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Seattle Mariners 2015 Position Preview: Starting Pitching

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Seattle Mariners 2015 Position Preview: Starting Pitching

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Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Although the Seattle Mariners began the season by losing two of three to the Los Angeles Angels, many still consider them to be favorites in the AL West. After all, the M's have a star-studded lineup that features names such as Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager and Nelson Cruz, and their bullpen had the best ERA in MLB last season. They also have a pretty solid rotation as well. So, on that note, here is a quick look at the M's staff.

5. J.A. Happ

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Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

5. J.A. Happ

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Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Michael Saunders over the offseason, J.A. Happ should be a solid arm at the back end of the M's rotation. Sure, he pitched to a bloated 6.11 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP over 17.2 innings of Cactus League work, but he has gone a rather respectable 51-53 with a 4.24 ERA (4.36 FIP) and a 1.39 WHIP over the course of his major league career.

4. Taijuan Walker

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Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

4. Taijuan Walker

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Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Only 22 years of age, former first-round draft pick Taijuan Walker may be poised to do great things in 2015. The righty has gone 3-3 with a 2.89 ERA (3.28 FIP) and a 1.21 WHIP thus far over 11 games (eight starts) in his big league career, and he absolutely dominated the Cactus League this spring, going 4-0 with a 0.67 ERA and a 0.56 WHIP over 27 innings of work. He will take the mound against the Oakland Athletics on Friday.

3. Hisashi Iwakuma

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Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

3. Hisashi Iwakuma

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Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Since coming to the Mariners in 2012, Hisashi Iwakuma has been outstanding, going 38-21 with a 3.11 ERA (3.60 FIP) and a 1.09 WHIP over 92 games (78 starts). He is off to a little bit of a rough start to the 2015 campaign, giving up nine hits and four earned runs over six innings of work against the Angels on Wednesday, but he should be just fine this year.

2. James Paxton

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Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

2. James Paxton

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Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Still only 26 years of age, James Paxton had a nice year for the M's in 2014, going 6-4 with a 3.04 ERA (3.28 FIP) and a 1.20 WHIP over 13 starts. He had a nice outing for the M's on Tuesday night, but ultimately took the loss as he was outdueled by the Angels' C.J. Wilson.

1. Felix Hernandez

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Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

1. Felix Hernandez

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Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The undisputed ace of the staff and one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, Felix Hernandez is coming off of a season in which he went 15-6 with a 2.14 ERA (2.56 FIP) and a 0.92 WHIP. On Monday, Hernandez made his seventh consecutive (eighth overall) Opening Day start, and he received the win after going seven innings, allowing only one earned run and racking up 10 strikeouts against the Halos.

Brad Faber is a Senior Writer and Sabermetrics Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Brad_Faber, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google.

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