Marlins owner says no other Miami player will wear Jose Fernandez's No. 16
They might not necessarily be 'retiring' the number at first, but no other player will wear it
By
Matt Snyder
•
1 min read
As the grieving process continues for the Marlins the in the wake of losing Jose Fernandez to a tragic boating accident, team owner Jeffrey Loria has declared that no other Marlins player will ever wear number 16 (Hal Habib).
This sounds like the definition of a number retirement, even if this isn't going to be official for some time. The team can easily control having Fernandez's number 16 off limits for the near future and, really, it's not like some other player would want to take that number over any time soon.
The only number the Marlins have retired is Jackie Robinson's 42, and that's an MLB-wide thing.
Perhaps eventually the Marlins do retire Fernandez's number officially. Surely there will be, at some point, internal discussions on how to best honor Fernandez at Marlins Park, even beyond a retired number.
Though he was only 24, Fernandez already put together two of the best individual seasons in franchise history. The two-time All-Star won a Rookie of the Year and is likely, this year, to add a second top-five finish in Cy Young voting in two full seasons in the majors. His 253 strikeouts this season shattered the previous franchise record of 209.
It's more than that, of course. It's Fernandez's defection from Cuba and then rise to stardom among a large Cuban-American community in Miami. It was his involvement with the local community and his infectious personality.
Not that we ever would forget him, but retiring Fernandez's 16 would be a fine gesture. It sounds like the foundation is already in place, so good on the Marlins.
