The baseball world was stunned early Sunday morning when news spread of the passing of former infielder Tony Fernandez at just 57 years of age. While he will always be remembered first as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays fraternity, Fernandez played a pivotal role for the Cincinnati Reds during his lone season in the Queen City.
By the time the Reds signed a 31-year-old Fernandez as a free agent, early in spring training of 1994, he had very little to prove to the baseball world. After helping lead the Blue Jays to a World Series title in 1993, the four-time All-Star and Gold Glove recipient, was looking to add another to his résumé.