Off-Topic Forum

I don't know if this has been posted yet. Just saw Tony Fernandez passed away. Played I believe 17 years, 5 time all star, over 2200 hits. Only 57 years old, thoughts and prayers to his family. 

Bummer

Loved to watch him (or more accurately watch his defensive highlights on TWIB every Saturday in the pre-cable/internet world). Trying to emulate his side/underhand throws in my backyard was probably instrumental in my lifelong inability to throw a ball straight but damn it was pretty when he did it! 

What a player....

Tony was a superb individual with a "heart of gold" and a fine Baseball Player in The Show!  He will be missed and prayers of comfort for all His Familia . . .

Yours in The Journey - Felix

Tony Fernandez was overlooked and underrated. Just as good defensively and clearly better offensively in the regular and postseason than Ozzie Smith. Compare the numbers, you'll see. Everybody talks about Smith as being the best fielding shortstop ever and he finished a career .978 fielding percentage. You know who else finished with a career .978 fielding percentage? Tony Fernandez. So what makes Ozzie Smith a first ballot HOF'er with a statue dedicated in his honor while Tony Fernandez only receives 4 votes and is eliminated after one year of being on the ballot? A backflip and a broken process, that's what. Travesty.

I'd heard Tony had been battling illness for quite some time. He was young enough that, without full knowledge of what he was going through, I assumed he would recover :(

I was too young to appreciate him in his first two stints on the Jays (he had four of them), so I'm mostly familiar with his third stint in the late-90s. He seemed so calm and relaxed at the plate with his stance, and while the long-ball was king at the time, he hit very well from average so late in his career. I probably underrated him for a while since he wasn't a power hitter, but learned through players like him how important it was to be great in the field.

He may not be in Cooperstown, but is part of the Blue Jays' Level of Excellence, so younger generations in Toronto will always gain that curiousity about him and his great talents.

I was a Blue Jay fan in my teen years. Fernandez was one of the reasons why I loved the Jays. He was so fun to watch. Yes, unfortunately he will always be underrated. One heck of a ball player. I’m sorry he’s gone. 

Fernandez was a great player, underrated and underappreciated. A joy to watch that man throw. And he consistently hit for average. From what I've read, also a fine man. My sympathies to his family, friends, and fans. I was sad to see him pass at such a young age.

As for the Ozzie Smith comparison, there's certainly room to have the discussion. But things are usually more complex than quickly presented. Despite identical fielding percentages, Smith is considered by Sabermetrics folks to have had the best range of any shortstop in history. Fernandez is 50th. Smith stole 580 bases, Fernandez 246. Smith won 13 Gold Gloves, Fernandez 4. And for you WAR folks, Fernandez had a 45.3 and Smith had a 76.9. And longevity matters, too. Smith actually had more hits than Fernandez, albeit accumulated by playing longer. But the differences are much more than a backflip.

I am neither a Cardinals nor Blue Jays fan, by the way. And I wouldn't be offended by Fernandez getting some HOF support. But he wasn't Ozzie Smith.

v3

R.I.P. Tony. I had his Spalding® style glove as a teenager. Not so great for playing fastball since he was a shortstop however. I'm sure it would have been fine for playing hardball.