Jose Fernandez may have left us far too soon, but his presence at Marlins Park will remain for quite a while.
The pitcher, who died in September in a boating accident, will be memorialized in a statue standing at least nine feet tall outside his former team’s stadium, according to ESPN.
Fernandez pitched four seasons for the Marlins, winning Rookie of the Year in 2013, finishing second in Cy Young voting in 2016 and posting a career 2.58 ERA. At only 24 years old, the righty was one of the best pitchers in baseball and on his way to a potential Hall of Fame career. The statue outside Marlins Park will commemorate Fernandez’s promise as much as his accomplishments.
Per ESPN, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria has taken the lead on this project, selecting an image of Fernandez and hiring a sculptor.
“It’s something Jeffrey wanted to do personally for Jose and his family and his fans — to have something that would permanently represent what Jose was,” team president David Samson said.
In a Q&A published Thursday, Loria told ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick how much he loved Fernandez and recalled taking the pitcher shopping for cars early in his career.
To some people, Fernandez’s legacy was clouded by the toxicology report that showed he had alcohol and cocaine in his system as the time of the boating accident, and by the state investigation that concluded he was likely the one operating the boat. But Samson said that didn’t affect the Marlins’ desire to memorialize him with a statue.
“It doesn’t change the legacy of Jose in our view,” Samson said. “It is very disappointing. It’s a tragedy. But it doesn’t change our love for him or the fact we want him to be memorialized here at Marlins Park, because he is forever a Marlin.”
Fernandez’s death was of course a tragedy for his friends, family, teammates and all others who knew him. But on a much smaller scale, it was a tragedy for the thousands of fans who won’t be able to watch him pitch at Marlins Park ever again. A statue outside will have to do.
