Felix Hernandez is a good starting pitcher. He is the ace of the Mariners staff. Hernandez, 26, was 13-9 with a 3.06 ERA last season. He pitched a perfect game on Aug. 15 against the Devil Rays.
Yesterday, he was rewarded with a whopping 7 year/$175 million contract extension. He becomes the highest paid pitcher in league history.
By comparison, the Dodgers signed Zach Greinke, 29, to a 6 year/$159 million deal this winter.
Greinke's career stat line:
9 years: 91-78, 3.77 ERA, 12 CG, 1.187 WHIP, 3.51 K/BB ratio, 29.5 WAR.
King Felix's career stat line:
8 years: 98-76, 3.22 ERA, 23 CG, 1.212 WHIP, 3.10 K/BB ratio, 31.5 WAR.
It may be hard to believe but for most national baseball fans, Hernandez's accomplishments are being made in the shadows, since the Mariners have not been in the post season, and he plays mostly on the west coast. He is clearly one of the best pitchers of his generation.
There are some owners who refuse to sign pitchers to any contract that has a duration of more than four years. The risk of injury is too great to guarantee big money to ace starters. However, some teams believe you have to reward star players who are the faces of their franchises. King Felix does bring people into the ball park to see him pitch. That is the one throwback constant of baseball earlier days-- people used to buy day of game tickets based upon who was pitching that day.
