The late Jose Fernandez is Sporting News’ 2016 National League Comeback Player of the Year, as selected by a panel of 177 NL players.

In the last start of Jose Fernandez’s life, everything came together.

He used his changeup more. He kept his pitches under control. He pitched inside. He dominated — again.

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The coaching he’d received and the work he’d done in his first full season recovered from Tommy John surgery all came to fruition as he held the Nationals to three hits over eight innings while striking out 12.

His comeback appeared complete, and a Jose Fernandez 2.0 seemed to have emerged.

The 1-0 win served both as an emphatic stamp and untimely end to a stellar 2016 season in which Fernandez went 16-8 with a 2.86 ERA and 253 strikeouts in 29 starts, leading his peers to select him as the 2016 Sporting News NL Comeback Player of the Year.

Voting for the award took place among National League players during September, with many ballots submitted before Fernandez’s death in a boating accident Sept. 25. It’s the first time in 80 years that a Sporting News baseball honor has been given to a player posthumously.

Though Fernandez had shown the league he was back well before that last start, his comeback journey was perhaps best illustrated by his final 111 pitches against the Nationals.

“Lights out” is how Marlins manager Don Mattingly describes it, telling Sporting News it was the best start he’d seen from the 24-year-old during his time as Marlins manager.

Everyone was pleased, Fernandez included.

“He felt like he was growing as a pitcher,” Mattingly said, noting that Fernandez was trying to develop a more well-rounded approach on the mound, rather than trying to strike everyone out. “He was just excited about growing as a pitcher.”

Fernandez came onto the MLB scene in 2013 and went 12-6 in a campaign that saw him make the All-Star team en route to being named NL and Sporting News Rookie of the Year. That version of Fernandez was scary enough for batters, meaning this new, maturing Fernandez was a nightmare.

He averaged 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings, which led the NL, and his 253 Ks were good for second-best in the league.

In simple terms, he had established himself — again — as one of the league’s best pitchers.

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But, by all accounts, Fernandez took nothing for granted. He worked hard. “Competitor” is the word used most often. He wanted to be the best — and he wanted to get the best of opponents, even if those opponents were his own teammates when he threw batting practice.

“These guys are not my teammates right now,” he would say, according to Mattingly. “That competitiveness about pitching is the first thing I noticed about him, how much he loved pitching and competing.”

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And, of course, it’s hard to talk about Fernandez without discussing the joy he brought to the diamond.

Unlike any other pitcher he’s ever been around, Mattingly said, Fernandez never treated his start days — Jose Days, as they were called around the clubhouse — as a zoned-in, leave-me-alone time.

“He was just like always. Bouncing around, talking, dancing,” Mattingly said. “During the game, he was up and down the dugout. He wasn’t a guy who would sit there, locked in and focused. …. He could be talking about anything during that game. … He’d be excited like he wasn’t even pitching that day.”

Dominant pitcher and dugout cheerleader. Serious competitor and playful spirit. Fernandez could do both on the same day. Imagine that. And do both he did often in 2016.

Fernandez was pleased with how his season was going, Mattingly said. He was glad his new, controlled approach was paying off. He felt good about his comeback, and he would’ve taken the Comeback Player of the Year Award in his typical joyous fashion, Mattingly said.

“He would’ve been really excited. He was excited about everything to do with pitching,” he said. “He was a different kid. … But he had this energy, this love for (baseball), that you can’t hardly explain.

“He would love this.”

Fernandez is the third Marlin to win the SN comeback award, following Darren Daulton (1997) and Casey McGehee (2014).

VOTING RESULTS

1. Jose Fernandez, Miami Marlins-70

2. Tanner Roark, Washington Nationals-27

3. Rich Hill, Los Angeles Dodgers-17

4. Wilson Ramos, Washington Nationals-14

5. Jean Segura, Arizona Diamondbacks-12

6. Dustin McGowan, Miami Marlins-10

7. Wil Myers, San Diego Padres-10

8. Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals-5

9. Dan Straily, Cincinnati Reds-4

Other-8

THIS WEEK’S SN AWARD SCHEDULE

Monday: Rookies of the Year (AL and NL) and Managers of the Year (AL and NL)

Tuesday: Comeback Players of the Year (AL and NL)

Wednesday: AL All-Star Team | NL All-Star Team

Thursday: MLB Player of the Year