MLB: Ranking top SP combos for AL contenders
By Ed Carroll
3. Seattle Mariners – RHP Felix Hernandez and RHP Hisashi Iwakuma
At this point in the list, it’s pretty much splitting hairs between these last three combos, but that’s what my job is to do here, split hairs. So the team boasting the best starting pitcher likely to make the American League playoffs, the Seattle Mariners, is ranked third, but M’s fans shouldn’t fret too much.
King Felix is one of the top-five pitchers in all of baseball, and any opposing team matching up against him in the playoffs will have their work cut out for them, as Hernandez has been dominant. In 219 innings this year, he has a 2.14 ERA (2.59 FIP), with 225 strikeouts and he’s been worth 5.8 fWAR. Those are Cy Young-worthy numbers, and though Hernandez will have competition for the award from Cleveland’s Corey Kluber, Hernandez is in a class by himself of the legit playoff contenders.
Iwakuma isn’t a slouch himself, and the right-hander has a 3.11 ERA in 165 innings pitched, with 138 strikeouts, and he’s been worth 3.3 fWAR. That said, the 33-year old has been a mixed bag in some recent starts, including being roughed up by the lowly Houston Astros on September 10 and the lowlier Boston Red Sox on August 24. Iwakuma doesn’t have any Major League postseason pitching experience, but don’t expect the 33-year-old to be intimidated by the pressure.