José Fernández was not only popular in Miami because he was the best pitcher in Marlins history, and a player who had started his career at Cooperstown pace, he was also popular because of his background as a Cuban defector.
His charisma, intensity, and smile were also strong factors why Marlins Park would fill to near capacity every 'José Day’, but the main explanation was that so many people in the local community could relate to his story, and it led to almost more support for Fernández than the team itself.
As much of South Florida, and the rest of the baseball community, paused to remember the life of a transcendent player who meant so much to so many and was lost way too soon, it became obvious that the Marlins need another Latino star in order to get the attention of a huge portion of their fan base again.