Miami Marlins pitcher José Fernández was named the National League’s Comeback Player of the Year on Tuesday by his fellow players, one month after he was killed in a boat crash.
Fernández, in his first full season since recovering from Tommy John surgery, finished with a career-high 16 wins, a 2.86 ERA, set a franchise record with 253 strikeouts in 182.1 innings pitched and made his second all-star appearance. His 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings pitched ranked best in the majors.
The 24-year-old was chosen for the award by a panel of 177 NL players, many of whom submitted their ballots before the boat Fernández owned slammed at high speed into a rock jetty off Miami Beach in the early morning of 25 September, killing everyone on board. Emilio Jesus Macias, 27, and 25-year-old Eduardo Rivero also died.
The Sporting News, which sponsors the honor, said it is the first time in 80 years that an award underwritten by the magazine has been bestowed to a player posthumously.
The two-time all-star right-hander was born in Santa Clara, Cuba, and defected to the United States in 2008.
Chosen by the Marlins in the 2011 draft, Fernández went on to become the team’s star pitcher. He was named National League Rookie of the Year and finished third in Cy Young Award voting in 2013.
In 2014, he became the youngest opening day starter since Dwight Gooden in 1986, but suffered a season-ending torn UCL in May that required Tommy John surgery.
