Baseball needed Jose Fernandez more than Jose Fernandez needed baseball – CBSSports.com

The baseball world suffered a devastating and tragic loss Sunday morning. Marlins ace Jose Fernandez and two others were killing a boating accident, the team and police have confirmed. The Marlins have canceled Sunday’s game against the Braves.

Fernandez was only 24 and he’d recently announced he was going to become a father. As great as he was on the field, Fernandez would tell you he’s most proud of the work he did in the community. He brought kids to the ballpark each Sunday, for example. He was an icon in the Cuban community in Miami.

Truth be told, baseball needed Jose Fernandez more than Jose Fernandez needed baseball. Commissioner Rob Manfred spoken endlessly about baseball’s need to cultivate young fans and few players were as popular as Fernandez. This GIF encapsulates everything about him:

The raw talent, the charisma, that smile … it’s all there. Fernandez was relentlessly upbeat and positive. He never did not have a smile on his face. Fans loved him and it showed in the team’s attendance:

Baseball, as it attempts to grow the game globally and among young fans in the U.S., needs players exactly like Fernandez. You couldn’t take your eyes off him. He was passionate about the game, great in the community, and he appealed to fans in all walks of life.

Did Fernandez rub some folks the wrong way? Sure. We all remember the incident with the Braves a few years ago. All the smiling can irk some people, though with Fernandez, it was always genuine. He wasn’t showing anyone up. He was enjoying the game and enjoying life.

Jose Fernandez loved baseball dearly. It was obvious when he was on the field. He also went out of his way to use his fame to help others, and not enough players to do that. Fans are already lining up outside Marlins Park with flowers:

Fernandez was going to be front and center in the next generation of MLB stars. He had the talent, had the charisma, and was loved by fans around around the league. No one embodied the spirit of this game more than Fernandez. He was everything that was right this this game.

Baseball is a massive global game. Fernandez’s death makes it feel like a small, tight-knit community. Everyone loved him. The game lost a great player and a great person Sunday. Baseball introduced the joy of Jose Fernandez to the world, and although he was tragically taken from us Sunday, the league and fans are better off for having experienced everything he brought to the table.