Miami Marlins Best To Wear Jersey Number Series No. 16: Jose Fernandez

Plenty of incredible pitchers have worn a Miami Marlins uniform over the years.

None of them were as talented as Jose Fernandez.

As has been the case with a handful of other installments in Marlin Maniac's Best To Wear The Marlins Jersey Number Series, there should have been no doubt on what name was coming with this particular jersey number. No Marlins player has ever played better with No. 16 on their backs. No WAR adjustment was necessary here, as Fernandez wins the top spot in a landslide, but if someone had edged him out? The rules that this series be based on Marlins WAR probably would have been thrown out the window for this one. Nearly ten years later, and that really is the milestone this community and franchise is approaching, the emotions are still raw.

Which is why it is very likely that no Miami Marlins player is ever wearing the number again. If Peter Bendix traded for Jarren Duran or Nick Kurtz today, you'd be reading tomorrow about their second favorite number, because there is zero chance they'd be sporting No. 16 come Opening Day. The fact that he died the way that he died is the only thing that has kept Miami from officially retiring the number and has nothing to do with a life lived much prior to that fateful night or a career played the way it was played. Yet all of those factors have combined to bring about the state of unofficial retirement that exists for this number. If I'm still doing this series when the Marlins turn 50, Jose Fernandez will still be the entry at No.16.

For those that need the numbers, it was a 14.2 WAR career for Fernandez. That number is impressive enough in its own right, good enough for sixth all-time in franchise history for pitching WAR. Yet there a couple caveats that make that number all the more exceptional.

Primarily, he put up that 14.2 WAR figure over over just four seasons...in less than three full seasons worth of work. Fernandez missed most of 2014 and a pretty nice sized chunk of 2015 due to Tommy John surgery. Despite that though, he never once failed to post an ERA under 3.00 in his career. Another distinction worth noting know is that his pitching WAR comes in significantly lower at a 13.1 mark. Which is another way of saying that despite being a pitcher, he actually consistently added value with his bat. His offensive WAR numbers never dipped into the negative, and he was actually a .250 hitter in 2016. Not much compared to a position regular, but just another fact that speaks volumes of his overall talent and love for the game. Plenty of pitchers were already walking up to the plate and just going through the motions at that point. Jose was going to try and take you deep- which he did twice. Ask the 2013 Braves for further details.

As mentioned though, Top 10 in WAR. Top 10 in wins. Top 10 in strikeouts. He doesn't qualify for the franchise ERA leaderboard, but his 2.58 career finish is well ahead of Josh Johnson's 3.15 mark and only looks up at Kevin Brown (2.30 ERA) for best resume by a Marlins starting pitcher in that category. Just elite in every way.

As for the also rans, how about a player that delivered the game winning hit that secured Miami's first World Series championship?

Yep, Edgar Renteria is your second place finisher here at No. 16, and would run away with it if entire MLB careers were considered. Renteria's Marlins resume only accounted for 5.0 points of his 32.4 WAR though- apparently no extra credit points for winning a championship in 1997. An excellent defender that hit for decent average and provided plenty of speed, his 41 stolen bases helped get him to the All-Star game for Miami in 1998 (never mind the fact he was caught stealing more than anyone else in baseball that year).

Speaking of former Marlins All-Stars, Paul Lo Duca also wore No. 16 for Miami in 2005 and 2008 (he wore No. 14 in 2004). That 2005 season saw him net that lone Marlins All-Star appearance and he remains an underrated member of Miami's sneaky fraternity of elite catchers. Things do get pretty thin at No. 16 after the Big 3 of Fernandez, Renteria, and Lo Duca. Eric Owens' 2002 season looms large, as does the best season of Logan Kensing's career in 2006.

At the end of the day though, it's all about one name at No. 16 for the Marlins.

Rest in peace, Jose.