Remembering Jose Fernandez
October 21, 2016Even though he was Cuban-born, South Florida still claims Jose Fernandez as our own. Born in 1992, Fernandez and his family moved to Tampa, Florida, in 2008. Once settled in, Jose’s father set out to help his son better himself as a baseball player. The family knew Orlando Chinea, a famous trainer who had coached many of Cuba’s top pitchers before moving to the states. Fernandez began training with him and playing on his high school baseball team at Braulio Alonso High School.
Early Years
In 2011, after completing high school, Jose Fernandez was selected by the Florida Marlins in the first round of the draft. Fernandez proved his worth to his team quickly. At the beginning of 2012, while pitching for the Greensboro Grasshoppers, he threw the first six innings of a combined no-hitter. He was also chosen to appear in the 2012 All-Star Futures game. With a 14-1 winning record, 1.75 ERA, and 158 strikeouts within 134 innings, he was named the 2012 Marlins’ Minor League Pitcher of the year.
Career High Points
Because of his success, Baseball America named Fernandez as the Marlin’s most promising prospect and 5th best player in the league for the 2013 season. On April 7th, 2013, Jose pitched his first Major League game against the New York Mets. He pitched five innings with only one run on three hits and eight strikeouts. The rest of his rookie season was equally if not more impressive. In fact, it’s considered historic. Jose Fernandez is in the Top 10 pitchers of all-time under the age of 21 because of his 4.2 wins above replacement.
The 2014 and 2015 seasons were riddled with injuries for Jose. He did his best to work through them and returned to the mound as soon as he was able. Just as he was beginning to get his arm back, his baseball career was cut short. His last game was played on September 20, 2016. He pitched eight shutout innings and also struck out 12 batters. He only allowed three hits. Afterward, he told his teammates that it was best game he had ever pitched.
On September 25, 2016 Jose Fernandez along with two of his friends were killed in a tragic boating incident. The entire South Florida area mourned the loss of this incredible athlete and the close friends lost in the accident.
The Miami area is truly one of a kind. As was shown in the way the community rallied around Jose both during life and death, it’s tight knit and close. There is no better place to settle down. If you are searching for Miami real estate, visit www.miamirealestate.com to find your perfect home.
