MIAMI (AP) — Teenage Cuban refugee Jose Fernandez has agreed to terms with the Florida Marlins only hours before baseball’s draft deadline.
Fernandez is coming off his senior season in high school in Tampa, Fla. He was taken with the 14th pick in the first round of the June draft. The 18-year-old right-hander reached an agreement with the Marlins late Monday, shortly before the midnight deadline.
Fernandez grew up in Santa Clara, Cuba. He and other family members made repeated attempts to leave the country and join his father in Tampa before finally making it in 2008.
A 6-foot-4, 220-pounder, Fernandez went 30-3 in three years at Alonso High School and helped his team win two state titles. He was planning to pitch at the University of South Florida if he didn’t turn pro.
