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Very few positive things happened for the Miami Marlins this season, but the awards season has actually featured some good news for a change. In recapping the 2013 season, one player on the Marlins has come out as a contestant for two different National League awards. Jose Fernandez is a finalist for both the National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards for 2013 thanks to a stellar debut campaign.
Three times in franchise history, the Marlins have boasted the National League Rookie of the Year. Could Jose Fernandez become the fourth?
The chances are pretty good because Fernandez on Tuesday night was named as a finalist for the top rookie honor presented by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA).
But rookie recognition isn't the only big prize Fernandez is in contention. The 21-year-old right-hander also is a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award, a more uphill climb.
If Fernandez could pull off the upset, he would be the franchise's first Cy Young Award winner.
The Marlins have featured three previous Rookie of the Years, and two of them went on to have decently successful careers. The first was Dontrelle Willis, who won the award in 2003 and later became the team's second Cy Young award runner-up, falling short against Chris Carpenter in 2005. Hanley Ramirez won in 2006 and still is having a productive Major League career after a two-year hiatus from the top of his game. Only Chris Coghlan, the 2009 Rookie of the Year winner and the only one of the three still on the team, has struggled since winning the award and has done little since.
The Marlins are hoping Fernandez does not suffer the same fate as Coghlan. Fernandez is on top of the Rookie of the Year list, as he was voted in by the players through the Sporting News award and just received the MLBPA award as well. Fernandez's odds of winning the award seem very strong now that two bodies have recognized him, but I will personally not count those chickens until they hatch for fear of #MJIJ.
Still, Fernandez's odds look better now. The Cy Young award would be a more difficult challenge in the face of Clayton Kershaw and his sub-2.00 ERA season. But Fernandez could put up a nice showing second- or third-place showing in that award. He, Kershaw, and Adam Wainwright are being considered for the award. The NL Rookie of the Year award will be announced on November 11, while the Cy Young award will be announced on November 13.