The Tony Conigliaro Award is given each year to the MLB player who overcomes an obstacle and adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination, and courage that were trademarks of Tony Conigliaro. Conigliaro was hit in the face by a pitch in 1967. His injuries were so severe that he did not return to the playing field until 1969, homering on Opening Day. Despite his dramatic return, Conigliaro continued to be plagued with vision problems and was forced to retire at age 30. Instituted in 1990 by the Red Sox to honor Conigliaro after his death, the award has been given to 29 players including Rocco Baldelli, Dickie Thon, Jim Abbott, Curtis Pride, and R.A. Dickey. The life stories of these players have been gathered in this book through the collective efforts of 27 authors and editors who are members of SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research. Professional athletes perform seemingly superhuman feats at work every day. While they possess extraordinary skills, they, too, must persevere through human struggles, both physical and personal. Many MLB players have overcome significant adversity, obstacles, and disabilities to achieve their dreams on the diamond. The 29 athletes who have been presented with the Tony Conigliaro Award offer inspirational examples of ballplayers who have overcome significant adversity to enable them to pursue their professional careers. Contents: Introduction by Clayton Trutor The Red Sox and the Tony Conigliaro Award by Bill Nowlin The BBWAA and the Tony Conigliaro Award Tony Conigliaro by Bill Nowlin 1990 - Jim Eisenreich by Scot Johnson 1991 - Dickie Thon by Bob LeMoine 1992 - Jim Abbott by Rick Swaine 1993 - Bo Jackson by Norm King 1994 - Mark Leiter by Clayton Trutor 1995 - Scott Radinksy by Gregory H. Wolf 1996-Curtis Pride by David Laurila 1997 - Eric Davis by Norm King 1998 - Bret Saberhagen by Alan Cohen 1999 - Mike Lowell by Bill Nowlin 2000 - Kent Mercker by Clayton Trutor 2000 - Tony Saunders by David E. Skelton 2001 - Graeme LLoyd by Rory Costello 2001 - Jason Johnson by Ryan Brecker 2002 - Jose Rijo by Charles F. Faber 2003 - Jim Mecir by Rick Swaine 2004 - Dewon Brazelton by Rich Bogovich 2005 - Aaron Cook by Joy Hackenmueller and Bill Nowlin 2006 - Freddy Sanchez by Rich Bogovich 2007 - Jon Lester by Saul Wisnia 2008 - Rocco Baldelli by Eric Frost 2009 - Chris Carpenter by Donna L. Halper 2010 - Joaquin Benoit by Mark Brunke 2011 - Tony Campana by Mark S. Sternman 2012 - R.A. Dickey by Skip Nipper 2013 - John Lackey by Susan Lantz 2014 - Wilson Ramos by Joel Rippel 2015 - Mitch Harris by Mike Huber 2016 - Yangervis Solarte by Gordon Edes Pride and Perseverance: The Topps Baseball Card Set by Bill Nowlin The Hutch Award by Clayton Trutor The Lou Gorman Award