Poll results: Responders think Paxton is new Mariners ace
Published 10:17 am Friday, May 5, 2017
It seems that Seattle Mariners fans are ready to pass the torch.
In this week’s poll we asked who should be considered the Mariners’ ace pitcher right now, Felix Hernandez or James Paxton? Hernandez has been the top dog of Seattle’s pitching staff for more than a decade, but Paxton is off to a blistering start to the 2017 season.
What did responders think? Here’s what:
POLL: Who is the Mariners' current ace pitcher? Full context here: https://t.co/ypUtphlj97
— Nick Patterson (@NickHPatterson) May 1, 2017
This is interesting. I figured Hernandez, given his long and distinguished history with the team as well as his alpha personality — hey, this is a guy who has his own section in the stands every time he takes the mound at Safeco Field — would have a substantial number of fans in his corner who thought he still deserved the ace mantle, even if over the past two seasons he hasn’t been as dominant as he was in the past. Add in that Paxton has only been dominating for a month and I thought this would be a pretty even race.
But that didn’t turn out to be the case at all, as the vote was overwhelmingly in Paxton’s favor. I suppose the fans are ready to move on, at least when it comes to Felix being Seattle’s ace.
What do I think? Check out my column running in Sunday’s paper to find out.
