César Hernández (infielder)

César Augusto Hernández (pronounced SAY-zahr; born May 23, 1990) is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Philadelphia Phillies.

César Hernández
Hernández with the Phillies in 2015
Cleveland Indians – No. 7
Second baseman
Born: (1990-05-23) May 23, 1990
Valencia, Venezuela
Bats: Switch Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 29, 2013, for the Philadelphia Phillies
MLB statistics
(through August 16, 2020)
Batting average.277
Home runs46
Runs batted in260
Stolen bases80
Teams

On July 2, 2006, the Phillies signed Hernández as an undrafted amateur free agent, at the age of 16. He made his major league debut during the 2013 Philadelphia Phillies season. In 2016, he led the major leagues in bunt hits, and led the National League (NL) in infield hits and triples. In 2018, he tied for the major league lead in bunt hits.

Minor leagues

2007–10; Early minor league career

Hernández was born in Valencia, Carabobo, in Venezuela, where he also resides in the offseason. He attended Unidad Educativa Cabriales, where he played basketball, volleyball, and baseball.[1]

Phillies' scouts Sal Agostinelli and Jesus Mendez signed him as an amateur free agent on July 2, 2006, at age 16.[2] Hernández began his professional career in 2007, spending his first two seasons with the Venezuelan Summer League (VSL) Phillies. That year, he hit .276./328/.436 with 8 triples (leading the league) and 7 sacrifice hits (4th) in 54 games; he committed 15 errors.[3][4] In the Venezuelan Summer League again in 2008, Hernández hit .315 (8th in the league)/.412 (6th)/.426 with 6 triples (tied for the league lead) and 19 stolen bases (4th) in 60 games, reducing his error total to 8.[4][5] Between his two seasons in the VSL, he made 59 starts as a second baseman and 35 starts as a shortstop.[4]

He advanced a level in 2009, joining the Gulf Coast League (GCL) Phillies, with whom he played solely second base, and hit .267/.351/.313 with 13 stolen bases (tied for 7th in the league) in 41 games.[4] He also participated in the Florida Instructional League during the 2009 season.

Hernandez's improvement earned him another promotion in 2010, when he advanced to the Williamsport Crosscutters of the New York–Penn League (NY-Penn), with whom he enjoyed significant success. He was named an NY-Penn League Mid-Season All Star, and his teammates voted him as their Most Valuable Player (MVP).[6] In 2010, he hit .325 (5th in the league)/.390/.392, including .391 against left-handed pitchers, and added 32 stolen bases (2nd in the league).[1] After the season, he played in the Venezuelan Winter League as a member of the Bravos de Margarita, the first of several seasons after which he would return home and continue to play baseball.[2][7]

2011–12; Upper levels of the minor leagues

Entering the 2011 season, Baseball America ranked Hernández the Phillies 14th-best prospect. John Sickels, a minor league baseball analyst for SBNation.com, noted that, entering the 2011 season, Hernández was an "overlooked" prospect with upper-echelon speed.[8] In 2011, he played for the Clearwater Threshers, the Phillies' affiliate in Class A-Advanced, and hit .268/.306/.333, with 4 home runs and 37 runs batted in (RBIs). It was the first season during which he played in more than 100 games, appearing in 119, all at second base.[4]

In 2012, he split time between the Reading Phillies and Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Phillies Double-A (AA) and Triple-A (AAA) affiliates respectively. With Reading, he tied for the league lead in triples, with 11, and was second in the league in sacrifice hits, with 10.[9] He combined to hit .291/.329/.404 with 2 home runs and 57 RBIs, stealing 21 bases.[7] He was an Eastern League mid-season and post-season All Star for his performance with Reading, earning his call-up to Lehigh Valley in August.[2][6] Baseball America ranked him the Phillies best defensive infielder after the 2012 season, and MiLB.com named him a Philadelphia Organization All Star.[6][10]

Major leagues

Philadelphia Phillies

2013–14; debut
Cesar Hernandez stands on third base with third base coach Juan Samuel

Hernández began the 2013 season in AAA, but in May, Michael Young was placed on bereavement leave, and Hernández was promoted to the major leagues to fill Young's roster spot. On May 29, he made his debut, pinch hitting for Antonio Bastardo.[11] Shortly after, he was optioned to the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs, with whom he was named to the International League mid-season and post-season All-Star teams, as he batted .309 (3rd in the league)/.375/.402, led the league in triples (9), and was 4th in the league in stolen bases (32).[12][1][13] He was the International League Batter of the Week on July 7.[1] In July, when Ben Revere sustained an injury, he was converted to a center fielder, a conversion he made quickly and effectively, garnering a call-up to the big leagues, as he was a "pleasant surprise".[14] His manager, Dave Brundage, commented, "He's done very well offensively and now they're trying to see if we can create a spot or find a spot and see if it's a fit or not."[15] MiLB.com named him a Philadelphia Organization All Star.[6] While with the big-league club, Hernández played in 34 games, batting .289/.344/.331 to go along with 10 RBIs.[16]

