Félix's big ballot jump bodes well for HOF chances

Félix Hernández, one of the most dominant pitchers of his era during his 15 seasons with the Mariners, took a big step toward perhaps getting inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by appearing on 46.1 percent of the ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Tuesday.

Hernández, who received 20.6 percent of the votes in his first season on the ballot a year ago, enjoyed a large bump, which bodes well for the future of his candidacy. Players must get 75 percent in voting by the BBWAA and can appear on the ballot for 10 years, giving Hernández plenty of time to gain more support and inch closer to baseball immortality.

Dynamic outfielders Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones were elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday and will be inducted July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y., with Jeff Kent, who was elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.

Hernández, who spent his 15-year career with the Mariners from 2005-19, is regarded as one of the best pitchers of his era. Making his MLB debut as a teenager, he soon became a Seattle legend who earned the nickname “King Félix” for his dominance on the diamond. But thanks to injuries, Hernández’s best years were behind him by his age-30 season. His career was over not long after that.

His crowning achievement came on Aug. 15, 2012, when he threw baseball’s 23rd perfect game against the Rays in Seattle. It’s the only perfect game by a Mariners pitcher, and only one has been thrown across baseball since -- Domingo Germán of the Yankees in 2023 against the A’s.

It was the signature achievement in the career of a pitcher who signed with Seattle as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela and never appeared for another team in the regular season. While Hernández spent time with the Braves’ and Orioles’ organizations toward the tail end of his career, he’ll always be remembered as a Mariner.

At his peak, Hernández undoubtedly pitched at a Hall of Fame level. From 2009-15, he was named to six American League All-Star teams and posted a 38.0 pitching WAR that trailed only Clayton Kershaw (46.6). In ’09, he went 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA in 238 2/3 innings. In ‘10, he won the AL Cy Young Award after leading the league in ERA (2.27) and innings pitched (249 2/3) with six complete games. He won another ERA title in ‘14, and he topped 200 innings eight seasons in a row (2008-15).

According to Baseball-Reference, Hernández’s WAR7, or “seven-year peak WAR” -- the sum of his wins above replacement totals from his best seven seasons (2008-10, 2012-15) -- is 38.5. While it’s below the average mark for a Hall of Fame starter (49.8), it’s better than the WAR7 of plenty of Cooperstown inductees: Jim Kaat (38.1), Herb Pennock (37.0), Catfish Hunter (34.9), Whitey Ford (34.6) and Jack Morris (32.6), to name a few.

His 2010 season was one for the books. He threw eight or more innings 16 times in 34 starts, though he missed out on the All-Star team despite a 2.88 ERA at the break. In his 15 second-half starts, he had a 1.53 ERA with 101 strikeouts. With an MLB-best 2.27 ERA and 232 strikeouts, Hernández beat out David Price of the Rays for AL Cy Young honors.

Only Justin Verlander, who threw 251 innings in 2011, has since surpassed Hernández’s total of 249 2/3 innings pitched that season (Roy Halladay led the National League and the Majors in 2010 with 250 2/3 IP). Hernández is one of just 49 starting pitchers with six or more All-Star nods since the Midsummer Classic began in 1933. Nine Hall of Fame hurlers, including Jim Palmer, Sandy Koufax and 2025 inductee CC Sabathia, match Hernández’s six selections.

Hernández’s 49.7 WAR leads Hall of Famers such as Addie Joss (47.7) and Dizzy Dean (43.9). Even Koufax, who also had a famously short peak, isn't too far ahead at 53.1 WAR.

Based on the voting totals released Tuesday, Hernández is in a great spot to perhaps one day join fellow Mariners legends Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, Ichiro Suzuki and Randy Johnson in Cooperstown.