Happy Felix Day!

Once again it is time to all gather 'round the television set, or throw on the headphones or, in this age of advanced technology, tune into MLB.TV or ESPN's gamecast. Why you may ask? Simply put, it is once again, Felix Day.

Since this blog was last updated it has been nothing but downhill for the Mariners however, once every five days they give us fans a true gift in being able to watch the great Felix Hernandez make major league hitters nearly twice his age (he just turned 20 on April 8) look absolutely silly... Or, more accurately, making hitters nearly twice his age look... well... his age.

Now I have gone on and on about the greatness that is Felix: His command, his stuff, his amazing curveball and even his mentality on the mound. One thing that is nearly not even possible to write about at this time is the impact that he could have on the game. One may read this blog and just assume that "Hey, this guy is a Mariners fan, and thus, overhypes Felix." This could be a strong talking point for those who oppose the fact that a 20-year-old righty can alter a teams' future. However, it is not everyday that the player everybody is talking about JUST RECENTLY GOT OUT OF HIS TEENS.

We are talking about a teenager with some of the best stuff out of anyone that has ever pitched in the HISTORY of the major leagues. Perhaps this is overhyping due to being a fan, but perhaps an even stronger case is that it truly is the second coming of the next great power pitcher.

There is not a whole lot to compare Hernandez to due to his age and skillset AT that age, but through all the hype that has been heard about so many young major league pitchers in the past (i.e. Todd Van Poppel, David Clyde and Dwight Gooden in other circles, Dave Fleming, Tim Leary and Ken Cloude in the Mariner past) this is finally one that has broken through to the major leagues and has had continued success.

As I write this, Hernandez is pitching in Cleveland against the Indians, and through three-innings, Hernandez has 6 ground outs, 2 strikeouts and one fly ball out. This is the most amazing thing about the pitcher, not only is he a power pitcher who has the ability to keep any inning from blowing up into a game-losing inning, he also has the unbelievable talent to induce ground balls. So far in his short, illustrious career, Hernandez holds a 3.20 ground/fly ratio (3.2 ground balls for every one fly ball out). His 3.31 g/f ratio last season was ranked number-one in the entire league last year with second place being at 3.13 (Mark Buehrle) and third place being at 1.74 (Jason Johnson, who Felix is facing tonight).

A lot has been said about him, alot by me, but Hernandez truly is a talent that can transcend time. Just take a look in the records book in about 20-25 years, it very well could be a book of memoirs of the great, Felix Hernandez.