Marlins Gold MVP Chain Dedicated to Late Teammate Jose Fernandez

The team's MVP chain is designed to boost morale, but there's also a deeper meaning behind the charm.

This spring, veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin, who was traded to the Mariners on Tuesday, decided that the young Marlins clubhouse could use a little morale boosting. After some brainstorming and a little collaboration with his teammates, the gold 'MVP Chain' came to be. 

The orange, blue, yellow and white chain features the Marlins logo. It is designed to recognize and incentivize players by rewarding them for what they did for the team, like when second baseman Starlin Castro hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning of a game against the Braves in late July to secure a Miami win.

While the chain recognizes Castro's contributions during that specific game, it's also designed to honor the memory of late Marlins' pitcher Jose Fernandez, who died in a tragic boating accident in 2016. 

An inscription on the back of the chain reads "R.I.P. Jose Fernandez. Forever a Miami Marlin," the Miami Herald reported. 

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"There are a lot of guys here that didn't get to know Jose, so this tells everybody a little bit about how Jose impacted a lot of lives like mine and the joy he brought to the field," third baseman Martin Prado told the Miami Herald. "Every time he pitched it was like he was the MVP every time." 

Although Maybin never played with Fernandez, he knew what the late pitcher meant to the Marlins. He wanted the chain to bring life to both the clubhouse and Fernandez's legacy.