Jose Fernandez was very close to becoming a father at the time he was killed last weekend. Maria Arias, a 24-year-old whom Fernandez met through his love for fishing, is expecting a baby in February.
The Daily Mail spoke with several of Fernandez’s family members who confirmed the Miami Marlins pitcher starting dating Arias just weeks before she became pregnant in May. In a Facebook post that was shared by Arias’ father back in August, Maria and Jose were shown celebrating after a gender reveal cake informed them they were having a girl.
“He wanted to name the baby girl Penelope,” Magaly Junco, a woman who says she is married to Arias’ cousin and once lived with Maria, told the Daily Mail. “She is due in February and they were living together in his apartment in downtown Miami. They were very excited about having a baby.”
Fernandez revealed in an Instagram post five days before his death that he was expecting to become a father. There was originally speculation that the pregnant woman in the photo he shared was Carla Mendoza, a former Marlins cheerleader who dated Fernandez for three years. Fernandez is said to have called things off with Mendoza in April, shortly before he began dating Arias. Fernandez and Mendoza had discussed plans to get married prior to their split.
According to Junco, Arias met Fernandez through her sister’s husband, a professional deep sea fisherman who had become close with Jose.
Between the pregnancy and the circumstances surrounding Fernandez’s decision to take his boat out, the tragic death is nothing short of unfathomable.
