CONGRATULATIONS: Jacob deGrom completes miracle comeback — wins 2025 A.L. Comeback Player of the Year after emotional and improbable return
Few awards in baseball carry the emotional weight of the Comeback Player of the Year. And few players have ever embodied its meaning more completely than Jacob deGrom in 2025.
After nearly two years filled with surgeries, setbacks and constant questions about whether he would ever return to dominance, deGrom stepped back onto the mound not as a diminished version of the ace he once was — but as a reminder of why he was one of the most feared pitchers of his generation.
His journey from doubt to triumph has now been officially recognized, as deGrom was named the American League’s 2025 Comeback Player of the Year.
For some, the award seemed inevitable by midseason. For others, it felt like a miracle.
The truth lies somewhere in between.
At 37 years old, deGrom entered the year with no guarantees. The Rangers were cautious. Fans were hopeful but unsure. Analysts debated whether his body would allow him to pitch at even a fraction of his former level. And deGrom himself admitted to moments of fear — moments when the game seemed ready to move on without him.
But every step of his offseason was fueled by something deeper than hope: a refusal to let injuries define his final chapter.
Throughout the 2025 season, deGrom rediscovered his rhythm with breathtaking precision. His fastball returned with life. His slider regained its bite. His command looked sharper than it had in years. Start after start, he erased the doubts that had trailed him.
More importantly, he pitched with a freedom and joy fans hadn’t seen in a long time.
Rangers teammates spoke openly about the power of having deGrom in the dugout every fifth day, calling him a “walking masterclass” and “a presence that lifts the entire clubhouse.” Fans embraced him as a symbol of persistence. Even opponents — some of whom had faced the full force of peak deGrom — praised the comeback.
What set this season apart wasn’t just the numbers, though they were impressive. It was the context: a man who had reached baseball’s highest peak, then fallen harder than almost anyone could have imagined, choosing not to quit.
Instead, he rebuilt himself piece by piece.
One Rangers official said it best: “deGrom didn’t come back to prove the critics wrong. He came back to be himself again.”
The journey wasn’t just physical. It was emotional, psychological and deeply personal. In interviews throughout the season, deGrom spoke about the loneliness of rehab rooms, the endless repetition of exercises, the frustration of plateaus and the long nights wondering whether it was all worth it.
In 2025, he got his answer.
The Comeback Player of the Year award is not just a trophy. It’s a story — one written through courage, discipline and unwavering belief.
And for Jacob deGrom, it represents something more: a reminder that even in the final stages of a career, greatness can rise again.
It wasn’t just a comeback.
It was a revival.
And baseball is better for it.
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