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| Rob Foldy/Getty Images North America |
It almost feels rude of me to be shaken by Jose Fernandez’s death.
I’m not a Marlins fan. I’m nowhere near Cuban. And in reality, I probably only watched him pitch a handful of times. But I am human, and that’s the only qualification needed to feel heartbroken.
Jose Fernandez was everything you wanted out of a person, let alone a professional athlete. He had a big heart and the biggest smile you’ll ever see. He risked it all and worked hard for what he wanted, and never took a second of his well-deserved success for granted. His love and devotion to his friends and family sets a precedent that I intend to follow.
On the field, he was one of the game’s best pitchers, but his stats only tell part of the story. Not only was he the favorite son of Cuba, but he was idolized and respected by people of all backgrounds. He helped usher in a new era of baseball in which players ripped up MLB’s notorious “unwritten rules” and began having fun and expressing themselves as they saw fit. He reenergized a helpless fanbase and gave the Marlins their brightest future in franchise history.
What makes his far-reaching legacy as impressive as it is tragic is that at the age of 24, Fernandez was just getting started. There was so much left for him to give, both on and off the field.
To many, he was already on a path to Cooperstown. And as we annually question the authenticity of a player’s statistics or his character, there would’ve been no doubts here. It’s easy to picture a grayed Fernandez, giving a moving speech in front of tens of thousands of fans as he becomes only the second Cuban MLBer and the very first Marlin inducted into the Hall of Fame. It wasn’t as far-fetched as it is now.
Then again, Jose Fernandez’s life was never going to be summed up by a plaque. He meant more to the game and the world than we can process right now. But an entire generation of baseball fans learned how to love the game, as well as each other, because of him. Future generations will watch highlights, look up stats, and fall for that infectious smile like we all did.
I look forward to the day Major League Baseball is filled with players who grew up with Fernandez as their role model. If there’s one thing this sport needs most, it’s more players like Jose Fernandez, and it’s exciting to say that MLB will soon have plenty of them.
