Thank You Jose Fernandez

When I imagined writing a post about Jose Fernandez, I thought it would be about him breaking records or entering the Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, this post is not about that.

On September 25th, 2016, the world lost baseball’s best friend in a late night boating accident and the baseball world stood still. All teams honored him in their own special way; many hung jersey’s with his last name and number in their dugouts, David Ortiz offered a moment of silence for him instead of being honored for his retirement this year. And Jose’s team, the Miami Marlins, cancelled their game that Sunday.

What was it about Jose Fernandez that everyone loved him so much? For once, his story of how he got here is a true American Dream story. To make his dream a reality, he made multiple attempts to come to the US from his native Cuba, arrested at least twice, but did not give up. He finally crossed the waters and came with his mother to play.

He credits his love of baseball to his grandmother, who taught him about the game and was one of his biggest supporters. She eventually came to the U.S and was able to see Jose play on the field. His relationship with his mother and grandmother was one that touched our hearts and showed how important family is to him and how important family should be.

Anyone who has met Jose or has seen Jose play can attest that he is one of the kindest and loving people they have met. He had such a love for the game and his teammates that was utterly contagious to everyone he’s touched. The passion that he had while playing and watching the game showed how much this sport meant to him. It showed him living in the moment and just being grateful for living his dream.

One undeniable detail is his talent. Jose clearly was born and made for this sport and his numbers didn’t lie. Even going through Tommy John surgery, that didn’t stop him from leaving his mark in the baseball world. Making appearances 2 All Star Games, breaking Marlins club records for pitchers and winning Rookie of the Year for 2013. In a short amount of time, he grabbed the attention of many fans and experts who could not believe how good he was and can only imagine the great things he could do in a few more years. Sadly, we won’t be able to know how much more he could have done.

But this post is not one to be upset over. This is an appreciation and gratitude post. So I just want to take this moment to say thank you Jose.

Thank you Jose for showing us what persistence means. To continuously fight for what your dream is no matter how impossible it may seem.

Thank you for showing us to live life and enjoy every moment that we’re given.

Thank you for showing us that dreams do come true

Thank you for always giving us a reason to smile, whether it was by a great play or you goofing around.

Thank you for reminding us about loving your family

Thank you for making us feel like your family and best friend

Thank you for always giving back to those, especially the youth that want to play

Thank you for your humility

Thank you for being an inspiration and motivation to so many of us.

Thank you for your passion

Thank you for your heart