Cursed Images
He Played Where?!Volume Three
Félix Hernández, Braves
King Felix. He debuted at just 19 years old in 2005. While he was the 58th pitcher in MLB history to debut before their 20th birthday, there have been just two since: Julio Urías (gross) and Didier Fuentes. Hernández was as reliable as they came—until he wasn’t. From 2006 until 2015, he started at least 30 games per year without fail. And then the wheels fell off, slowly but surely. The streak broke with just 25 games started in 2016, but it also came with the lowest strikeout rate AND the highest walk rate of his career. Still just 30 years old, the assumption was that it was simply a down year. Then injuries hit, costing him half a season in 2017 and 2019, sandwiching a dreadful 2018 where he was one of the worst starters in the league. After his record-setting 7-year, $175 million extension ended in 2019, he hit free agency, settling for a minor league pact with the Braves. Quite the fall from grace for one of the most dominant pitchers in the league for a 10-year stretch.
The King showed glimpses of hope, however, putting up promising numbers over four starts in Spring Training. An ERA under 2. Striking out more than a batter per inning. With Albies and Acuña behind him, it seemed like a great match. His minor league deal was incentive-based, and would pay him $1 million if he made the team. At this point, he was well on his way to cracking the Opening Day roster, potentially beating out Sean Newcomb and Kyle Wright for the fifth-starter job. Still just 34 years old, did Felix have another dominant stretch in him?
Sadly, we never got to find out. The virus that shall not be named emerged, halting Spring Training after his March 9th start. That start was not only his longest (5 innings), but also his most effective, giving up just 1 earned run while striking out six. It seemed Hernández was just starting to find his groove. While the season was delayed until July, King Felix ultimately opted out completely. This would effectively end his reign, just one of the many things we lost due to the horrors of 2020.
Postscript
While writing this piece, I discovered another cursed image. Are you ready for it? I wasn’t…
I had no idea he made one last attempt in 2021 with Baltimore. Same deal—$1 million if he made the club. Now, just weeks away from his 35th birthday, Felix was ineffective (7.94 ERA with diminished velo), and then the dreaded “right elbow discomfort” hit—and that was that. He was released from the deal, ending a wonderful career that unfortunately never led to a postseason appearance.