Advertisement

Jose Fernandez added to list of athletes who died far too soon

Mike Oz

Of all the lists baseball fans thought Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez might make one day, no expected this one: athletes who died far too young.

Fernandez, 24, was one of three people killed early Sunday morning in a boating accident in Miami. The boat he was on struck a jetty and overturned, according to authorities. All three victims were found around 3 a.m.

It’s a tragedy that has gripped the sporting world, as Fernandez is universally regarded as one of the best pitchers in MLB. He won the Rookie of the Year in 2013 and pitched well enough to be a Cy Young candidate this year. So when people say Fernandez was one of the top talents in the game, it’s no exaggeration.

Rare is the loss of an athlete who is as good and as young as Fernandez. So now, when we think of athletes such as Reggie Lewis, Len Bias, Sean Taylor and Hank Gathers, we’ll think of Fernandez too. It’s tragic company to be in.

Rare too are the athletes whose lives ends while they’re still stars in their sport — regardless of age. The tales of Roberto Clemente, Dale Earnhardt, Derrick Thomas, Payne Stewart, Thurman Munson and others aren’t any less stunning because they weren’t in their 20s.

Here’s a slideshow by Yahoo Sports’ Amber Matsumoto looking at more athletes who died prematurely:

When you hear the details of Fernandez’s death, baseball fans might immediately think about Tim Crews and Steve Olin, the Cleveland Indians teammates who died in a spring training boating accident in 1993. Bobby Ojeda survived the accident.

Or you might think of Oscar Taveras, the 22-year-old Cardinals rookie who died in an offseason car accident in the Dominican Republic in 2014.

Other deaths of active baseball players include: Nick Adenhart, the 22-year-old Angels pitcher who was killed by a drunk driver in 2009; Darryl Kile, who died of a heart attack in 2002 while pitching for the Cardinals; Cory Lidle, the Yankees pitcher who died in 2006 at age 34 in a small plane crash shortly after his club was knocked out of the postseason.

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!