José Fernández’s story couldn’t have been any more Miami. A kid who unsuccessfully defected from Cuba three times, before finally making it to the United States on his fourth attempt, despite the fact that he had to save his mother who fell overboard. That boat he rode in on reached Mexico, and Fernández made it to Tampa, where his stepfather was living. There he shined as a high school star.
Fernández was drafted by the Marlins with the 14th overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft, and by 2013, he shook the baseball world. He would win a Rookie of The Year award, and became the poster boy for the predominately Cuban and Latino community in Miami.