Seattle Mariners Top Ten Starting Pitchers in Franchise History

1. Felix Hernandez

Felix Hernandez is without a doubt the best pitcher in the history of the Seattle Mariners.  King Felix edged Randy Johnson for the top spot.  Felix was signed as a free agent by the Seattle Mariners in 2002.  The Mariners should send Freddy Garcia a thank you card.  As stated previously, one the reasons Felix picked Seattle was because his idol, fellow Venezuelan pitcher Freddy García, was pitching for the team at the time.  He made his Major League debut on August 4, 2005, at the age of 19.  He has spent his entire 11 year Major League career with the Seattle Mariners.

In 11 years, King Felix has earned 143 wins and 101 losses for a .586 win-loss percentage.  He has pitched 2262.1 innings.   He’s had 25 complete games and 11 shutouts.  He has a career 3.11 ERA and 3.20 FIP.  He also has a WHIP of 1.171 and and strikeout to walk ratio of 3.40.  He’s had 2142 strikeouts and 630 walks.  He has earned a 49.8 pitchers WAR.  He pitched the Mariners first perfect game on August 15, 2012.  He’s earned 6 All-Star selections.  He won the American League Cy Young award in 2010 and received votes in 5 other seasons.

King Felix ranks first all-time in innings pitched, games started, pitchers WAR, FIP and ERA for the Mariners.  He’s second in wins, WHIP, strikeout to walk ratio, shutouts, and strikeouts.  He’s sixth in complete games and win-loss percentage.  The latter would be much higher all-time if he had some run support.  He holds the Mariners team record for the lowest ERA by a starter in a season with 2.27 in 2010.

Felix Hernandez recently signed a ten year contract with the Mariners that will keep him in Seattle through 2019.  The Mariners marketing team has created a King’s Court on days that he pitches where fans wear yellow t-shirts and hold up “K” cards.  This promotion has grown over the years to several sections.  This promotion marks the first time there has been a stadium promotion around a specific player.  The body of work, what he means to the team and the city, and the fact that he has decided to stay with Seattle until the end of his career seals the deal.  Not to mention he leads in most of the categories already.

Even though Felix Hernandez is currently in the midst of his career with the Mariners, he is the best starting pitcher in the history of the Seattle Mariners.  He is clearly headed towards enshrinement in the Hall of Fame.  Mariners fans have a front seat.

A few other pitchers deserve honorable mention.  Instead of mentioning them, we’d like to hear your thoughts in the comments.

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