"Fans love a good comeback story, and baseball arguably produces the most of any sport. Each season, there are at least a handful of players who once built strong reputations, only to fall on hard times -- through underperformance or, more often, injury -- and are forced to start fresh with a new club. Then, somehow, they manage to rediscover what made them great in the first place."
"Age 27 or older. (So, well past the prospect stage.) Had either a 2-WAR season earlier in their career, or at least 3 WAR over the three seasons before their drop-off. (They were at least pretty decent before.) Produced fewer than 2 WAR in the preceding season. (They fell off meaningfully.) Changed teams. (A key factor, with the new team doing the "reclaiming.") Either had 2+ WAR or improved by 2 or more WAR year-over-year. (The rebound year.)"
Baseball generates frequent comeback stories as players recover from underperformance or injury to rediscover prior excellence. Reclamation projects are defined by age (27+), prior performance thresholds (a 2-WAR season or 3 WAR over three seasons), a meaningful drop (fewer than 2 WAR in the previous season), a team change, and a rebound (2+ WAR or a 2+ WAR improvement year-over-year). Fifteen 2025 players met those criteria: Jesus Luzardo, Matthew Boyd, Merrill Kelly, Harrison Bader, Ramon Laureano, Aroldis Chapman, Adrian Houser, Carson Kelly, Gleyber Torres, Lucas Giolito, Clay Holmes, Mike Yastrzemski, Jhoan Duran, David Bednar, and Brad Keller. Similar candidates for 2026 are already identifiable.
Read at ESPN.com
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