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I know I'm going way off the board here by writing about baseball but this is one of those stories that transcends sport.
Some of you may have heard that "a baseball player" died in a boating accident in Miami yesterday. Here's the thing though, Fernandez wasn't just "a baseball player." He was one the greats.
Jose Fernandez was undoubtedly the best player drafted in 2011. He won rookie of the year in 2013. Since he came into the league, no pitcher was striking out more batters per nine innings. He was the Marlins' franchise player and he was quickly becoming a perennial MVP and Cy Young candidate. He was easily one of the top five right-handers in ALL of baseball. And then there's the human factor.
Fernandez had attempted with his family on several occasions to defect from Cuba to the United States before successfully coming to America as a teenager. During the trip across he saved his mother from drowning in the dark of night. He was awarded his US citizenship recently and was eventually able to bring his grandmother to the States as well. Fernandez was an icon among Cuban-Americans and the Latino community in southern Florida. He was a soon-to-be father of a baby girl and only 24-years-old.
Some of you may have heard that "a baseball player" died in a boating accident in Miami yesterday. Here's the thing though, Fernandez wasn't just "a baseball player." He was one the greats.
Jose Fernandez was undoubtedly the best player drafted in 2011. He won rookie of the year in 2013. Since he came into the league, no pitcher was striking out more batters per nine innings. He was the Marlins' franchise player and he was quickly becoming a perennial MVP and Cy Young candidate. He was easily one of the top five right-handers in ALL of baseball. And then there's the human factor.
Fernandez had attempted with his family on several occasions to defect from Cuba to the United States before successfully coming to America as a teenager. During the trip across he saved his mother from drowning in the dark of night. He was awarded his US citizenship recently and was eventually able to bring his grandmother to the States as well. Fernandez was an icon among Cuban-Americans and the Latino community in southern Florida. He was a soon-to-be father of a baby girl and only 24-years-old.
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