The Nippon Professional Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award is given to one player in each league of Central League and Pacific League.
It is given to a player who makes a major comeback from an illness, injury, or a long-term slump. The Pacific and Central leagues have different criteria for the award, with the Pacific League having a much stricter criteria.The award is also not an annual award and is only given on occasion if a player meets the criteria specified by each league.
Yūdai Ōno won the award in 2025, the first Central League player to win the award since Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2018. The most recent Pacific League to win the Comeback Player of the Year was Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes player in 2001.
NPB Comeback Player of the Year Award YearPlayerTeamLeagueKōzō IshiokaYakult SwallowsCentralSōhachi AniyaHanshin TigersCentralKazuhide FunadaYakult SwallowsCentralKeishi AsanoYomiuri GiantsCentralOsamu NomuraTaiyo WhalesCentralToshiyuki MimuraHiroshima Toyo CarpCentralKenichi YazawaChunichi DragonsCentralHiromitsu KadotaNankai HawksPacificTaira FujitaHanshin TigersCentralTakamasa SuzukiChunichi DragonsCentral Choji MurataLotte OrionsPacificTsunemi TsudaHiroshima Toyo CarpCentralTōru SugiuraYakult SwallowsCentralHisao NiuraTaiyo WhalesCentralShuzo AritaYomiuri GiantsCentralTakashi NishimotoChunichi DragonsCentralTakayoshi NakaoYomiuri GiantsCentralSadaaki YoshimuraYomiuri GiantsCentralKazuhiko EndoTaiyo WhalesCentral Kazuyoshi OnoKintetsu BuffaloesPacificKazuyuki ShiraiNippon-Ham FightersAkimitsu ItoYakult SwallowsCentralKenjiro KawasakiYakult SwallowsCentralToshikatsu HikonoChunichi DragonsCentralShinichi KatoHiroshima CarpCentralTomohito ItoYakult SwallowsCentralTakashi SaitoYokohama BayStarsCentralTatsuji NishimuraFukuoka Daiei HawksPacificShōji TōyamaHanshin TigersCentralHitoshi TanedaChunichi DragonsCentralToshihide NarimotoHanshin TigersCentralOsaka Kintetsu BuffaloesPacificTomonori MaedaHiroshima Toyo CarpCentralMasafumi HiraiChunichi DragonsCentralKen SuzukiYakult SwallowsCentralHiroki KokuboYomiuri GiantsCentralKeiichi HiranoHanshin TigersCentralKan OtakeHiroshima Toyo CarpCentralShohei TateyamaTokyo Yakult SwallowsCentralHitoki IwaseChunichi DragonsCentralDaisuke MatsuzakaChunichi DragonsCentralYūdai ŌnoChunichi DragonsCentral Source
See also Nippon Professional Baseball#Awards Baseball awards#Japan Major League Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award
References