Felix Hernandez has played for 15 seasons to this point with the Seattle Mariners and now the Atlanta Braves although he did opt out of the 2020 season due to coronavirus concerns. He was one of the most hyped up prospects of the 2010s and rightly so. He had an excellent 8 year peak from 2007-2015. His first year as a 19 year old on the abysmal Mariners he went 4-4 with a 2.67 ERA in 12 starts.

The hype was real. His sophomore season was mediocre but he got back on track the next season. From 2007-2015 he averaged a 14-9 record with 3.00 ERA in 32 starts a season. He averaged 210 strikeouts a season in 221 innings on average. He three excellent ERA seasons, 2.49 in 2009, 2.27 in 2010, and 2.14 in 2014. He won the Cy Young in 2010 while coming second in 2009 and 2014. He is a six time all star and has received MVP votes in 5 seasons. Since 2016 he hasn’t been the same King.

He averaged only 21 starts with a 4.89 ERA. This drop-off is usually attributed to a huge velocity drop. His highest these days is about 93. As a young ace he was touching 97 with a 88 Mph changeup, that was frequently described as the nastiest pitch in the Majors in his peak. Personally I wish King Felix was added to a contender earlier, seeing him in his peak pitching in the playoffs would be an awesome sight. Thanks for reading.