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People SearchFind an individual who either played a sport or was a member of a support group. Search by last name by clicking on the first letter of the person's last name.
Mr. Jason "Fern" Fernandez
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Home Phone: 225-755-2496 Baseball: Fernandez signs with Oakland June 27, 2006 – The next time Jason Fernandez plays baseball at “Tigue” Moore Field, it’ll be in UL’s “players vs. pros” preseason contest. And he’ll be playing for the pros. “This is easily the hardest decision I ever had to make,” Fernandez said Monday evening. “I thought getting drafted and going through this would be easy, and it wasn’t at all.” The Baton Rouge product said that Oakland made it a little easier with a couple of boosts to its original contract and signing bonus offers. He also said that UL coach Tony Robichaux made things easier for him. Fernandez did not give details on his contract or bonus, but said that the A’s were more than fair and that paying for his final three college semesters was included in the deal. “That was a big part of it,” Fernandez said, “the interest they showed in me even before the season started. They stayed with me and let me know that they wanted me. They’ve already told me what they expect … they said they wanted me to make at least an appearance in the big leagues in three years..” Fernandez, who played two years at Delgado Junior College in New Orleans before signing with UL last year, finished with a 9-2 record and a 2.86 ERA for the 39-20 Cajuns this spring. He had three complete games and double-figure strikeouts five times in his last nine games. He finished 40th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (10.0). He was the 11th-round pick by the A’s in the first-year player draft on June 6, the 338th player picked, after going undrafted out of high school and at Delgado. He continued a UL streak that includes having a pitcher drafted in each of the last 10 seasons – seven of them taken in the top dozen rounds. “That’s because of Coach Robe,” Fernandez said. “He’s such a professional at everything he does. I’m going to coach just like him when I get the chance. He and the family that he creates there, that the team creates in that park, and all the friends I got to make, that’s what is so hard to leave. I know I won’t have that family atmosphere again.” Fernandez would have been part of one of the nation’s best returning pitching staffs, with weekend rotation pitchers Hunter Moody and Buddy Glass and reliever Danny Farquhar all scheduled to be back next season. Instead, he’s headed to Vancouver, British Columbia, Wednesday morning to join Oakland’s short-season Class A club in the Northwest League. The Canadians, winners of the Northwest League’s Western Division the last two years, are 4-3 heading into a late Monday game at Tri-City in Pasco, Wash. Fernandez will join the club late Wednesday in Pasco and bus back to Vancouver with the team, which plays at home Thursday against the Eugene Emeralds. But the game he talked more about Monday comes next February when UL’s 2007 club plays the program’s pro products in the annual exhibition opener. “I can’t wait to play in that one,” he said. “I called most of the guys and told them my decision, and all of them were happy for me. They want to see me go and succeed. I wanted to make sure I had a home at UL, that I could come back in the fall and work out with them. I never want to leave that. Originally published June 27, 2006
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