On September 25, Marlins ace Jose Fernandez and two other young men were tragically killed when their boat struck a rock jetty off the coast of Florida in the early morning hours. Fernandez was 24. The two others were 24 and 27.
According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the Marlins are planning to honor Fernandez with a permanent memorial at Marlins Park. The team has already announced they will retire his No. 16. It will be the first retired number in franchise history.
Here's more from Heyman:
Team owner Jeffrey Loria and others involved with the Marlins are currently working on plans for the memorial, and it isn't certain yet whether the memorial will have as its centerpiece a statue, a mound or something else to memorialize the pitching great who tragically died in a boating accident Sept. 25 off the coast of Miami Beach.
Loria confirmed the plans are in the works but declined to get into any of the details until a later date, only saying that it will be "something wonderful."
A plaza outside the ballpark has been serving as a makeshift memorial since Fernandez's death. Fans have been leaving flowers and notes over the last several weeks.
An autopsy report found "cocaine and high levels of alcohol" in Fernandez's blood at the time of his death. Authorities initially said drugs and alcohol were not believed to be a factor in the crash. The boat was owned by Fernandez, though it is unclear who was driving at the time of the accident.
