In 2001, the Seattle Mariners won 116 regular season games, tying the 1906 Chicago Cubs for most wins in a season. Unfortunately for Mariners fans, their team hasn't made the postseason since then.

The Mariners will look to end that drought this year in the American League West after placing third last season behind the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Oakland Athletics. If the Mariners will go on to make playoffs, it will primarily be because of their extraordinary Latino pitching staff.

The Latin American combination of Felix Hernandez and Fernando Rodney could very well be the best duo in all of baseball this season.

Hernandez (shown above) has spent his entire 10-year career with the Mariners. The Venezuelan right-hander led the American League in games started (34) and earned runs against average (2.14) last season. Easily one of the most underrated pitchers in the game today, Hernandez is a CY Young winner, he's pitched a perfect game, and he has been voted to the last four consecutive All-Star games.

Hernandez has a impressive 3.07 career ERA, and he has started at least 30 games in each of the last nine seasons. Manager Lloyd McClendon knows he can count on his ace for a high pitch count, and a lot of strikeouts.

But, even Batman couldn't beat the Joker without Robin. Same principal here. If the Mariners are going to win the AL West or grab a wild card spot, their bullpen will have to come through. Thankfully, the Mariners have their "boy of wonder" in Fernando Rodney.

Rodney was the best closer in baseball last season, leading the majors in saves with 48. He may not be the next Mariano Rivera, but Rodney certainly gets the job done. Signing the Dominican closer last year proved to be a great decision for the Mariners. Over the last three season, Rodney has a combined 133 saves, while allowed just eight home runs in the process.

Seattle may have missed the playoffs last season, but they took a big step in the right direction. Rodney and Hernandez led the Mariners to the second ranked team ERA in baseball behind only the Washington Nationals. In addition to elite pitching, the Mariners did rack up 87 team victories, their most since 2007.

Historically, Latino baseball players have done much better in the batter's box than on the pitcher's mound. Seattle will rely very much on Robinson Cano. After spending nine years in the Bronx with the New York Yankees, the Dominican infielder signed a large 10-year contract with the Mariners last season. Cano led the Mariners in batting average (.314) hits (187) and runs scored (77) last season.

The Angeles should be a force one again with Mike Trout, but the Athletics will miss having Jon Lester on the mound.

MLB demographic reports have shown that Latinos represent nearly 30 percent of all players in today's game, by far the most of any of the "big four" major sports leagues in the U.S. With the U.S. and Cuba normalizing political relations with one another, the game should become more diversified than ever before.

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