MY BEST COMEBACK ATHLETES OF 2018

Who doesn’t love a good comeback story? Whether its pop culture or sports, seeing somebody return to the limelight is usually a lot of fun. Here are some of my choices for comeback athletes of the year. They were all returning in 2018 from something, and they all excelled to some degree.

JAMES CONNER

Conner returned from cancer once himself, but the injury he was fighting back from this time was an MCL tear he suffered as a rookie. Meanwhile, Le’Veon Bell’s holdout put more attention/pressure on the former Pitt Panther turned Pittsburgh Steeler. All Conner has done is make people ask “Le’Veon who?” He might turn out to be a Pro Bowler, and a steal.

JJ WATT

Watt was a truly dominant defensive force, one of the greatest the NFL has ever seen. Then, he spent most of 2016 and 2017 dealing with injuries. Fortunately for the Texans, Watt has been healthy in 2018, and he has double-digit sacks once again. He may not win Defensive Player of the Year, but he’s a force once more.

TIGER WOODS

Rooting for Tiger Woods can be awkward, but it’s been strange to see arguably the best golfer of all time struggle through injuries and (seeming) mental blocks for years. Finally, this year he was able to win a tournament, and he also finished in the top 10 in two majors. Regardless of how you feel about Tiger, it was momentous.

GORDON HAYWARD

Hayward hasn’t been his usual self this season, but the fact he’s on the court is all that matters. In the season opener last year, the newly minted Celtic suffered a brutal leg injury. The fact he’s back playing at all certainly qualifies him for this list.

ANDREW LUCK

After Luck was unable to play at all in 2017 with a shoulder issue, some worried he might never play again. Instead, he’s returned to action for the Colts, and Frank Reich has unlocked something new in the first-overall pick out of Stanford. He’s gone from question mark to outside MVP candidate.

DESHAUN WATSON

Watson took the NFL by storm as a rookie last season, before an ACL tear took him down. He returned healthy to start 2018, but while he hasn’t been quite as magic, the Texans seem primed to win the AFC South with the Clemson product at the helm.

SERENA WILLIAMS

A lot of comeback players are returning from serious injuries which, frankly, are kind of a bummer. So here’s a more positive return story: After taking time off to have a child, Williams was back on the court in 2018. It was a slow start, but eventually she turned it around. Serena ended up making two Grand Slam Tournament finals, though she wasn’t able to win either one.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC

Williams was arguably the top female tennis player in the world before her absence. That was also the case for Djokovic before he had to have elbow surgery. His return to tennis was a little more successful than Serena’s, as he won two of the Grand Slam Tournaments he played in.

MILES MIKOLAS

Mikolas’ MLB career started ignominiously. He played three seasons spread across the Padres and Rangers before he had to head to Japan to keep his career going. However, his three years with the Yomiuri Giants served him well, as his success there led to a second chance at the majors. This time, he had a 2.83 ERA with the St. Louis Cardinals, made the All-Star Game and even got some Cy Young votes.

BRIAN BOYLE

Boyle’s comeback technically began at the end of 2017. Late in that year, he was diagnosed with leukemia but was able to return by November. In 2018, though, he really took things to the next level. Boyle was named as a replacement in the All-Star Game, and was also winner of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, the NHL's award for sportsmanship and perseverance. In October, he announced he was in remission. To cap things off, on Nov. 5, Hockey Fights Cancer Night, he recorded his first career hat trick.

KAWHI LEONARD

You may want to put an asterisk on Leonard, as his absence last season may have been extended by his lack of desire to keep playing for the Spurs. Regardless, he got traded to the Raptors, and he’s back to his MVP form. Hey, a comeback is a comeback.

GYASI ZARDES

Not all that long ago, Zardes was starring for the Los Angeles Galaxy and looked like a future cog in the United States soccer team. Things took a dive for Zardes, and last year he scored only two goals in 24 games with the Galaxy. That got him traded to the Columbus Crew. There, he was able to get his proverbial groove back. Zardes scored 19 goals in 33 games and was named the MLS Comeback Player of the Year.

ROBIN LEHNER

Lehner was once the goalie of the future for the Ottawa Senators, but after a couple of down years he was traded to the Sabres. It seemed like he had found his new home, but then he posted a 3.01 GAA and .908 save percentage last season. In the offseason, though, the Swedish goalie was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and sought treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. Now he’s excelling with the Islanders, and he has hopefully found his footing in life.

ILYA KOVALCHUK

Kovalchuk was an elite goal scorer in his first stint in the NHL, and he also signed a comically long contract that changed the rules of NHL deals. Then he decided he wanted to ply his trade in the KHL, “retiring” from the NHL in the process. This offseason, Kovalchuk decided to return to the NHL, signing with the Kings. He now leads them in scoring.

THOMAS GREISS

Greiss was pretty bad in the 2017-18 season. OK, actually he was terrible. His 3.82 GAA was the highest among qualified goalies, and his .892 save percentage wasn’t any better. This year, though, with Barry Trotz now coaching the Islanders, things have gone much better. Perhaps Greiss can’t sustain his numbers, but this will count as a comeback season unless he completely falls off a cliff.

BEN SIMMONS

A lot was expected from Simmons after he was selected first overall. Then he suffered a leg injury that kept him out for his entire first season on the 76ers roster. Crucially, it wasn’t technically his rookie season, though, which ended up coming into play. When the Australian took the court, he became a point guard in a center’s body, and Simmons ended up winning Rookie of the Year this summer. Donovan Mitchell may have been unhappy, but by the letter of the law Simmons earned it.

DE'AARON FOX

Sure, it was only one season, but as a rookie Fox looked lost with the Kings. It seemed like the fifth-overall pick would become another victim of the black hole that is Sacramento. Then this season happened. The Kings have gone from playing at the NBA’s slowest pace to the fastest, perfect for a player with jets like Fox. Now, after finishing as a below-replacement-level player as a rookie, Fox could win Most Improved this season.

MATT KEMP

For a little while, Kemp was a star with the Dodgers. He should have won an MVP in 2011. Then he started to get injured, and get worse, and he bounced around the majors. When he ended up back in Los Angeles last offseason, it seemed like he would be glued to the bench. Instead, Kemp started the season hot and even became an All-Star again. He cooled down after the All-Star break, but by any measure he was not unlike a phoenix in Los Angeles (while playing the occasional road game in Phoenix).

JURICKSON PROFAR

For a period of time, Profar was considered by some the best prospect in baseball. It just never clicked. He struggled to stay healthy, and when he was on the field he often struggled there too. The word “bust” could have been bandied about. Finally he was able to stay healthy, and everything broke right. Profar hit 20 homers, stole 10 bases and finished with 2.9 fWAR.

RICK PORCELLO

In 2016, Porcello surprisingly won a Cy Young. Last year, nothing went right, as he finished with a 4.60 FIP with an 11-17 record. This season the former Tiger, and current Red Sox hurler, bounced back. He struck out more batters, allowed fewer homers and saw his FIP drown to 4.01 (and xFIP to 3.87).

DAVID PRICE

Price was fighting history this postseason. You surely heard the narrative. “Price chokes in the playoffs” they said. He had failed to win 11 straight playoff starts, posting an 0-9 record with a 6.03 ERA in the process. This year Price got another shot with the Red Sox. He picked up three postseason wins with Boston and ended up with a 3.46 ERA in 26 innings. The Sox won the World Series. Price exorcised his demons. You could see the weight lifted from his shoulders.