For the past two years, injuries and wear-and-tear made it increasingly clear that Hernandez’s dominance no longer was a sure thing. But if I were to rate the players upon whom the Mariners’ hopes for playoff contention in 2018 rests, I’d put Hernandez at the top of the list.
ORLANDO, Fla. — For so many years — a decade, actually — any prognosis for the Mariners’ season began with one reassuring certainty: Felix Hernandez would be the stalwart ace around which the team could build (or re-build), even if everything around him crumbled. Amid all kinds of turmoil and under-achievement, at least you could count on Felix to provide 200-plus innings of bliss.