In the early morning of September 25^th, 2016, police discovered three deceased men off the coast of Miami Beach, their boat upside down on a jetty. One of the bodies found was that of Miami Marlins star pitcher Jose Fernandez. He was only twenty four years old and was arguably the best pitcher in baseball’s modern era. Before we go any further, we should take a moment to look back at Jose’s journey to the big leagues. In 2007, Fernandez, along with his mother and sister, had defected from Cuba. They had failed three times and on the fourth attempt, after hitting rough waters, Jose’s mother fell overboard and he jumped into the ocean to save her. After moving to Tampa in 2008, Fernandez began to hone his craft while playing on his high school baseball team. In his senior season, he posted a 13-1 win-loss record with a 2.35 ERA, 134 strikeouts, and two no-hitters.

In the 2011 MLB draft, the Florida Marlins (now known as the Miami Marlins) selected Fernandez with the 14^th overall pick. In 2013, Jose made his first all-star game appearance and was named Sporting News Rookie of the Year and National League Rookie of the Year. On July 12^th, 2016, Fernandez made his second all-star game appearance. Up until his untimely passing, his career numbers were eye-popping: a 38-17 win-loss record with a 2.58 ERA and 589 strikeouts. To honor Fernandez on that tragic day, the Marlins canceled their game against the Atlanta Braves and teams around the league had a moment of silence and hung his jersey in their dugouts and clubhouses. On September 26th, 2016, the Marlins retired his jersey and wore it later that day for their game against the Braves. The city of Miami held a public memorial and funeral for Fernandez on September 28^th. Just a week before, Fernandez had announced that his girlfriend was pregnant with their first child.

Today, we can’t help but reflect on the life and career of Jose Fernandez and remember his positive personality, infectious smile, and dominant performance on the mound. We take comfort and solace in the fact that Fernandez, whose life was cut short, was one of the most promising pitchers to date in the MLB.