Former Mariners ace Felix Hernandez getting huge boost to Hall of Fame chances

Former Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez received 81 votes for the Hall of Fame in 2025. His candidacy has gotten a tremendous boost this year.

According to Ryan Thibodaux's Hall of Fame tracker, Hernandez has received 86 votes on the 147 ballots made public. He currently has 58.5% of the vote and would appear to be trending toward enshrinement in the next couple of years.

Hernandez was arguably the best pitcher in the majors from 2009 through 2015. He posted a 2.83 ERA and a 1.109 WHiP over 1596 innings, striking out 1,549 batters with only 414 walks. Hernandez was a six-time All-Star in that span, won the AL Cy Young Award in 2010 and threw the first perfect game in Mariners history on August 15, 2012.

Seattle Mariners star Felix Hernandez benefiting from new evaluations of pitchers

A true workhorse, Hernandez led the majors in innings during that seven-year run of dominance and was one of only four pitchers to throw at least 1500 innings in that time frame. Those innings took a toll as Hernandez rapidly fell off and made his final major league appearance at 33 years old. His attempted comeback with the Orioles did not happen due to Hernandez sitting out in 2020; he was subsequently released before spring training in 2021, ending his career.

Despite the struggles at the end of his career, Hernandez put together a solid overall performance during his 15-year major league career. He posted a 3.42 ERA and a 1.206 WHiP, striking out 2524 batters with 805 walks. While that career would not necessarily make him a one-and-done candidate on the ballot, his 49.9 bWAR is tied for 106th in major league history, behind the likes of Jamie Moyer and Mark Langston.

However, the evaluation of pitchers on the Hall of Fame ballot has changed over the years. Hernandez was one of the last true workhorses in baseball, while his peak was one of the more dominant of his era. Both factors appear to matter with the newer voters, as 23 out of 30 first-time voters selected Hernandez on their ballots. Hernandez appears to be trending toward Cooperstown and could be the first pitcher to benefit from how evaluating pitchers has evolved.