Miami Marlins Likely To Shut Jose Fernandez Down By September

Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins will send 21-year-old right-handed Cuban flamethrower Jose Fernandez to the mound Monday night as the Marlins take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fernandez might have the highest amount of confidence on the Marlins team since he is becoming a top-pitching talent in the franchise and in all of baseball. However, there is a ceiling lingering over his head.

Fernandez has pitched in 139.2 innings this season and will likely be shut down by manager Mike Redmond once he reaches the 170-inning mark. He has pitched very well this season since making the team when a few pitchers in the rotation went down with injury prior to the start of the season. Fernandez pitched against the New York Mets in his first start and hit the ground running since then.

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He is battling Dodgers’ outfielder Yasiel Puig for the National League Rookie of the Year award and with that in the back of his mind, he will have to show his stuff Monday night at home. Fernandez has 149 strikeouts this season and a 2.45 ERA to go along with his 1.017 WHIP. Not only is he one of the top rookies, but he has quickly become one of the top pitchers in the league.

Redmond and the Marlins organization would be smart to preserve his arm. Hopefully it does not cost him some hardware down the line as Puig is more than likely going to play for the rest of the season barring any injuries. Fernandez has a lot of potential and will be joining Giancarlo Stanton as the faces of the franchise.

Ryan Gaydos is an MLB columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google

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