One of the greatest pitchers of this century, the Mariners’ Felix Hernandez, is a shell of what he was 10 or even five years ago. Hernandez hasn’t been an effective starter since 2016, and this season he’s barely pitched at all. But that’s about to change; Hernandez completed a rehab start at Triple-A Tacoma on Monday and appears ready to rejoin the Mariners for the final six weeks of the season.
Will they be the final six weeks of his career in Seattle? Quite possibly. Hernandez is in the final year of a huge contract and will be a free agent come November.
Hernandez’s return is a major reason the last-place Mariners are worth watching the rest of the way.
Felix Hernandez says he’s ready to re-join the Mariners’ starting rotation this weekend
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) August 20, 2019
The once king with no future
Hernandez has been with the Mariners since he was a teenager. The player and team have the type of relationship rarely seen in modern sports. The team has a King’s Court fan section for their King Felix. Hernandez keeps his year-round home in the Seattle area. And Hernandez was long the team’s best player.
For the six seasons between 2009-2014, he was one of the very best pitchers in baseball. He recorded a 2.73 ERA and 1.10 WHIP, with 1,358 strikeouts in 1,394 innings. He won the 2010 AL Cy Young and finished second two other times.
Then, after decent seasons in 2015-16, the bottom fell out. Hernandez battled injuries in 2017, going 6-5 with a 4.36 ERA, and it got worse last season with an 8-14 record and 5.55 ERA.
This year, he was 1-4 with a 6.52 ERA before suffering a lat strain in May.
“It’s been frustrating,” he told The Seattle Times. “It’s been tough in my mind. But you know what, you have to forget about it. You’ve got a month and a half left, you have to go out there and pitch.”
And in that month and a half, he must convince some major league team to sign him for next season at what’s sure to be a low salary. The rebuilding Mariners seem unlikely to devote any more money to the aging King Felix, especially if he can get a major-league deal from elsewhere.
“It’s going to be my last year. I don’t know what’s going to happen next year, so I’m going to go up there and show them that I still love the fans and that I still love Seattle.”
Felix Hernandez says he’s healthy to pitch in the season’s final month:https://t.co/ArnHvl27wo
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) August 20, 2019
Hope from rehab
Hernandez’s first rehab outings came in the lower levels of the minor leagues. On Monday, he moved up to Triple-A and threw 69 pitches in three-plus innings. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
Those numbers won’t wow anyone, but Hernandez said he felt good and is ready to give Seattle another shot. He figures to take the mound Saturday, when the M’s are back home to face Toronto.
Felix Hernandez is through 3IP, 4H, 1R, BB, 5K, 57-37. pic.twitter.com/0Sea8sjcj2
— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) August 20, 2019
