Jose Fernandez Named Face of Miami Marlins Franchise by MLB Network

Apr 7, 2013; Flushing, NY,USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez (16) pitches during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

MLB Network has had their second annual Face of the Franchise contest going on for the past couple of months. The day finally arrived for Miami Marlins fans to pick the face of the franchise for their team. Last season, Giancarlo Stanton took home the honor, but the results of the voting were cringe-worthy:

The fact that after Stanton, the results churned out Loria and the teams’ mascot, is quite disturbing and was a telling tale of the state of the franchise, just a season ago. In the end, the voters made the right decision and got Stanton the votes in large numbers.

However after an up-and-down season, marred with injuries and trade speculation, Stanton is no longer the face of the Miami Marlins. Another player cast a larger shadow on the franchise and carried the team each time he took the field.

In news that should surprise no one, Jose Fernandez garnered the most votes, to become the face of the Marlins franchise:

Fernandez won in a landslide, collecting 59% of the votes. Stanton fell to second place, which makes sense with the uncertainty surrounding his Marlins future. Surprisingly and very stupidly, Greg Dobbs finished in third place with 5% of the votes.

With the news of owner Jeffery Loria going over the front office’s back last season to personally negotiate an extension for Dobbs, it would be no surprise for the staff at Marlin Maniac to learn that the owner spent countless hours trying to earn the utility player the bestowed honor.