The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fernandez’s absence remains key theme
Franchise remembers former ace while it attempts to move on.
JUPITER, FLA. — For the Miami Marlins, the first day of spring training was as much about who was missing as who was present.
Tuesday, the first official workout for pitchers and catchers, was the players’ ninth day together as a team since ace Jose Fernandez died late last season. His permanent absence served as a theme at the dawn of the new season, as it will be for most of 2017.
It struck club President David Samson as soon as he walked into the Marlins’ clubhouse at Roger Dean Stadium, where Fernandez no longer has a locker. The one he used last year is filled now by reliever Dustin McGowan in a room organized mostly numerically.
Second baseman Dee Gordon — who, like most position players, has already reported to camp — hit the weight room and noticed the stationary bike Fernandez used to ride. Closer A.J. Ramos said he could hear Fernandez’s voice yelling at him as he hustled out, nearly late, to the first workout of the year.
“There’s a lot more hugs in the room than I’m used to in a major league clubhouse,” Samson said. “The hugs used to come after big victories or come after you win a playoff series. But the hugs feel different this year.
“Fernandez’s absence is beginning to come up in ways where the sadness is replaced by an occasional smile. And I’m hoping that over time for all of the guys who were a part of it, for everyone who loved Jose, that eventually the sadness turns into smiles. It’s just not today.”
Samson said Fernandez’s locker at Marlins Park will remain empty as “a reminder,” and the team is still discussing other ways to honor him this year.
Samson also broached the subject of Fernandez’s legacy, which is complicated by the presence of cocaine and a high blood-alcohol level at the time of his death in a boat crash last September.
“Every decision you make has consequences,” Samson said. “Sometimes you don’t get a second chance. That’s the saddest part of this, there’s no second chance. The permanence of that is what rings in my ear every day. The permanence of the choices we make and the chances that we will never get again.”
As the Marlins continue to mourn, there is new business to tend to. That’s the balance they will try to strike all year, remembering Fernandez while also trying to move on.
Tuesday was the start. All pitchers and catchers are healthy, having passed their physicals and able to participate fully in baseball activities.
And there was talk, too, of how it’s about time this young core makes the jump from young team with potential to a contender, even without a clear No. 1 pitcher.
“We’ve all been up in the big leagues together for a while now,” center fielder Christian Yelich said. “Usually that’s the time you have to start to win or things start to change.”
Marlins lift facial hair ban: The Marlins are allowed to have beards this season.
Manager Don Mattingly mentioned that policy change Tuesday after he and owner Jeffrey Loria discussed it during the offseason. As he watched the playoffs last October, Mattingly said, “It just didn’t seem like that big of a thing.”
Mattingly’s standard is for the players to keep it groomed and look professional.
“It was a constant fight last year, honestly, with guys,” Mattingly said. “Really, we talked about the most important thing is that our guys prepare. Prepare, play the game right. Play hard. We’re not really worried about facial hair.”
The players, who caught wind of the change over the winter, came prepared. New starting pitcher Dan Straily, who in years past has boasted a big bushy red beard, has a thinner but thorough coat now. David Phelps and A.J. Ramos are growing out some scruff.