Major League Baseball’s Comebacks of the Year authors for the 2023 season are Liam Hendriks and Cody Bellinger, it was announced Tuesday.
Hendriks is the receiver at the American. Last December, the pitcher, who wore the colors of the Chicago White Sox in 2023, was diagnosed with cancer, stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
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After undergoing chemotherapy and receiving confirmation that he was in remission, the 34-year-old right-hander returned to the mound in late May. However, his season ended in June due to a right elbow injury. He also underwent “Tommy John”-style surgery in August.
However, the currently free agent has every intention of returning to the mound in 2024.
A rreturn into force
In the National Championship, Bellinger earned the honor after coming back brilliantly after two very difficult seasons.
In 2021 and 2022, the outfielder had a .193 batting average and hit just 29 home runs in over 800 plate appearances. It was a far cry from the standards that allowed him to win the 2017 Rookie of the Year and 2019 MVP titles in the National Championship.
The Dodgers decided not to offer him a new contract after the 2022 season, and the athlete signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs. Bellinger had a .307 batting average and threw the ball out 26 times in 130 games for the Illinois club.