Jose Fernandez

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #1 prospect in 2013
  It took four tries before a 15-year-old Fernandez, his mother and his sister finally escaped Cuba via speedboat in 2008. As punishment for their failed attempts, he was expelled from school, kicked off the baseball team and briefly jailed. When waves swept his mother overboard, Fernandez dove in to rescue her, swimming back to the boat with her clinging to his neck. After a harrowing 36-hour journey to Mexico they reached the United States and reunited with his father, who had fled three years earlier. Fernandez learned English after settling in Tampa, where he led Alonso High to two Florida 6-A state titles in three years. The 14th overall pick in the 2011 draft, he signed for an above-slot $2 million bonus. That looks like a bargain after he ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the low Class A South Atlantic and high Class A Florida State leagues in his first full pro season, leading the minors with an overall 0.93 WHIP. Fernandez's confidence--or cockiness--earns him comparisons to Roger Clemens. It's not arrogance if you can back it up, which Fernandez can. Numerous scouts cited his stuff as the best of any hurler in the 2012 Futures Game. His four-seam fastball sits at 94-95 mph and touches 99 with unbelievable explosion. Using an easy arm action, he'll dial his velocity up and down and climb the ladder on hitters. He also mixes in a 92-93 mph two-seamer to induce groundouts. Fernandez also can overmatch hitters with a hard three-quarters breaking ball that he can run up to 85 mph. He can command it for both called strikes and swinging misses, and he'll throw it any count. He also can use a true slider that's effective. He flashes a plus changeup with deception and nice fade, though he doesn't consistently command it down in the strike zone. With so many weapons to choose from, Fernandez doesn't always throw the right pitch in every situation, though he's getting better at letting a hitter's reaction to certain pitches determine which ones he sees the rest of the night. The Marlins rave about his work ethic, aptitude and drive to win. In one May start, he struck out six hitters in the first two innings, then fanned just two more while working into the eighth. When asked about his change in approach, he told a coach he began pitching to contact to keep his pitch count low so he could stay in the game longer. That kind of maturity is uncommon for a player in his first full year as a pro. Strong and durable, Fernandez had plenty left in the tank when the season concluded. Much of his power comes from his strong lower half, which allows him to explode through his hips. He has good athleticism for his size, though he'll have to watch his conditioning as he ages. The only hiccup in his 2012 season came after his midseason promotion, when he tried to overpower FSL hitters at times instead of simply trusting his stuff. Fernandez might tempt the big league staff to keep him during spring training, but he'll probably open 2013 in Double-A Jacksonville. He could reach Miami by midseason and has the stuff and mindset to become a true No. 1 starter.
• 
  Ranked Miami Marlins #3 prospect in 2012
  Fernandez fled Cuba in a speedboat with his mother and sister in 2008, finding freedom on their second escape attempt. He learned English after settling in Tampa, where he led Alonso High to two Florida 6-A state championships in three years. The Marlins drafted him 14th overall last June and signed him to an above-slot $2 million bonus at the Aug. 15 deadline. Fernandez offers a power arsenal, starting with a fastball that ranges from 92-95 mph and reaches as high as 97. His two-seamer doesn't sink as much as it bores in on righthanders. His four-seamer has a little run to it but at times comes in too straight. He throws both a sharp-breaking curveball and a hard slider, and he also shows feel for a promising changeup. Fernandez uses his lower half well, getting in position to explode through his hips. While he'll overthrow on occasion, leaving the ball up in the zone, his command projects as average to plus. Despite his size, he's a good athlete. Fernandez will compete for a job in low Class A during his first spring training. He profiles as a No. 2 starter in the big leagues, though he'll need time to develop.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Florida State League #1 prospect in 2012
  Fernandez pounds the bottom of the strike zone with a 93-97 mph fastball that tops out at 99, but FSL observers were even more impressed with his advanced approach. He shows excellent feel for pitching and advanced secondary stuff for a high school draftee in his first full pro season. He sometimes loses his fastball command, often because he overthrows, which for most young pitchers would mean they're in for a long night. But Fernandez responds by throwing his hard-breaking curveball and potentially average changeup more often early in the count to get ahead of hitters. Once he does that, he often get hitters to chase his fastball out of the zone. Fernandez's extremely confident, some say cocky, mound demeanor also drew plenty of notice. It turned off some opposing managers, but others point out that he's an excellent teammate whose love of the game is apparent.
• 
  Ranked South Atlantic League #1 prospect in 2012
  The 14th overall draft pick in 2011 was even better than advertised in his first full professional season. He won all seven of his decisions and didn't allow more than two earned runs in a game until the last of his 14 starts. Some SAL observers didn't care for his flair on the mound, exemplified by his orange cleats and glove, but they all agreed he was the best pitcher in the league among those who qualified. Fernandez has advanced command of a power repertoire highlighted by two- and four-seam fastballs that range from 93-99 mph and maintain their velocity deep into games. His sharp curveball also can devastate hitters, and he shows the makings of an average changeup. "He had a really good idea of how to pitch, especially for a young guy," Hagerstown manager Brian Daubach said. "He could throw all three pitches for strikes. As long as he's keeping his pitches down, he has a chance to move fast.""

