Zack Wheeler won the Major League Baseball Players Association Players Choice Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Wheeler was also diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome after having surgery for a blood clot last season. He did not pitch after Aug. 15 last season, and there were serious concerns about whether he would ever play again. It was a serious diagnosis with implications outside of baseball.
However, he came back to post a 3.00 ERA in 28 starts. His resilience and comeback earned him an honor from his fellow players.
"These guys know what it takes to get through that or at least try," Wheeler said in a video posted by the MLBPA. "And having their vote for what I went through and how I've performed coming out of it really means a lot to me."
"I just want to say thank you to my fellow players, the guys I compete against for voting me National League Comeback Player of the Year," he added. "It means everything to me, my family."
Wheeler is 36 years old, but he proved he has some great baseball left in the tank. His fellow players recognized how good he is, and how big of an accomplishment it was for him to return to the mound this year.
"Having the success he's had this year has been outstanding and it's really cool to watch and see a guy, obviously at his age, have the success and being able to work through everything and come out on the other side a lot stronger," likely National League Cy Young Award winner Jacob Misiorowski said.