Could José Fernández win the Cy Young Award? There's a case to be made.

José Fernández's death left the baseball world a bit colder this éFernáweek, as fans and players remembered a young man whose joy and passion for the game were unparalleled.

The only thing, perhaps, that could measure up to Fernández's personality was his talent.

Baseball didn't just lose an incredible human. It lost an ace, one that would have dominated for years to come.

SEE ALSO:Watch 5 defining moments from José Fernández's career

So, in the wake of Fernández's death and as the 2016 season comes to a close, many are asking the same question: Could Fernández — the 2013 Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Star — be the first player in history to win the Cy Young Award posthumously?

Members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America vote on the Cy Young, which is awarded annually to the top pitcher in both the National League and American League. Voting is intended to be based on performance alone, though "general character, disposition, loyalty and effort" can be considered.

"Tragedy" is not on that list, but the weight of Fernández's sudden death will surely creep into the minds of voters.

Some say a little bit of sentimentality couldn't hurt.

I know Lester and Hendricks have been he best pitchers in the NL, but giving Jose Fernandez the Cy Young would be the ultimate tribute.

— CubsKickAss (@Cubskickass100) September 28, 2016

God I hope they give Jose Fernandez the Cy Young. That would be special.

— STL Cardinals 82-76 (@OnlyCardsTalk) September 26, 2016

Others say Fernández should be honored in other ways, and his passing shouldn't affect the voting process.

But here's something to chew on — sentiment aside, Fernández's last season might be good enough to warrant a Cy Young Award. At the minimum, he'll likely tally up some second- and third-place nods (voters are given five spots on the ballot).

A handful of Cy Young contenders still have one start remaining in the season's final weekend, but let's take a look at the major pitching statistics, and how Fernández stacks up against the competition.

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Strikeouts — 2nd (253)

Fernández had electric stuff, and strikeouts speak to his pure dominance on the mound, his ability to single-handedly retire batters.

Though the strikeout leader Max Scherzer has another start this weekend and will surely add on to his 277 punchouts, Fernández's absurd 12.49 strikeouts per nine innings leads the league. The Diamondbacks' Robbie Ray is next with 11.25 strikeouts per nine, and Ray is nowhere near a top contender in other categories.

Credit: SB Nation

Fielding independent pitching (FIP) — 2nd (2.30)

FIP is a more advanced baseball statistic. It measures a pitcher's ability to get strikeouts while preventing home runs, walks and hitting batters. Essentially, it judges a pitcher based on all of the things he has complete control over. Ground balls and fly balls, for example, are beholden to a pitcher's defense, and therefore not included in FIP.

Fernández is only a hair behind the Mets' Noah Syndergaard (2.28), who pitches Sunday. The San Francisco Giants' Johnny Cueto (3.03), in third place, isn't even close.

Home runs per nine innings — 3rd (0.642)

When the ball goes out of the park, it's the pitcher's fault. Fernández's ability to prevent that illustrates his individual value. Still, he's a ways behind Syndergaard (0.539).

Earned Run Average (ERA) — 7th (2.86)

This is the average number of runs a pitcher allows over a nine-inning span. An ERA around 3.00 is considered great.

While 7th place might seem low, stats like ERA incorporate more than just a pitcher's individual ability to prevent runs. FIP is a more accurate depiction of Fernández's dominance.

Jose Fernandez was an All-Star in each of his two full major league seasons.Credit: Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images

Walks & hits per innings pitched (WHIP) — 10th (1.12)

The number of walks and hits a pitcher allows, divided by the total number of innings he's pitched. The nine pitchers in front of Fernández all fall within 0.18 points of each other — it's pretty close. Scherzer, the league leader, has notched a 0.94 WHIP this year.

Wins — 10th (16)

Wins are becoming a less relevant stat in Cy Young voting, mainly because a pitcher's offense plays such a big role in whether or not he wins. Still, the fact that Fernández won 16 games while pitching for the Marlins — who rank third-to-last in runs scored per game — is impressive.

Scherzer and the Cubs' Jon Lester lead the National League with 19 wins, but get a lot of help from their prolific offenses. The Cubs rank second in runs scored per game, while Scherzer's Nationals rank fourth.

Fernandez was named the National League Rookie of the Year in 2013.Credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Cy Young ballots are due next week, and the results will be released in November. Fernández's name will appear on many of those ballots. He's earned that. But it will be interesting to see the number of first-place votes he racks up.

Fernández was on the brink of building a legacy, one that would have kept him in Cy Young conversations for years to come. He pitched only two full seasons in the major leagues, but that small sample size was enough to confirm — Fernández was one of a kind.

Even if Fernández doesn't win the 2016 Cy Young, he might have eventually.

We'll always wonder just how good he could have been.

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