Mariners Pitchers I’m Most Excited to Watch in 2022

There are so many things about Chris Flexen that make him fun to root for. For one, the passion he shows on the mound is visible from my la-z-boy recliner. Besides that and his performance on the field (which we’ll get into in a moment), his story is just so damn cool.

After eight years with the New York Mets organization (mostly at the MiLB level), the Mets decided he couldn’t cut it in the bigs and sent him packing. After a year in the KBO where he went to prove his worth as a starter, the Mariners took a flyer on him and signed him to a 2-year contract worth $4.75m. Safe to say that worked out for both sides as Flexen went on to have the strongest season of any starter in the Mariners rotation.

Looking back on his 2021 season, two words come to mind: durability and consistency. Flexen led all M’s starters with 31 games started including 14 wins, and at 27 years old, seems to be hitting his peak at just the right time to earn a sizable extension. He was also overwhelmingly consistent in 2021, pitching at least 5 innings in all but three of his starts. If those trends continue next season, I could see Flexen filling an Iwakuma-type role for this team for years to come.