Rather than have this turn out to be another sad story of wasted talent and rushed circumstances that other prospects have succumbed to, the Seattle Mariners were smart in their cautious handling of King Felix. They limited his minor league innings, curtailed the use of his slider and slowly moved him up the minor league ranks until they were sure he was finally ready for the majors. After not giving up a homerun in over 3 months for the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate the decision was made that the young Venezuelan needed a bigger challenge and only a call-up to the big club would suffice.

Ever since that call-up all King Felix has done is spawn memories of a teenage Doc Gooden, win over the harshest of skeptics, match and exceed all the hype that followed him and most impressively won admiration and accolades from virtually every team and opponent he's faced. Not bad for the youngest starting pitcher to throw in the majors since Jose Rijo debuted for the New York Yankees some 21 years ago.

"My age doesn't matter, ... Once I'm on my game, I can't fail."

The quote could easily be construed as yet another arrogant comment coming from the over inflated ego of an athlete but when it comes from Felix Hernandez, it's simply the truth.

When you don't allow a single ball to even reach the outfield in your debut, you're allowed to be confident. When you don't allow an extra base hit through your first four starts you're allowed to make such quotes. Simply put, Felix Hernandez is making his transition to the majors look easy. And when you stop and think how long it usually takes players to master the craft of pitching, Hernandez's early success is a frightening reality of what awaits major league hitters for years to come.

The scouting report on Hernandez shows no weakness in his arsenal of pitches. He possesses a flame thrower of a fastball cranking it up to the high 90's, he has a curveball that makes batters look silly when it drops, he mixes in a mid-80's changeup and supposedly his best pitch is the slider but the Mariners aren't allowing him to use it just yet for fear of wear and tear on his arm.

Through seven starts Hernandez's stats read like an early season Cy Young front runner:

51 IP, 31H, 50K, 10BB, 1.59 ERA

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Hernandez's game is his ability to induce groundballs. When hitters actually manage to make contact, the ball rarely gets off the ground. Hernandez has had 90 groundball outs compared to just 22 fly ball outs - a pitcher's dream ratio for keeping the threat of the long ball down.

In the short time that Hernandez has been in the majors there are already some things that we can come to expect every five days. Each Hernandez start is sure to include a couple things: increased fan attendance, a reason to watch the pitiful Mariners and a boatload of compliments from coaches, teammates and opponents. Instead of having me sell you further on his talents there are plenty of major leaguers that have crossed paths with the young pitcher and have come away impressed. Here are just some of the quotes that teammates, managers and opponents have made about "The King".

Mariners Manager Mike Hargrove:

"I am trying not to go over the deep-end bragging about this guy. I would love to sit here and tell you all the flowery, beautiful things that I am feeling, but common sense tells me I should not go down that road."

"When you're throwing 96- and 97-mile per hour two-seamers, and command that pitch, that's unfair."

"It's easy to like a 98-mph fastball but then you look at his changeup. Very rarely do I sit in the bullpen to watch a pitcher throw, but it's fun to watch this kid throw."

Mariners Hitting Coach Don Baylor:

"Some big league hitters got abused tonight."

Teammates:

Terry Mulholland: "He reminded me an awful lot of the kind of stuff, the kind of presence, that Dwight Gooden had when he got to the big leagues. The same sort of command, same sort of polish, same sort of stuff."

Eddie Guardado: "He's one of those guys who comes around every 20 years."

Opposing Managers:

Ron Gardenhire: "Poise? I don't think we're talking about poise here. I think we're talking about a 97 mile an hour fastball with a curveball from hell. I think you can overlook the poise part. Let's just say great stuff."

Ken Macha: "He has the best stuff of anybody we've faced this year."

Opponents:

Kyle Lohse: "I wish I could have been in the clubhouse watching, instead of out there opposing him. That was pretty impressive. I hope I don't have to lock up with him too much in the future."

Jose Lima: "This kid, to me, is one of the best I've seen in my 11 years. He's phenomenal. The way he changes speeds and goes about his game, he looks like he's Roger Clemens."

Randy Johnson: "He's a lot further along than anyone I've seen in a long time. You can't teach 97, 98 mph, and you can't teach the poise he had on the mound."

"That kid is throwing 97, 98, and not even trying. I'm out there grunting, throwing 95. What he has the ability to do is endless. It's just a matter of how much he wants to work."