January 25, 2007
The New King
Felix Hernandez is a new man:
The new Felix Hernandez -- "a leaner, better version than we've seen in the past," gushed manager Mike Hargrove -- unveiled himself Wednesday.
For Mariners officials, the first sight of Hernandez after his arrival this week from Venezuela bordered on a religious experience.
"When I saw him today, I was stunned," general manager Bill Bavasi said.
"I just saw him," added Hargrove. "Last year, he looked like a baby. He looked like a kid -- from the look in his eye, the way he carried himself, the composition of his body. All that is different. When you see him, you'll know. You'll see a difference in his face, in his eyes."
Numbers back up the change:
The raw numbers tell the story. According to trainer Rick Griffin, Hernandez weighed in Tuesday at 226 pounds. Last February, he reported to camp at 246 pounds -- 16 pounds over his target weight.
"I will admit I did not come in that good shape last year," Hernandez said, and then added with a wink, "Not this year.
There's not much that happened over the winter to excite Mariners fans, but this should do it.
Update: The Mariners may negate the Felix buzz by signing Jeff Weaver.
Posted by David Pinto at
10:07 PM
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When it sounds to good to be true, it usually is. How convienent that his transformation happened NOT under the eyes of the Mariniers. And is it a coincidence that so many guys busted for steroids are always coming out of Latin America? It all looks a little strange to me....