Happy in Florida

Alex Fernandez has been with the Florida Marlins so long that he can remember when they were good.

Actually, it’s been less than three years since Fernandez helped pitch the Marlins to the World Series title. But on this year’s team, that makes him an old-timer.

At 30, he’s the Marlins’ oldest player. He’s one of only three holdovers from the ’97 postseason roster, along with Cliff Floyd and Antonio Alfonseca. And on a club with a low payroll and modest expectations, Fernandez’s $7 million contract and 103 victories seem out of place.

But Fernandez wants to keep pitching for his hometown team. He survived the dismantling of the World Series champions, came back from career-threatening rotator cuff surgery and endured Florida’s second consecutive last-place finish in 1999. He doesn’t want to leave now.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” says Fernandez, looking around a clubhouse filled with prospects. “I’ve been through the worst already. To be part of all of that and not be part of the future would really stink.”

The Miami native knows that if he pitches well early this season, other teams might approach Florida with trade offers. General manager Dave Dombrowski says the Marlins have no plans to swap Fernandez but doesn’t rule out a deal.

Even a move to a contending team doesn’t interest Fernandez. He was part of the descent from first to worst, and now he wants to help the Marlins go from worst to first.

“That would be unbelievable,” he says. “And there’s no question we have the talent.”

The young Marlins are at least a couple of years away from title contention, but Fernandez figures time is on his side, even as he nurses his shoulder back to health.

The injury was diagnosed during the 1997 National League Championship Series, and he watched the World Series from the dugout. After sitting out the 1998 season, Fernandez won the NL Comeback Player of the Year Award last year, when he went 7-8 with a 3.38 ERA in 141 innings despite being limited to 100 pitches or less a game.

More than once a frustrated Fernandez came out of a game before he wanted. One time he broke a clubhouse television in anger.

“When I’d take him out of the game I’d say, ‘Punch me. Just get it over with,”’ manager John Boles says. “He knew it wasn’t my decision, but it didn’t make it any easier. He’s such a competitor.”

Fernandez hopes to have the pitch-count limit removed by May and throw close to 200 innings. He’s slated to start opening night April 3 against former teammate Livan Hernandez and the San Francisco Giants.

The shoulder surgery robbed Fernandez of some velocity, and his fastball is no match for what the youngsters on the Florida staff throw. But he has learned to outsmart hitters rather than overpower them.

“I actually enjoy it more,” he says.

“He’s so smart,” Boles says. “When you sit on the bench and watch him work, it’s a real treat.”

Fernandez figures he can pitch another five years, and he hopes he’s still with the Marlins when they move into a new ballpark in downtown Miami.

“Opening day 2003, I plan to be there,” he says. “I’ll be on the hill.”

The ballpark is far from a done deal, but Fernandez is among the most vocal advocates. Owner John Henry proposes a voter referendum to approve a cruise tax to finance most of the $400 million cost.

If the plan is defeated, Fernandez fears that Miami could lose the Marlins.

“Everything hinges on a new stadium,” he says. “Camden Yards, Comiskey Park, Jacobs Field--I’ve seen what a turnaround a new ballpark can be for a franchise.

“I want to keep baseball in south Florida. Not having baseball while I was growing up here and having it now, it’s a big difference. It’s a great place for the game.”

There’s no place Fernandez would rather pitch.