[ot-caption title=”Jose Fernandez’s was more than the Marlins’ pitcher. (via ArturoPardavilaIII/flickr)”]

Jose Fernandez tragically died on September 25 in a boating accident.  He was 24 years old.  He was the ace of the pitching staff on the Miami Marlins and carried a 2.58 ERA and went 38-17 through his short career. Fernandez was one of the premier pitchers in major league baseball. He won the 2013 MLB Rookie of the Year in the NL and was a two time all-star. All of these stats show how talented of a baseball player Fernandez was, but they don’t even begin to show the true characteristics of Fernandez that made him so great.  [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Competitors and teammates alike loved him for his tenacious spirit and passion for the game. This was proven by the tributes from all major league teams this week to his legacy, as well as, his own team, the Marlins, all wearing his number in Tuesday’s game versus the Mets. The Marlins also plan on retiring his number after the year is over. Many players around the MLB also paid tribute by writing “JF16″ on their hats. The support from the baseball community was truly amazing. [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

He was a caring player who was heavily involved in the local community as well as in multiple charities. He meant so much to the Cuban-American community in Miami. Fernandez migrated to the US at 15 on his 4th defection attempt from Cuba. In this defection attempt, his mother fell into the water and Fernandez heroically saved her. He came to the US and instantly became a baseball sensation and overtook the sport with his electric curveball. Fernandez will be remembered as a kid at heart who really just loved to play ball. [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

He was taken from the South Florida community and baseball too soon on Sunday.  This tragedy is even more horrific because his girlfriend, Maria Arias, is four months pregnant. His agent, Scott Boras, kindly tried to help by creating a trust fund for Fernandez’s daughter. Fernandez will never be forgotten in Miami and in baseball.  [spacer height=”10px” id=”2″]

Sources:  USA Today, WSVN, The Score, Baseball Reference