ARLINGTON -- Jake Diekman returned from his Caribbean honeymoon with his wife, Amanda, in time to be at the Texas Rangers Dr Pepper Awards Banquet on Friday night. Diekman was honored as the 2017 winner of the Richard Durrett Hardest Working Man Award and enjoyed every minute of the banquet. Last year's awards dinner was an entirely different situation.
"A year ago, I was six days away from getting surgery," Diekman said. "I was super nervous. Now I'm not nervous at all, about anything. Nothing really bothers me anymore. I feel great. I just get to live now.