Kansas City Royals

Royal ties: Moose, Holland win comeback player awards

Published Dec. 1, 2017 3:14 p.m. ET

A beloved Royals free agent and a former Royal were honored Friday as their respective leagues' Comeback Player of the Year.

Third baseman Mike Moustakas, who became a free agent this offseason, won the American League's award as presented by Major League Baseball. He previously won similar honors from The Sporting News and the MLB Players’ Choice Awards.

Rockies closer Greg Holland, who pitched for the Royals from 2010-15, was the National League winner.

Moustakas, 29, played only 27 games in 2016 before suffering a season-ending torn ACL. He bounced back with the best season of his career, slugging a franchise-record 38 home runs, tied for fifth in the AL. He also set career highs in runs (75), RBIs (85), slugging percentage (.521) and total bases (289). He was an All-Star for the second time in his career.

Moustakas has 119 homers, 379 RBIs and a .251 batting average in a career that began with the Royals in 2011.

Holland, who sat out the 2016 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, posted 41 saves with Colorado last season.