Meet Jose Fernandez, the best pitcher you've never heard of

This is Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez:

(PHOTO: Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports)

Unless you're a dedicated baseball fan, there's a good chance you don't know much about Jose Fernandez. But you should. And the first thing to know about Jose Fernandez -- the main reason many people will soon know much more about Jose Fernandez -- is that he can throw baseballs that move in borderline miraculous ways.

Look at his slider:

Now his curveball:

And his changeup.

Armed with those pitches and a fastball that sits in the mid-90s, Fernandez has stormed through the National League in his first season, establishing himself as a favorite for the 2013 Rookie of the Year Award. To date, Fernandez is 8-5 with a 2.54 ERA in 21 starts and 138 strikeouts in 127 2/3 innings.

Oh, and he just turned 21. And he never pitched in Class AA or Class AAA ball.

Jay Jaffe at Sports Illustrated has more:

On Friday, Fernandez struck out 14 Cleveland Indians while walking only one, shutting down the Cleveland club for eight innings in the best start of his career to date. Thankfully, someone set the highlights to Burning Down the House.

Smile, Jose Fernandez. You are very young and very awesome at baseball.

(GIFs via The Score, Baseball Nation and MLB GIFs.)