Fantasy Baseball: Target These Mariners Late in Your Draft

SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 23: Starter Felix Hernandez
SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 23: Starter Felix Hernandez /
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Felix Hernandez, SP, ESPN ADP: 216.5

SEATTLE, WA – APRIL 24: Fans in the King’s Court section cheer as starting pitcher Felix Hernandez
SEATTLE, WA – APRIL 24: Fans in the King’s Court section cheer as starting pitcher Felix Hernandez /

Read what I am about to write very carefully. I am NOT telling you to draft Felix Hernandez as anything more than a speculative 6th starter or bench guy. You cannot trust him to bounce back, and any strategy that relies on him to be ” The King” is foolish and short-sided.

That being said, there are few lottery tickets with a bigger payout this late in the draft than Felix. After a disastrous 2016, some of Felix’s peripherals settled into a normal range for him. His K/9 got back into his career range. As did his BB/9. Felix was hurt by 2 factors: the long-ball and injuries.

We only really got to see a healthy Hernandez for about a month in 2017. He rolled his ankle in start one against Houston. He missed all of May, but when he came back on June 23rd, he looked okay.

In July, he was at his best, posting a 3.86 ERA, with 36 strike outs in 35 innings. Felix is no longer an ace, but in the 20th round, you don’t need him to be. If he gets hurt or is just not effective, you can cut him without hesitation.