Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Felix Hernandez may have seen his reign in the rotation come to an end.
It was not that long ago that Felix Hernandez was a star for the Seattle Mariners. King Felix deserved his crown, a true ace that sat upon the throne as one of the best pitchers in baseball. As he turned 30 years old, Hernandez had already put together an impressive resume – six All Star appearances, a Cy Young award, two ERA titles, and a reputation as a truly dominating workhorse. Hernandez was the type of pitcher that other teams dreamed about having atop their rotation.
However, since then, the King as fallen. Hernandez has gone from royalty to commoner, falling from the ranks of the elite. He has dealt with injuries and a marked decrease in velocity. This season, Hernandez has been dramatically ineffective, with his 5.73 ERA and 1.435 WHiP more the performance of the court jester than the King of Seattle.
After his latest horrendous outing, where he allowed a career high 11 runs (seven earned) on eight hits and four walks, Hernandez may have had his throne usurped. Manager Scott Servais would not commit to the former King taking his next turn in the rotation, an understandable stance given Hernandez’ troubles.
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It has been a sudden, and sharp, fall from grace for Hernandez. He has been the worst starter in the rotation, and the second worst pitcher on the staff in terms of results, trailing only the injured Juan Nicasio. His -1.4 WAR is the second worst mark in the majors, trailing only the human batting practice machine known as Matt Moore. Yes, even the bloated corpses of Jason Hammel and Jason Vargas have been more competent on the mound than Hernandez.
The problem with getting Hernandez to abdicate the crown is that the Mariners really do not have many options to replace him. Erasmo Ramirez is still not ready. Robert Whalen or Christian Bregman could be options, but neither has exactly performed well with Tacoma this season.
And yet, the Mariners hand may be forced when it comes to Hernandez. They have fallen out of the second Wild Card spot, and are now trailing the surging A’s by 2.5 games heading into Wednesday’s action. With a series against the Astros, one that Hernandez is currently slated to pitch in, Seattle cannot afford to lose any more ground. Hernandez, for all of his accolades, may as well be a figurehead when matched up against the real royalty of the American League.
Felix Hernandez is no longer the King Felix of old. His struggles have left the Seattle Mariners in a difficult place as they desperately attempt to fight their way back into the postseason.