Miami Might Name Street Near Marlins Park After Jose Fernandez

Thousands in Miami gathered to mourn Marlins pitching star Jose Fernandez last week, but it appears the city isn't yet done paying its respects to the fallen baseball hero. City of Miami Commissioner Frank Carollo is proposing the city name a street after Fernandez, who died in a boating accident September 25.

Carollo will propose renaming NW 17th Avenue from NW North River Drive down to South Dixie Highway "Jose Fernandez Avenue."


Carollo did not return a call to his office late yesterday afternoon. But his choice of road makes sense: The avenue snakes alongside Marlins Park, which means fans arriving from the north or south would likely be reminded of the young phenom on their way to the stadium:

Fernandez was one of baseball's brightest stars and was on track to become one of the best pitchers in recent history before his death two weeks ago. Fernandez was reportedly seen drinking at a Brickell bar before taking his boat onto Biscayne Bay around 3 a.m. September 25. He died along with two friends after his boat struck an unlit jetty at high speed just off South Beach. Fernandez left behind a girlfriend pregnant with his daughter.

During his career, "Jose Fernandez averaged 12.5 strikeouts per nine (9) innings; the fifth highest single-season strikeout rate by a pitcher in Major League Baseball history," Carollo's resolution says, adding that Fernandez saved his mother from drowning when the pair defected from Cuba and that he worked to raise awareness for ALS, osteogenesis imperfecta, the Live Like Bella childhood cancer foundation, and the Marlins Ayudan charity.

Fernandez's "life story of flight leading to freedom and sacrifice leading to success [sic] has become a beacon of hope and a signal of inspiration for a number of residents within the city of Miami," the ordinance says.

If the rest of the commission adopts the ordinance, it will go into effect immediately. Here's a copy of the measure: