Moustakas, Holland named MLB Comeback Players of the Year

A pair of free agents have managed to pick up a little more hardware before signing their next contracts.

Major League Baseball announced Friday that Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas and Colorado Rockies closer Greg Holland were named 2017 MLB Comeback Players of the Year in their respective leagues.

Moustakas lost much of his 2016 season to a torn ACL, but rebounded in a big way this summer. In what was likely the 29-year-old's final season with the Royals, Moustakas broke a 32-year-old franchise record by slugging 38 home runs while slashing .272/.314/.521 (116 OPS+) and adding 24 doubles en route to his second career All-Star appearance.

Holland, Moustakas' former teammate in Kansas City, returned to his All-Star form of old after losing his entire 2016 season to Tommy John surgery. He anchored the Rockies' bullpen by recording an NL-best 41 saves while posting a 3.61 ERA and 1.151 WHIP; he also finished an MLB-high 58 of his 61 games pitched.

The 32-year-old was also an All-Star for the third time, and helped Colorado reach the postseason for the first time since 2009.

Moustakas and Holland are the first players in both Royals and Rockies franchise histories to win MLB's official Comeback Player honors since its creation in 2005.