New York ? Jim Thome and Nomar Garciaparra were among 12 finalists selected Monday to vie for the comeback player of the year awards in the AL and NL. Thome and Garciaparra have bounced back from injury-plagued seasons with new clubs.

Thome, traded by Philadelphia to the Chicago White Sox in the offseason, is joined by Magglio Ordonez of Detroit, Corey Patterson of Baltimore, Curt Schilling of Boston, Frank Thomas of Oakland, and Rafael Soriano of Seattle as American League finalists.

Garciaparra, now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, was nominated on the NL side along with New York’s Carlos Beltran, Florida closer Joe Borowski, Johnny Estrada of Arizona, Edgar Renteria of Atlanta and Scott Rolen of St. Louis.