This article answers a focused question: has anyone won the Comeback Player of the Year more than once, and what does that mean for people watching or wagering on futures? We will provide verified examples, explain how voters typically decide these awards, and give a concise checklist you can use to judge candidates. The focus is practical: identify the verified multi-time winners, clarify why repeat wins remain exceptional, and translate that history into actionable considerations for markets and odds.

Multi-time Comeback Player of the Year winners exist in MLB and the NFL, but they are rare.

Repeat wins follow clear medical recovery and rapid role restoration, not small improvements.

Bettors should prioritize early usage and confirmed playing time when evaluating CPOY odds.

Quick answer and why this matters for comeback player of the year odds

Short answer: yes. There are verified multi-time Comeback Player of the Year winners in major U.S. leagues, specifically in MLB and the NFL, while the NBA s brief Comeback Player honor from the 1980s produced no repeat winners and was later discontinued. MLB coverage of recent winners provides context

For bettors and fans checking comeback player of the year odds, the practical takeaway is this: repeat wins happen but are exceptional, and they usually follow major absences or clear returns to top form rather than modest improvements. Learn more on our blog

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Read on for the verified examples and a short checklist you can use to judge whether a given player is a realistic repeat candidate.

Definition and context: what the Comeback Player of the Year award is across leagues

The Comeback Player of the Year recognizes a player who returns to impact play after a significant interruption such as a major injury, extended absence, or career slump. Leagues keep different naming conventions and selection mechanics, but the central idea is the same: reward an impactful return to form. League overviews and award pages summarize the intent behind the honor and list yearly recipients.

In MLB the award highlights players who recovered performance after injury, long slumps, or other interruptions, and league reporting often emphasizes the narrative as well as the statistical comeback MLB's Comeback Player of the Year overview

The AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year is similarly framed around return from injury or setbacks and is tracked in historical award tables that show how voters have rewarded dramatic recoveries.

The NBA experimented with a Comeback Player recognition in the 1980s but discontinued the award after a short run; historical summaries list those winners and note the award's discontinuation NBA historical winners and context

How award decisions typically work - a simple framework to read odds and narratives

Who votes and how matters for reading lines: MLB honors and NFL AP awards are shaped by panels and media voters whose criteria blend measurable performance with comeback narrative. Knowing the voter base helps you weight what markets price.

Voters look for clear, measurable signals: return-to-form statistics, number of games played, role and usage on the team, and the broader comeback story such as surgery or time missed. Historical award lists and methodology summaries explain these tendencies.

Pro-Football-Reference's AP CPOY table

Has anyone won the Comeback Player of the Year more than once?

Yes. MLB and the NFL have produced multi-time Comeback Player of the Year winners, though such repeats are rare and usually tied to unambiguous recoveries that restore a player to a primary role.

When you read preseason odds, treat them as probability-weighted narratives: sportsbooks and markets are pricing the combination of expected performance and the plausibility of a full recovery.

Which performance signals sway voters

Key measurable elements are straightforward: games played and durability, counting stats that show volume, rate stats that show retained quality, and direct role restoration such as returning to a starting lineup or primary rotation role.

These signals matter because voters reward demonstrable impact. A player who returns and immediately resumes a high-usage role typically attracts more attention than someone who posts modest improvements in limited minutes.

Historical multi-time winners: the verified cases in MLB and the NFL

Documented examples of players who won Comeback Player awards more than once are rare but exist in MLB and the NFL. Below are the verified cases and the simple facts about each comeback.

Buster Posey was named an MLB Comeback Player of the Year in 2012 and again after a resurgent season in 2021

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Francisco Liriano is an unusual case who won the award twice in MLB, earning the American League honor in 2010 and the National League recognition in 2013, a rare instance of winning across both leagues MLB report on Liriano's NL award

On the NFL side, Chad Pennington remains the only two-time AP Comeback Player of the Year recipient, winning in 2006 and 2008 after returning from significant injuries and delivering measurable team impact coverage of Pennington's second AP award

These cases are instructive because each involved a clearly visible return to a meaningful role and performance levels that voters could easily compare to a prior baseline.

