The Seattle Times · Jan 27, 2017
Can Felix Hernandez regain ace status? Mariners say yes
Pitcher Felix Hernandez looks to the outfield after giving up an RBI single to Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor in the top of the third, one of five runs he gave up that inning, at... (Lindsey Wasson/The Seattle Times)The Mariners attacked a myth Thursday at their annual Pre Spring Training Luncheon at Safeco Field.
Their message was this: The purported demise of Felix Hernandez has been greatly exaggerated, and that notion persists largely in comparison with his own brilliant body of work. Taken in isolation, they believe, Hernandez still is a high-quality major-league pitcher — and poised to regain his ace status in 2017 after a winter dedicated to getting himself in better shape.