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A lot of words have been written throughout the course of this season about Jose Fernandez‘s historic rookie year. Comparisons have been made to all the great rookie seasons on the mound, from Mark Fidrych to Fernando Valenzuela to Doc Gooden. Lately, there have even been articles questioning whether Fernandez is one of the best pitchers – if not THE best pitcher – in the Majors. I’d like to narrow the scope, though, and compare Fernandez internally by looking at how he matches up with some of the great Marlins pitching seasons of all time.
In my previous article I compared Jose’s remarkable 2013 season to some of the great, memorable rookie seasons since 1980. The data showed that Jose has had a season comparable to that of Fernando Valenzuela, Yu Darvish, Hideo Nomo and Kerry Wood, pretty good company to say the least. Jose has been among the best pitchers in baseball this year, the best rookies of the past 3 plus decades and the best rookie pitcher in Marlin’s history. Now that the season is over, let us delve into Jose’s stats and where they stack up in Marlins history.
-Dwight "Doc" Gooden: "Sky's the limit" for Jose Fernandez | Fish Bytes
Dwight "Doc" Gooden, whose outstanding rookie season as a 19-year-old with the New York Mets in 1984 is considered one of the benchmarks for young pitchers, said Marlins rookie Jose Fernandez has what it takes to become one of baseball's great ones. "If he stays healthy, the sky's the limit for him," Gooden said Friday during a book signing at Citi Field. "He has great stuff. He's only going to get better, and that's the scary part."
-Eovaldi could be back by Wednesday | marlins.com: News
A power arm could be back for the Marlins, perhaps as early as Wednesday at Philadelphia. Nathan Eovaldi, dealing with a tight back, played catch without any discomfort on Saturday afternoon. The plan is to get him on the mound to throw a bullpen session on Sunday at Citi Field. Barring any setbacks, Eovaldi may be ready to return to game action in the series finale against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
-Giancarlo trying to end tough year with a bang | marlins.com: News
One month won't salvage a season, but it would go a long way toward giving Giancarlo Stanton at least a sliver of satisfaction. With the schedule winding down, Stanton is picking things up. In Friday's 4-3 loss to the Mets, the 23-year-old Marlins slugger belted two solo home runs off Jonathon Niese. It was Stanton's ninth career multihomer game, and third this season. "It's getting there," the 2012 All-Star said. "We've got a few weeks left, so keep it up."
-Jose Fernandez learned important lesson in final 2013 start - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
He didn't call him obnoxious or arrogant or unprofessional. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said Jose Fernandez is "playful," and that's OK as long as Fernandez is willing to absorb the same degree of banter he generates.
-Marlins' manager makes most of 'teaching moment' - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Manager Mike Redmond took some heat on Twitter and from baseball analysts for coming down hard on Jose Fernandez Wednesday night. Fernandez after hitting his first career homer showed up pitcher Mike Minor and afterward acknowledged the mistake and expressed remorse. Redmond might have gone over the top saying Fernandez's behavior, which contributed to the benches and bullpens clearing, ruined his night. Fernandez in spite of not having his best stuff held the Braves to a run on five hits through seven innings in what was his final start in a historically good 2013 rookie season. "Everybody has their opinion and if you're only watching two clips of that game I can see how they can say whatever they want," Redmond said.
-Miami Marlins' Prez Joins New Theatre cast - southflorida.com
Miami Marlins' President David Samson is taking a swing at acting. "I've been acting for 40 years," says Samson, laughing. "I've always liked it. I've always studied it." But this time it's a role outside of Major League Baseball. Samson will portray Lorne Michaels, the impressario of "Saturday Night Live" in the world premiere of "Not Ready for Primetime," which will run at the New Theatre in Miami March 21 through April 13.
-Solano takes lumps, strikes back for Marlins - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Solano was a catalyst with his bat and glove in a 3-0 Marlins victory over the Mets in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, and he merited a couple of purple hearts for getting bruised by the two pitches. His sliding stop on Omar Quintanilla's hard grounder to his left to end the seventh inning prevented a run, enabling Henderson Alvarez to complete a scoreless outing.
Around The League
Greg Holland has been anonymous dating back to his days as a walk-on to his college team, and playing with the small-market Royals hasn't helped. But as he becomes one of the most dominant closers in baseball, that's likely to change -- and soon.
-Todd Helton announces retirement as arguably greatest Colorado Rockie | MLB.com: News
First baseman Todd Helton, the longest-tenured and arguably greatest player in Colorado Rockies history, announced he will retire at season's end. Helton, who turned 40 on Aug. 20, is in the final year of his contract, and his retirement has been expected all along.
-Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins - September 14, 2013 | MLB.com TB Recap
Prior to Saturday night's contest with the Twins, Rays manager Joe Maddon said that despite the rainy forecast, his team would wait as long as necessary to complete the game. And after a two-hour, four-minute rain delay in the mid-fourth, the Rays beat the Twins, 7-0, at Target Field, joining Texas atop the AL Wild Card standings.
-Pulse of the Postseason: American League Wild Card race takes center stage | MLB.com: News
Baseball's postseason races checked in early with games under the mid-September sun on a spectacular Saturday afternoon across the Majors, and the contenders kept on churning into Saturday night, juggling and jostling for position.
At Fish Stripes
-Jose Fernandez: Ranking Fernandez's 2013 Marlins rookie season - Fish Stripes
The Miami Marlins and their fans may have been witness to one of the best rookie seasons in our lifetime. Jose Fernandez has been fantastic all year, and he did it with no expectations on him.
Miami Marlins rookie pitcher Jose Fernandez, who was involved in a bench-clearing brawl on Wednesday night, said that he will not change the way he approaches the game. Fernandez hit his first major league home run.
-Miami Marlins news: Reactions to Jose Fernandez's final 2013 start - Fish Stripes
Jose Fernandez pitched seven innings of one run baseball against the Braves in his final start on Wednesday night. Here are some reactions to Fernandez's last outing.
-Marlins vs. Braves: A play-by-play look at the Jose Fernandez home run scuffle - Fish Stripes
MLB Network's Harold Reynolds offered an in-depth, play-by-play breakdown of the home run scuffle involving Miami Marlins starter Jose Fernandez and the Atlanta Braves. Let's look at just who and what was involved.
-This Day in Marlins History: Mike Cameron is released - Fish Stripes
Mike Cameron released due to an incident with a flight attendant.