TAMPA, FL -- Baseball has lost one of its brightest young stars.
Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez escaped from Cuba by boat as a teenager only to die today in a boating accident.
Fernandez and two friends died in a boating accident early Sunday morning. They were found around 3 a.m.
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According to FWC, the boat crashed into a jetty near a channel outside of Miami Beach. Fernandez was a passenger.
Before he was a star in Miami, he shined his talents in Tampa. After growing up in Cuba and escaping, he moved to the Bay Area and attended Alonso High School.
"It’s just hard because he impacted so many people," said Nathan Hahn, a teammate at Alonso High School.
Hahn played with him during the team's 2011 State Championship season.
"He dominated, but he had respect for everybody and respect for the game," Hahn said.
Retired school resource officer, Wayne Crowell, also stopped by wearing his Fernandez Marlins jersey.
"He had fun with life, I even called him my hero," he said.
"He was just a good kid, just full of life. Amazing pitcher, probably one of the best I've ever seen."
Fernandez made such a big impact at Alonso, on and off the field, his number 16 jersey was retired less than three years after graduating.
He leaves behind his family in Tampa and a child he had on the way.
