Jose Fernandez

José Delfín Fernández Gómez (July 31, 1992 – September 25, 2016) was a Cuban-American right-handed pitcher who spent four Major League Baseball seasons with the Miami Marlins, from his debut in 2013 until his death. Listed at 6 feet tall and 243 pounds during his playing days, he earned the nickname "Niño" from teammates and fans for the youthful energy he brought to the game.

Born in Santa Clara, Cuba, Fernández lived on the same street as future MLB shortstop Aledmys Díaz and played youth baseball with him. Díaz’s father and uncle encouraged Fernández’s mother to bring him to the ballpark, and he later credited Díaz’s uncle as an early influence on his professional baseball ambitions. After his stepfather, Ramón Jiménez, defected to Tampa, Florida, in 2005, Fernández made three failed defection attempts, each followed by a prison term. On his fourth try in 2007, at age 15, he successfully escaped with his mother and sister. During the crossing, his mother fell overboard in rough waters, and Fernández dove in to save her. The family reached Mexico and moved to Tampa in 2008.

In Tampa, Ramón connected Fernández with Orlando Chinea, a former Cuban pitching coach who had also defected. Fernández attended Braulio Alonso High School, where his baseball team won Florida Class 6A state titles in his sophomore and senior years. Before his senior season, the Florida High School Athletic Association ruled him ineligible because he had started ninth grade in Cuba in 2006. The Cincinnati Reds were prepared to sign him as an international free agent for a $1.3 million bonus, but Fernández won an appeal to regain eligibility, ending that pursuit. As a senior, he posted a 13–1 record, a 2.35 ERA, and 134 strikeouts, throwing two no-hitters. He committed to the University of South Florida.

The Florida Marlins selected Fernández 14th overall in the first round of the 2011 MLB draft, and he signed for a $2 million bonus. He made one start for the Gulf Coast Marlins and one for the Jamestown Jammers that year. In 2012, pitching for the Greensboro Grasshoppers, he threw the first six innings of a combined no-hitter and was twice named South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week. He appeared in the All-Star Futures Game. After a 7–0 record and 1.59 ERA in 14 games with Greensboro, he was promoted to the Jupiter Hammerheads. He finished the season with a combined 14–1 record, a 1.75 ERA, and 158 strikeouts over 134 innings, earning the Marlins’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year award.

Before the 2013 season, Baseball America ranked Fernández as the Marlins’ top prospect and the fifth-best in baseball. He was invited to spring training but initially sent to minor league camp. However, injuries to Nathan Eovaldi and Henderson Álvarez, along with owner Jeffrey Loria’s hope that promoting Fernández would improve fan relations after a fire sale, led to him making the Opening Day roster. The team planned to limit him to 150–170 innings to protect his development. He was the second-youngest National League player that season, behind only Bryce Harper.

Fernández made his MLB debut on April 7, 2013, against the New York Mets at Citi Field, pitching five innings, allowing one run on three hits, and striking out eight. He became the seventh pitcher since 1916 under age 21 to record at least eight strikeouts in his debut. After a rough outing against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 27, Rays manager Joe Maddon tweeted that Fernández might be the best young pitcher he had ever seen at that age. On July 6, Fernández was named to the National League All-Star team. In the All-Star Game, he pitched a perfect sixth inning, striking out Dustin Pedroia and getting Miguel Cabrera out.

After the season, he won the National League Rookie of the Year Award and finished third in Cy Young Award voting. He underwent Tommy John surgery during the 2014 season and was named to his second All-Star Game in 2016.

Fernández and two other men died in a pre-dawn boating crash into a jetty off the coast of Miami Beach, Florida, on September 25, 2016.