Jose Fernandez, RHP

[Ramp]

big boy

also, what mh said

[emkayseven]

I'll let you know how I feel in like 5 years.

when we find out he's 32?

[Todd]

I'll let you know how I feel in like 5 years.

In 5 years this guy might be old enough to be a senator.

[Miamarlin21]

Does he look older than however old he says he is? (I didn't pay attention to the picture on MLBnetwork)

[emkayseven]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBVysEoh37s[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SegeLcEFVUA&feature=related[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CY_6TFL76c&feature=related[/ame]

[Fish and Chips]

MLB Draft Scouting Report: Jose Fernandez

By Frankie Piliere
National Baseball Expert
Posted May 30, 2011

| More

Scouting reports are the foundation of the talent evaluation system, and the reports that are used on draft day are developed from multiple viewings over the course of a player’s amateur career. As part of our draft coverage here at Scout.com, we’ll be providing team quality first-hand scouting reports on the names you need to know on draft day. Here’s a look at prep righty, Jose Fernandez.

Name: Jose Fernandez
Position: Pitcher
School: Alonso H.S. (Fla.)
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 215
Bats/Throws: R/R

Events Scouted: Perfect Game National Showcase, AFLAC All-American


Jose Fernandez, RHP, Alonso HS (Fla.) from Frankie Piliere on Vimeo.



Physical Description

Jose Fernandez does not have the body of a high schooler. He's very mature physically and is already well over 200 pounds. You don't need him to pack on any more weight, as he's already built like a big league pitcher and has electric stuff as he is.

Mechanics

When it comes to his delivery, Fernandez needs some work. He tends to get very out of sync in the timing of his arm action and lower half. And, at this stage he's not repeating well pitch to pitch or outing to outing even just throwing fastballs. He collapses quite often on his back leg and dips his shoulder. This gives him a great deal of trouble getting the ball down in the zone and staying on top.

Fastball

Fernandez is very much in the conversation for best fastball in the high school class. He's consistently at 93-96 mph, and has touched numbers as high as 97-98 mph. Command is a big issue for him and he has trouble locating his fastball for stretches. It's mostly a straight four-seamer so the command will need to come around.

Curveball

He has some trouble getting to his curveball at times, but when he does it's a pretty good one. He flashes average at times with a 75-80 mph 11-5 hook. But, he gets underneath it quite a bit and throws a lot of very poor ones. If he gets things worked out mechanically it shows a lot of potential.

Changeup

The changeup rarely comes out for Fernandez but he shows it in warmups. Without being consistent mechanically, it's going to need extensive work from professional coaches.

Summation

The club that drafts Fernandez is drafting him for his huge arm and strong, durable frame. Aside from that he's a bit of a project. But, he's a project that could click and become a dominant front of the rotation starter.

Draft Projection: First Round, 20-30

http://sbb.scout.com/2/1075805.html

[HUGG]

Jose Fernandez does not have the body of a high schooler. He's very mature physically and is already well over 200 pounds.

HE'S 27!

[Todd]

He can buy his teammates at Jamestown beer.

[MiamiHomer]

The age joke has already gotten old.


/u c wut i did there

[Erick]

Kid has reached 98 mph in high school. My brother has seen this guy pitch live more than once before.

[emkayseven]

Dreams have been known to provide the heartbeat to life.

Jose Fernandez and his family dreamed of living life in the United States, leaving behind Cuba for the opportunities of a freer nation.

His father, Ramon Jimenez, already in Tampa, was the first to make the transition in 2005. But for Jose, his mother, Maritza, and sister Yadenis, it took several attempts before that dream could be realized three years later.

Today, Jose Delfin Fernandez, 18, sits at the precipice of yet another dream — Major League Baseball.

When baseball's first-year player draft begins at 7 tonight, the Alonso High senior will be gathered with family, friends and teammates inside his home watching the drama unfold while awaiting the phone call that will change his life.

Draft prognosticators have Fernandez going within the top 25 of the first round.

