Tony Conigliaro Award

The Tony Conigliaro Award is a national recognition instituted in 1990 by the Boston Red Sox to honor the memory of Tony Conigliaro. It is given annually to a Major League Baseball (MLB) player who best "overcomes an obstacle and adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination, and courage that were trademarks of Conigliaro."

Conigliaro debuted with the Red Sox in 1964, and was selected to the MLB All-Star Game in the 1967 season. Subsequently, he was hit in the face by a pitch at Fenway Park on August 18, 1967. After missing the rest of the year and all of 1968, he made a comeback in 1969, homering on opening day. He then hit 20 home runs in that season, winning The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award. In 1970, he posted career highs in home runs with 36 and RBIs with 116, but vision problems continued to persist; his performance fell off, and he was never the same player. After a final comeback attempt in 1975, Conigliaro retired at age 30.<ref name=heyward>Template:Cite web</ref>

Conigliaro died in 1990, and the Red Sox instituted the award in his honor.<ref name=grantland>Template:Cite web</ref> A panel is composed of the media, representatives of the commissioner, and the two leagues' offices. The selection is made by a panel of voters and the award is presented at the annual dinner of the Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA), normally held in December or January, by members of the Conigliaro family.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Award winners

^ {{safesubst:#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }}	Indicates multiple award winners in the same year
Template:Double-dagger {{safesubst:#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=|preview=Page using Template:Center with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | style }}	Denotes player who is still active

Year	Player	Team	Adversity overcome	Ref
1990	Template:Sortname	Kansas City Royals	Tourette syndrome	<ref name=grantland/>
1991	Template:Sortname	Philadelphia Phillies	A 1984 beaning very similar to the one that shortened Conigliaro's career	<ref name=grantland/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1992	Template:Sortname	California Angels	Born without a right hand	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1993	Template:Sortname	Chicago White Sox	Hip replacement surgery in 1992	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1994	Template:Sortname	California Angels	Death of 9-month-old son to spinal muscular atrophy during the offseason	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1995	Template:Sortname	Chicago White Sox	Diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1996	Template:Sortname	Montreal Expos	Born deaf	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1997	Template:Sortname	Baltimore Orioles	Diagnosed with colon cancer early that season	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1998	Template:Sortname	Boston Red Sox	Serious shoulder injuries	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1999	Template:Sortname	Florida Marlins	Testicular cancer	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2000^	Template:Sortname	Anaheim Angels	Cerebral hemorrhage	<ref name=saundersmercker>Template:Cite web</ref>
2000^	Template:Sortname	Tampa Bay Devil Rays	Broke arm while throwing a pitch	<ref name=saundersmercker/>
2001^	Template:Sortname	Montreal Expos	Arthroscopic shoulder surgery in 2000, and the death of his wife from Crohn's disease	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2001^	Template:Sortname	Baltimore Orioles	Type 1 diabetes that required Johnson to wear an insulin pump on the field	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2002	Template:Sortname	Cincinnati Reds	Elbow injuries that required five surgeries and sidelined him for five years	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2003	Template:Sortname	Oakland Athletics	Born with two club feet	<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
2004	Template:Sortname	Tampa Bay Devil Rays	Reconstructive knee surgery and Tommy John surgery while in high school	<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
2005	Template:Sortname	Colorado Rockies	Blood clots in both lungs	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2006	Template:Sortname	Pittsburgh Pirates	Born with a club foot (right) and a severely pigeon-toed foot (left)	<ref name=freddy>Template:Cite press release</ref>
2007	Template:Sortname	Boston Red Sox	Diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2006	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2008	Template:Sortname	Tampa Bay Rays	Diagnosed with a mitochondrial disorder that causes chronic muscle fatigue	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2009	Template:Sortname	St. Louis Cardinals	Had Tommy John surgery and nerve problems in his throwing arm	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2010	Template:Sortname	Tampa Bay Rays	Sat out a year after a rotator cuff tear	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2011	Template:Sortname	Chicago Cubs	Diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma as a child	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2012	Template:Sortname	New York Mets	Victim of child sexual abuse, born without an ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2013	Template:Sortname	Boston Red Sox	Underwent Tommy John surgery in 2012	<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
2014	Template:Sortname	Washington Nationals	Kidnapped in 2011, multiple injuries including a torn anterior cruciate ligament, a broken hamate bone, and repeated hamstring strains	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2015	Template:Sortname	St. Louis Cardinals	Delayed baseball career five years while serving in the United States Navy; first Naval Academy graduate to make MLB debut since 1921	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2016	Template:SortnameTemplate:Double-dagger	San Diego Padres	Death of his wife to cancer during the season, caring for their three young daughters	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2017	Template:Sortname	Colorado Rockies	Diagnosed with testicular cancer in November 2016, underwent surgery eight days later, went through chemotherapy until May 2017, and returned to baseball activities one month later	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2018	Template:SortnameTemplate:Double-dagger	Oakland Athletics	Death of his mother to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2019	Template:SortnameTemplate:Double-dagger	Los Angeles Dodgers	Numerous arm injuries and the public announcement of the death of his son Brooks	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2020	Template:SortnameTemplate:Double-dagger	Colorado Rockies	Prior to the 2020 season, had last pitched in MLB in 2013 and had retired from professional baseball in 2017 due to control issues	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2021Template:Dagger	Template:SortnameTemplate:Double-dagger	Baltimore Orioles	Missed 2020 season after being diagnosed with colon cancer in March that year	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2022	Template:SortnameTemplate:Double-dagger	Kansas City Royals	Arduous journey to MLB	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2023	Template:SortnameTemplate:Double-dagger	Chicago White Sox	Non-Hodgkin lymphoma that kept him out of baseball for almost the entire season	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2024	Template:SortnameTemplate:Double-dagger	Boston Red Sox	Had retired from baseball in 2017 following injuries and alcohol abuse, returned and made MLB debut	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:Dagger The award is presented at the annual banquet of the Boston chapter of the BBWAA, which was not held in December 2021, possibly due to the 2021–22 Major League Baseball lockout. The 2021 winner of the Tony Conigliaro Award was instead announced the following year.

See also

• Baseball awards

External links

• Template:Cite web