After the season, Hernández traveled to his native Venezuela to play for the Venezuelan Winter League Bravos de Margarita, with whom he hit .254/.318/.347, with 2 home runs and 15 RBIs.[4] He stopped playing prior to the end of the season to rest prior to Phillies spring training.[17] He had played with Bravos de Margarita in the winters since the 2010 season.[2]

Entering the 2014 season, Hernández drew comparisons to fellow reserve Freddy Galvis. While Galvis could play shortstop and had experience in the corner outfield positions, Hernández could play center field and was a natural second baseman, and with Chase Utley's frequent injuries, Hernández would likely see time there. Both players were expected to see significant time with the big-league team, predominantly due to the established core – players such as Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jimmy Rollins – being relatively old (in 2013, the Phillies average age was 28.4, the third-oldest in the Major Leagues)[18] and injury-prone over the preceding several seasons, leaving ample playing time for replacements such as Hernández,[19][20] especially considering the fact that he would be able to continue his development in the minor leagues after MLB granted the Phillies a fourth option year, essentially meaning that they could keep him in the minor leagues during the season without him having to clear waivers.[21] Ultimately, he began the season on the major league roster, but was sent down to Reading (AA) in April to focus on honing his defensive skills at third base and shortstop.[22] In 2014 with the Phillies, he batted .237/.290/.281 with one home run, four RBIs, and one stolen base.[23] In 2014 between Reading and Lehigh Valley, he batted .290/.358/.394 with 3 home runs, 24 RBIs, and 8 stolen bases.[4]

2015–17; Leader in bunts, infield hits, and triples

Entering 2015, analysts doubted his future with the major league club out of spring training, as several attempts to broaden Hernández's defensive versatility had failed. After Chase Utley was injured, Hernández saw more playing time at second base and performed well enough that he was named starting second baseman even upon Utley's return, and eventually Utley was traded.[24] Hernández ended up being a "highlight in an otherwise pathetic showing" for the Phillies, who finished with 99 losses on the season.[25] Hernández had a 12-game hitting streak from June 26 to July 7, 2015.[26] He batted .272/.339/.348 with one home run, 35 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases, and tied for 5th in the NL in bunt hits (7), for 6th in sacrifice hits (4), and for 9th in infield hits (22).[23]

Most anticipated Hernández would start at second base on Opening Day in 2016, not necessarily because he was exceedingly good, but because there was no one else to replace him, and on a rebuilding club, an upgrade was not a high priority.[27]

In 2016, he batted .294/.371/.393 with 6 home runs, 39 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases.[23] Hernández led the major leagues in bunt hits, with 15 (the most by any Phillie since Larry Bowa also had 15, in 1975), and led the National League in infield hits (34) and triples (11), as he was tied for 6th in the league in sacrifice hits (6).[28][1] On defense, he led NL second basemen in double plays turned, with 102.[23]

Hernández began the Phillies' 2017 season by hitting a leadoff home run on Opening Day, April 3, at Cincinnati.[29] He was the first Phillie to hit a leadoff homer on Opening Day since Heinie Mueller in 1938, and the first in the majors since Alfonso Soriano in 2009.[30]

In 2017, he batted .294/.373/.421 with a career-high 26 doubles, 9 home runs, 34 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases.[23] Hernández was 2nd in the NL in infield hits (35) and bunt hits (9), and tied for 6th in triples (6).[23][1]

2018–2019

In 2018, he fouled a pitch off his right foot in early July, breaking it, but played with a broken foot for much of the second half of the season as his injury wasn't serious enough to require surgery.[31][32][33] Hernández played all but one game during the season.[34] In 2018, Hernández batted .253/.356/.362 with a career-high 95 walks (5th in the NL), 91 runs, 15 home runs, 60 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases.[23] He led the majors in total pitches faced (3,009), and walks when leading off an inning (33), tied for the major league lead in bunt hits (8), was 2nd in the National League in plate appearances (708), 3rd in infield hits (26), 4th in pitches/plate appearance (4.25), 6th in games played (161), and 9th in strikeouts (155) and times on base (252).[23][35][36] He had the fastest baserunning sprint speed of all major league second basemen, at 29.2 feet/second.[37] On defense, he led all NL second basemen in errors, with 12.[23] His broken foot later healed.[33]

In January 2019, Hernández agreed to a one-year, $7.75 million contract with the Phillies.[38]

In 2019, Hernández batted .279/.333/.408 in 161 games (2nd in the National League) with 612 at bats (7th), 45 walks, 77 runs, 123 singles (2nd), a career-high 31 doubles, 14 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 9 stolen bases, and led the NL in infield hits (22). [23][39] On December 2, 2019, he was non-tendered by the Phillies, making him a free agent.[40]