Betting implications in 2026: applying history to comeback player of the year odds

History shows that bettors should favor clear medical recoveries with strong early usage as the most reliable signals for CPOY futures. Past winners who repeated did so after unambiguous rebounds in role and results, not gradual improvements.

Because repeat winners are exceptional, markets should reflect a low baseline probability for multiple honors; odds will generally shorten only when there is both a recovery narrative and quick evidence of restored impact.

Quick checklist to score a comeback candidacy

Injury severity
Expected role
Projected playing time
Early usage
Early performance

Use as a simple 0 to 2 score per field

Watch early-season usage and injury updates closely. Those two signals often cause the largest in-season movement in futures because they directly change the probability voters will view the return as full rather than partial MLB reporting on comeback impact

As a practical rule, avoid assigning high repeat probability before you see baseline role restoration; most bookmakers and markets will already price in plausible single-season rebounds.

How to evaluate a player's CPOY odds step-by-step checklist

Preseason signals to check

Injury history: confirm the nature and recovery timeline for surgeries or long layoffs. A clear surgical road to recovery typically offers a stronger case than vague rehab reports.

Projected role: check depth charts and team statements for whether the player is expected to resume a starter or primary role. Role restoration is a primary driver of award chances.

Minimalist 2D vector of a football helmet and flying football over stylized stadium representing comeback player of the year odds in a dark Funded Plays color palette

In-season tracking metrics that matter

Early usage rate and games played: tally how quickly a player reaches consistent playing time. That early sample is what moves odds most at sportsbooks and on prediction platforms.

Rate and counting stats: measure both. A player who posts strong rate stats in limited duty can still lag behind a returning starter who posts solid counting numbers over many games.

Simple rubric to translate narrative into odds movement: treat each strong checklist signal as a modest probability bump, and require multiple signals for large moves.

Typical mistakes and betting pitfalls when backing comeback players

Recency bias: bettors often overweight the most recent positive performance without checking role or sample size. That can lead to overpaying for a short flash of form.

Narrative bias: a compelling story will move public money even when the underlying outlook is uncertain. Separate the story from the measurable signals before staking on futures coverage illustrates vote drivers in high-profile comebacks

Data pitfalls: small sample sizes and preseason hype can create misleading impressions. Practical fix: wait for consistent usage and a track record of games played before treating odds as fair.

Short case scenarios: three quick examples of how odds might move

Example A star returns from season-ending surgery: If a high-usage player resumes a full starting role and posts top-tier volume in the first months, odds should tighten quickly because voters prize restored impact; this mirrors many past comeback wins.

Example B veteran returns after retirement and has a role change: If the role is limited or primarily situational, odds should move only slightly unless usage expands, because voters tend to reward sustained, high-impact returns.

Example C player with a minor slump returns to previous form: Small rebounds in limited minutes rarely change futures markets much; those cases rarely convert into award votes compared to large recoveries.

Conclusion and takeaways for readers checking comeback player of the year odds

Bottom line: multi-time Comeback Player of the Year winners exist in MLB and the NFL but are rare, and the NBA had no repeat winners before the award was discontinued. The verified cases show that decisive, high-impact returns are what voters reward.

Three immediate action items: prioritize role restoration, verify medical and usage details before betting, and discount narrative-only moves until the early-season sample confirms impact. For the documented examples and their context, refer back to the historical cases above.

Can a player win Comeback Player of the Year more than once?

Yes. There are documented multi-time winners in MLB and the NFL, but repeat wins are uncommon and usually follow major recoveries or returns to a primary role.

Which leagues have produced multiple CPOY winners?

MLB and the NFL have produced multi-time Comeback Player of the Year winners; the NBA had a short-lived version of the award in the 1980s with no repeat winners.

When should I consider betting CPOY futures?

Consider betting when a player shows clear medical recovery and early-season role restoration; avoid reacting to narrative-only reports without usage evidence.

Use the checklist and the early-season signals described here to separate compelling comeback cases from narrative hype. Historical winners offer strong examples of what voters reward, and that pattern should guide disciplined decisions when you view comeback player of the year odds. If you want structured practice applying these rules, consider tracking a few candidates through the preseason and the first month of play to see how usage and performance change the probability picture.