Why don’t the Miami Marlins have any retired numbers?

The circumstances of Jose Fernandez’s death cloud his number being retired by the Miami Marlins

Speaking of Miguel Rojas, it’s a safe bet that for as long as he and Don Mattingly are associated with the Miami Marlins, No. 16 might as well be officially retired.

That number, of course, belonged to one Jose Fernandez.

At one point, a statue was going to be built. For a long time, fans had the option of signing the wall depicted above. For a couple of seasons, his locker was preserved completely untouched. You can still find a plaque outside the stadium. No one has worn his jersey number since the first game after his untimely death, when the entire team donned his jersey to honor him.

Sadly, the circumstances of his death have prevented an official retirement.

Two other lives were lost as a result of his decision to operate a speedboat under the influence. That’s entirely on Fernandez, and that is not something that a company that operates in the public eye on a daily basis can afford to sanction, at least not while the wounds are still so fresh. Perhaps with the passage of time, that will change. Then again, it probably won’t, and there’s a very solid argument to be made that it shouldn’t.

Despite those circumstances, No. 16 might have been retired anyway, if it weren’t for the last and most likely culprit behind no Miami Marlins jerseys being retired yet…