the end of the year. I found that to be a pretty bittersweet way to end the season.

Myrtle Beach

Koen Moreno, Reivaj Garcia, Parker Chavers, Drew Gray

For the Pelicans, they had several guys you might consider to be comeback players, but they technically had to play first. For Koen Moreno, he’s a guy who I just love to watch pitch. The ball seems to effortlessly come out of his hand. Early in his career, he had a lot of issues controlling those pitches. This past year, he was one of my favorite storylines of the year as he began to learn how to control his slider and throw it for strikes in the zone. Combined with a mid 90s fastball that has some pretty good movement, Moreno easily made this list after a disappointing 2022 debut.

As for Mr. Garcia, he sort of disappeared for a few years after his stunning debut at the age of 16 in Arizona in 2018. He bounced around the lower parts of the system for another couple of years and even was an organizational guy in 2021. But the switch-hitting second baseman found his stroke this year. If I had to pick a second place winner after Canario, García’s story probably would’ve been at number two. FYI – Reivaj is still only 22 and will be for almost all of 2024.

Parker Chavers was mostly healthy this year and I really enjoyed his performance and tweeting about it in May and June and July. It seemed like a year before he finally got his promotion to South Bend where he only played in a few games. I’m excited to see him begin the season in Davenport in early April.

Drew Gray underwent Tommy John surgery before beginning his first full season in 2022. He made it back to pitch this year in Myrtle Beach and the Pelicans limited his innings and he flashed from time to time and that made me wonder how he lasted until the third round in 2021. Gray’s another guy who I am thrilled to see pitch for South Bend next summer

Mesa

Signed in the summer of 2018, Joel Machado finally was healthy this year after missing 2019, 2020, 2021, and only pitching in one game in 2022. The lefty struggled at times like most pitchers do in Arizona. In July, he gave us a little glimpse of his potential as he had a 2.61 ERA in seven relief appearances. Considering his injury history, he’s more than likely to be a reliever for the rest of his career. It was a long road back.

I will be back tomorrow with some guys who could be in contention for the 2024 comeback player of the year.