For the first time since he was drafted by the Mariners in 2005, former American League Cy Young award winner Felix Hernandez has been demoted from the starting rotation to the bullpen. Mariners manager Scott Servais made the announcement Thursday night.
Felix, who pitched a perfect game in 2012, is having the worst season of his career this year as the team is vying for the playoffs. KNKX sports commentator Art Thiel spoke by phone early Friday morning with KNKX Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick.
'A Difficult Transition'
"Going from a starter to reliever in the middle of the season is an extremely difficult thing to do. And I don't think Felix is up for doing really difficult things right now," Thiel said.
"When you go to a relief pitching role, your routine is completely different than a starter. You've gotta be able to warm up quickly, get into ballgames quickly, you may have to pitch two or three days in a row and you have to be instantly successful when you get into the game."
"That's something Felix has struggled with this year and even past years. That first inning has always been a problem so he might be the least qualified guy to handle a job that only entails one inning."
"Physically, it's a difficult chore."
'This Is A Demotion'
Thiel said how Felix will handle the move emotionally is an even a bigger question.
"Felix is a kind of stubborn guy. He's not used to change. He doesn't like change. In fact, he's been stubborn about his use of analytics and the information that coaches now provide pitchers about opposing batters and about his own delivery. He hasn't adapted very well to the new information."
"And, more importantly, this is a demotion. This is a letdown. This is an embarrassment. Felix is a prideful guy and I think he's going to look at this poorly."
"I think he's going to have to go along with it - he's got no choice. But that doesn't mean he likes it. And it doesn't mean he's going to adapt to it immediately."
'Least Worst Option'
Thiel said the team can't demote Felix to Triple-A because there's nothing for him to work on to get better. And they wouldn't do it anyway because of his stature as the face of the franchise.
"They can't cut him because they owe him $27 million next year as well as the balance of his contract this year."
"So I guess this is the least worst option and it's going to be a real tough thing for him emotionally."
'Tough Situation'
Thiel said the final straw for the team was Felix's last outing against the Texas Rangers Tuesday night, when 11 runs scored while he was on the mound over six innings.
"I don't know what kind of success they're going to have with him because if they can't trust him to get that one inning, they just may not use him."
"It's a really difficult thing for the club to do in the middle of a drive for the (wild card) playoff bid. It had to be done but it's a real tough situation for all concerned."
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