No kidding around
He’s still just 19, but when Felix Hernandez stands on the mound, he looks anything but a teenager.
The 6-foot-3 right-hander already cracks 97 mph on his fastball, and his biting curve mystifies batters as it tumbles through the strike zone.
After less than three seasons of professional ball, Hernandez is ready to show off his stuff to major league hitters. The Seattle phenom will make his debut today when the Mariners close out a three-game series in Detroit.
“Felix is Felix,” said Tacoma Rainiers catcher Ryan Christianson. “When he’s good, he’s good, and when he’s bad, he’s good.”
Hernandez comes to the Mariners after dominating the Pacific Coast League while pitching at Triple-A Tacoma. Hernandez was 9-4, with a league-leading 2.25 ERA, and 100 strikeouts in 88 innings pitched. The numbers are eye-popping for any prospect, let alone the youngest player in all of baseball above Class A.
“He’s a very, very talented young man,” Tacoma manager Dan Rohn said. “He has a lot of gifts others don’t have.”
Hernandez was widely considered the top pitching prospect in the minors – Baseball America listed him the No. 1 pitcher and No. 2 overall.
The organization intended to move cautiously with Hernandez, no matter his success at Triple-A. He recently missed a month with minor bursitis in his throwing shoulder, and worked mostly out of the bullpen since returning in mid-July to rebuild strength in the arm.
During his outings, Hernandez was held to a strict pitch count, no matter the score or his performance. He was selected to play in the Triple-A All-Star Game, but skipped the event to give his arm more rest.
Last Saturday, Hernandez started for the first time since June 14, holding Omaha hitless in four innings of work.
The Mariners had seen enough.
“He’s already shown that he’s got more than potential,” Seattle pitching coach Bryan Price said. “He’s got aptitude, he’s got athleticism, he’s got instincts, he’s got tenacity, a great understanding of what makes pitchers successful.”
On Monday, Seattle released veteran starter Aaron Sele, and Ryan Franklin’s 10-day suspension the following day for violating Major League Baseball’s steroids policy left an opening for Hernandez.
Described by his teammates as a jokester, the rookie already looks the part of a major leaguer with dark shades and flashy jewelry framing a youthful smile.
“I have fun, but I think about the games,” Hernandez said. “But, I don’t think I obsess about it.”
The Mariners won a bidding war for Hernandez. Bob Engle, the team’s director of international operations, and scout Emilio Carrasquel signed him as a nondrafted free agent on July 4, 2002, for a reported $710,000, after he graduated from high school in Valencia, Venezuela.
Thus far, the asking price looks like a deal.
“He’s performed very well,” said Mariners vice president of player development and scouting Benny Looper. “He’s a confident player. The thought never crossed my mind that he’d be overwhelmed.”
Hernandez tore through Class A in 2003 with a 7-2 mark in Everett and Wisconsin at age 17.
Last year, Hernandez was the Mariners’ minor league pitcher of the year. He started with Inland Empire in the California League, before being promoted to Double-A San Antonio, and finished a combined 14-4 with a 2.95 ERA and 172 strikeouts in 149 1/3 innings.
“The first time I saw him throw I said, ‘Wow, he’s got really good stuff,’ ” said Rene Rivera, who caught Hernandez at Inland Empire. “God gave to him stuff to play ball, and he gets better every year.”
With Tacoma, there was no indication the jump in competition overwhelmed Hernandez. In 12 of his 14 starts, Hernandez allowed three runs or less.
Consistency is seemingly his lone concern. Hernandez has added a sinking fastball to an arsenal that includes a hard-snapping curve, a deceptive changeup, and a rarely seen slider – all strikeout pitches.
“He’s very, very close,” Rohn said.
Hernandez still has 19-year-old moments, such as when he can’t find the strike zone and allows his frustration to show. But he often regains command in just a few pitches.
“We’re still searching for the best of him,” Tacoma pitching coach Rafael Chaves said.
While he may fret about his performances, Hernandez previously said he wasn’t concerned about a promotion.
He held his own in the Venezuelan Winter League pitching as a 17-year-old against established major leaguers, giving Hernandez confidence that he can succeed when given his major league chance.