2011 Fantasy Baseball Preview: Felix Hernandez
Two days after Roy Halladay unanimously won the NL Cy Young, Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners somehow won the AL Cy Young. He got 21 of the 28 first place votes.
Instead of weighing in on the debate about whether or not Hernandez deserves the award, let’s keep the insight here to his numbers – which is the only thing fantasy baseballers really care about, anyway. Felix The King was a statistical stud despite his crappy 13-12 record: he led the AL in ERA (2.27) and innings pitched (249.7) and finished second in strikeouts (232). He also finished 2010 with a 1.06 WHIP.
Because the only reason we’re really blogging about King Felix right now is because he won the Cy, I find it important to note that David Price of Tampa Bay and C.C. Sabathia of the Yankees finished second and third in the voting, respectively. Also, no Cy Young winner has ever won less games than Hernandez… and his won-loss mark of 1-game over .500 is the lowest for a Cy Young winner ever.
But, seriously, enough about that…
Because in fantasy baseball, we care about stats! And (wins aside) King Felix is a 5×5 fantasy baseball monster.
In our world, Hernandez has a lot of value because he logs a lot of strikeouts, keeps batters off base, and keeps runners from crossing home plate. He pitches in the American League… and he pitches for the Mariners. The whole Mariners thing seemed like a great thing back in March when the M’s were the best in the AL West… on paper. Looking back on how awful they were in 2010, and fearing that they won’t improve greatly in 2011 hurts Felix’s value in 2011.
Right now, heading into next season, we have King Felix ranked the no. 7 starting pitcher in fantasy baseball – and the no. 2 AL ranked pitcher behind C.C. Sabathia (Note: Cliff Lee is ranked one spot ahead of Felix and one spot behind Sabathia. Obviously, if Lee signs with the Yanks, Felix becomes the no. 3 AL pitcher for 2011, etc.).
December 1st, 2010 at 1:00 pm
This is the worst article ive ever read. Felix should be number 1. Id rather have him then 2 of any of these guys on this list. How can you put anybody before him when hes 24 and the only pitcher to have an era under 2.5 in consecutive years since like 1950 thats under the age of 25. On top of that hes most likely going to have more wins then last season (19 the year before) and his era progressively has gone down the last 3 seasons. My bold prediction (which isnt that bold) is that King Felix will have an era under 2.00 this season and show why he really should be number 1 on this list.
December 1st, 2010 at 3:51 pm
I don't think there's any doubt that Felix COULD be no. 1 by the END of next season. However, he wasn't as great as Halladay in 2010, he pitches for a bad team that doesn't give him run support, and if Lee goes back to the NL he is certainly capable of putting up similar numbers. Halladay, Wainwright and Sabathia stand to win more games and produce under 3 ERA's and a similar amount of K's – Lincecum too. Josh Johnson might not win as much as those guys but his average's and K total could be around the same, too. Don't think we're way off base with King at no. 7. Definitely wouldn't say that no. 7 is a lock, but that's where I see him in December 2010. Maybe that changes in January or February… time will tell.
February 2nd, 2011 at 3:16 pm
Be careful when you say anything is the worst you've ever seen.
Though I'm pretty confident in saying that (besides spam) yours is the worst comment I've ever read.
Its understandable though. I guess. Except when you consider the Mariner's are in for a tough divisional grind this year (rangers getting ever better, and the high payroll of the Angels).
I can dissuade anybody from picking Felix with one statement. Josh Hamilton is a left handed bat and in the same divison as "King Felix".
You might say to yourself "That seems picky." Do yourself a favor, take it from one die hard Pirates fan, Wainwright plays in the NL central and the Cards are gonna have a darn good divisional record.
Philly has become dominate in their division. If I was trying to pick the number 1 Fantasy pitcher, it might come from their staff. Since Roy Halladay happens to be on that staff, it becomes a no brainer.