"This is exciting, big time," said Fernandez, who grew up in Santa Clara, Cuba. "You have your dreams (right in front) of you. Thank you to all of my family who have been there helping me out in everything, helping me be right on track in what I have to do. It feels nice."

Fernandez's draft status has been bantered about since his junior season with the Ravens. As a sophomore in 2009, he pitched in the Class 6A state title game, giving the program its first state title.

As a junior, he grew into a legitimate ace, sharing that spot with teammate and then-senior Thomas Dorminy, helping the Ravens to another state tournament bid. Last month, Fernandez, a three-time youth all-star in Cuba, led the team to the state tournament again, with his arm and bat, helping his squad earn its second title in three seasons.



* * * * *



Having draft whispers circulating in the background never gave the 6-foot-4, 220-pound righty a moment of pause. Instead, Fernandez's goal of donning a major-league uniform has driven him to work, almost non-stop, with trainers and pitching coach Orlando Chinea.

They've developed his four-seam, two-seam and split-finger fastballs, his change-up, slider and curve.

"I work out Monday through Sunday," said Fernandez, who began playing shortstop and third base at age 5. "Every day, all summer. Never stop. I go to one workout for four hours, after that I go to the gym and work out two more hours. That's made me a better pitcher. I work a lot at home on pitches. It feels good when you go out there and you get the payoff on the field for the work you've been doing for a long time."

As a senior, Fernandez was 13-1 with a 1.35 ERA and 134 strikeouts. In three years at Alonso, Fernandez was 30-3, striking out 314 and possessing a fastball clocked up to 99 mph.

"What stands out is his work ethic," Alonso coach Landy Faedo said. "He does so many extra things on his own."



* * * * *



That isn't a surprise to sister Yadenis, who was on the boat the final time her mom and brother attempted to reach the U.S. She said the ugly weather churned waves that dwarfed the boat they were in, inducing a constant feeling of nausea. Not even that could stop them.

"The thing is, we are all determined in my family," Yadenis said, laughing at first. "(Jose) is determined in baseball, my father, he's determined in life. I want to be a lawyer. I dream big."

The path to Alonso was littered with adversity.

Fernandez and his family attempted to leave Cuba four times. During one attempt, they were 10 miles off the coast of Miami before being intercepted by the Coast Guard and sent back to Cuba.

Another time, Maritza fell into the Atlantic Ocean after a wave slammed into their boat. Not knowing who was in the water, Fernandez dove in to save a person he knew needed help.

"When you come in that boat, it's hard," said Fernandez, who was jailed in Cuba because of those attempts to flee. "You have to be a man. You have to make some big decisions that a lot of kids 14, 15, 16 years old don't make. So I made that decision when I saw somebody fall from the boat. I didn't even know it was my mom."

According to documents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Jose, Maritza and Yadenis left Cuba for the final time on the night of March 20, 2008. Following several days at sea, they arrived in a wooded area near Cancun, Mexico, in a boat holding eight passengers. Days later, they bused to the U.S. border in Hidalgo, Texas, through Vera Cruz and Reynosa, Mexico, reaching their destination April 5.

In October, the Florida High School Athletic Association temporarily ruled Fernandez ineligible until he could prove he hadn't expired all four of his high school years. He was fully reinstated in January.

It's that background scouts say will help Fernandez in the long run.

In the days leading to this evening's draft, Fernandez has been pulled in many directions for interviews and countless other requests. Thursday afternoon, a text message popped up on Fernandez's iPhone, hoping to soothe him.

"I told him, 'Hey, enjoy this,' " Faedo said. "He replied back with an LOL."

http://www2.tbo.com/sports/prep-spor...e-t-ar-235346/

[Party]

Word through the grapevine is he fought in the Cuban Revolution. Def a high schooler.

[dim]

Yay big boy who throws fast and nothing else.

[AdamRavs]

over 200lbs? Him and Ceda going to go on Man VS Food?

[emkayseven]

Yay big boy who throws fast and nothing else.

as much as I'm not a fan that's not quite true

They've developed his four-seam, two-seam and split-finger fastballs, his change-up, slider and curve.