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #5 prospect in 2013

• December, 2012 Scouting Report
  Background: It took four tries before a 15-year-old Fernandez, his mother and his sister finally escaped Cuba via speedboat in 2008. As punishment for their failed attempts, he was expelled from school, kicked off the baseball team and briefly jailed. When waves swept his mother overboard, Fernandez dove in to rescue her, swimming back to the boat with her clinging to his neck. After a harrowing 36-hour journey to Mexico they reached the United States and reunited with his father, who had fled three years earlier. Fernandez learned English after settling in Tampa, where he led Alonso High to two Florida 6-A state titles in three years. The 14th overall pick in the 2011 draft, he signed for an above-slot $2 million bonus. That looks like a bargain after he ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the low Class A South Atlantic and high Class A Florida State leagues in his first full pro season, leading the minors with an overall 0.93 WHIP. Scouting Report: Fernandez's confidence--or cockiness--earns him comparisons to Roger Clemens. It's not arrogance if you can back it up, which Fernandez can. Numerous scouts cited his stuff as the best of any hurler in the 2012 Futures Game. His four-seam fastball sits at 94-95 mph and touches 99 with unbelievable explosion. Using an easy arm action, he'll dial his velocity up and down and climb the ladder on hitters. He also mixes in a 92-93 mph two-seamer to induce groundouts. Fernandez also can overmatch hitters with a hard three-quarters breaking ball that he can run up to 85 mph. He can command it for both called strikes and swinging misses, and he'll throw it any count. He also can use a true slider that's effective. He flashes a plus changeup with deception and nice fade, though he doesn't consistently command it down in the strike zone. With so many weapons to choose from, Fernandez doesn't always throw the right pitch in every situation, though he's getting better at letting a hitter's reaction to certain pitches determine which ones he sees the rest of the night. The Marlins rave about his work ethic, aptitude and drive to win. In one May start, he struck out six hitters in the first two innings, then fanned just two more while working into the eighth. When asked about his change in approach, he told a coach he began pitching to contact to keep his pitch count low so he could stay in the game longer. That kind of maturity is uncommon for a player in his first full year as a pro. Strong and durable, Fernandez had plenty left in the tank when the season concluded. Much of his power comes from his strong lower half, which allows him to explode through his hips. He has good athleticism for his size, though he'll have to watch his conditioning as he ages. The only hiccup in his 2012 season came after his midseason promotion, when he tried to overpower FSL hitters at times instead of simply trusting his stuff. The Future: Fernandez might tempt the big league staff to keep him during spring training, but he'll probably open 2013 in Double-A Jacksonville. He could reach Miami by midseason and has the stuff and mindset to become a true No. 1 starter.
• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: Fernandez fled Cuba in a speedboat with his mother and sister in 2008, finding freedom on their second escape attempt. He learned English after settling in Tampa, where he led Alonso High to two Florida 3-A championships in three years. The Marlins drafted him 14th overall last June and signed him to an above-slot $2 million bonus at the Aug. 15 deadline. Scouting Report: Fernandez offers a power arsenal, starting with a fastball that ranges from 92-95 mph and reaches as high as 97. His two-seamer doesn't sink as much as it bores in on righthanders. His four-seamer has a little run to it but at times comes in too straight. He throws both a sharp-breaking curveball and a hard slider, and he also shows feel for a promising changeup. Fernandez uses his lower half well, getting in position to explode through his hips. While he'll overthrow on occasion, leaving the ball up in the zone, his command projects as average to plus. Despite his size, he's a good athlete. The Future: Fernandez will compete for a job in the Greensboro rotation during his first spring training. He profiles as a No. 2 starter in the big leagues, though he'll need time to develop.