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 Thursday 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 just 88 innings pitched. The numbers are eye-popping for any prospect, let alone the youngest player in all of baseball above Class A.
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| Felix Hernandez went 9-4 with a 2.25 ERA and 110 K's for Tacoma. (AP) |
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.
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