It wasn't the optimal situation for a new pitching coach to get to know a star pitcher. In spring training, Felix Hernandez was away from the Mariners and preparing for the World Baseball Classic, so Rick Adair really didn't get much time to establish a rapport with the 23-year-old Hernandez.
But in time, Adair has gotten a feel for Hernandez's personality, and his talent. "For me, this guy has not scratched the surface of what he can become," Adair said, a few hours before Hernandez took the mound against the
Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday evening. "He's getting to the point where he wants to understand how things work."
Hernandez has been in the majors for more than four seasons, but his success has mainly been rooted in his raw ability -- the vicious fastball and nasty slider and huge curve simply overmatching hitters on many days. But year by year, Hernandez is learning, and using that knowledge, and getting better because of it.
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Buster Olney