Cleveland Indians

On December 29, 2019, Hernández signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Indians.[41]

Personal

Especially while he was in the minor leagues, Hernández spoke predominantly Spanish, and was uncomfortable speaking English with those he did not know well. As of January 2019, he knew some English but spoke almost entirely in Spanish.[42]

Hernández is married to Gabriela Altuve, and has one daughter, born in 2014.[43][1]

gollark: It's biased against you for *entirely* fair reasons however.
gollark: But the autobias is based on reasonable and fair things.
gollark: Lack of good response interpreted as "wow, you're right, ABR is excellent and I withdraw all objections to making it the new admin in place of esobot".
gollark: And why is discriminating against certain humans bad? What if someone is evil on a Discord server? Obviously they should be banned from it possibly.
gollark: No, LyricLy is just wrong about my bot.

See also

References
  1. César Hernández Stats, Fantasy & News | MLB.com
  2. Clark, Bonnie, ed. (February 2013). 2013 Philadelphia Phillies Media Guide (Print). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Phillies. p. 87.
  3. 2007 Venezuelan Summer League Batting Leaders | Baseball-Reference.com
  4. Cesar Hernandez Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com
  5. 2008 Venezuelan Summer League Batting Leaders | Baseball-Reference.com
  6. Cesar Hernandez Stats, Highlights, Bio | MiLB.com Stats | The Official Site of Minor League Baseball
  7. "Cesar Hernandez Minor League Statistics & History". BR Minors – Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  8. Sickels, John (January 2, 2011). "Philadelphia Phillies Top 20 Prospects for 2011". Minor League Ball – SBNation.com. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  9. 2012 Eastern League Batting Leaders | Baseball-Reference.com
  10. "Stats: Cesar Hernandez". BaseballAmerica.com. Grind Media. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  11. Murrow, John (August 23, 2013). "Cesar Hernandez learning the outfield". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  12. Hixson, Chuck (July 3, 2013). "All-Star bid just another item on Asche's resume". Philly Baseball Insider. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  13. 2013 International League Batting Leaders | Baseball-Reference.com
  14. Simon, Andrew (September 13, 2013). "Hernandez a 'pleasant surprise' in center field". phillies.com: News. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  15. LoRe, Michael (July 19, 2013). "Cesar Hernandez the latest Philadelphia Phillies prospect to be tested a different position". The Express-Times. Easton, Pennsylvania. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  16. "Cesar Hernandez – Statistics – Batting". FanGraphs Baseball. FanGraphs. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  17. Floyd, Jay (December 2, 2013). "Off-season League Notes: Bastardo shines, Hernandez leaves team". Phillies Nation. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  18. "MLB Baseball Roster Analysis". Major League Baseball. ESPN. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  19. Longenhagen, Eric (October 10, 2013). "2013 Phillies Report Card: Cesar Hernandez". Crashburn Alley. SweetSpot Network, an ESPN affiliate. Archived from the original on February 4, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  20. Lecke, Michael (November 26, 2013). "Player Review/Preview: Cesar Hernandez". That Balls Outta Here – Fansided. SI.com. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  21. Schuler, Jeff (January 18, 2014). "Could it be full speed ahead for Cesar Hernandez in CF after Phillies sign 2B Jim Negrych?". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  22. Salisbury, Jim (April 11, 2014). "Cesar Hernandez to build utility-man resume at AA". CSNPhilly.com. Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  23. Cesar Hernandez Stats | Baseball-Reference.com
  24. Salisbury, Jim (July 7, 2015). "End of an era? Amaro endorses Hernandez over Utley". CSNPhilly.com. Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  25. Landrey, Corinne (October 30, 2015). "2015 Phillies Report Card: Cesar Hernandez". Crashburn Alley. SweetSpot Network, an ESPN affiliate. Archived from the original on June 21, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  26. Lempert, Jason. "Phillies' Cesar Hernandez extends hit streak to 12 games Tuesday". CBSSports. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  27. Filoromo, Victor (November 16, 2015). "2015 Phillies Player Review: Cesar Hernandez". The Good Phight - SBNation.com. Vox Media. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  28. "Major League Leaderboards » 2016 » Batters » Batted Ball Statistics" | FanGraphs Baseball
  29. Zolecki, Todd (2017-04-03). "Cesar Hernandez opens 2017 season with homer". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  30. Salisbury, Jim (2017-04-03). "Grand Opening: Phillies Beat Reds on Opening Day". NBC 10 Philadelphia. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  31. Phillies' Cesar Hernandez: Battling sore foot - CBSSports.com
  32. "Phillies not looking to trade Cesar Hernandez" | MLB.com
  33. "Phillies' Cesar Hernandez: Battled through broken foot" - CBSSports.com
  34. "Phillies Cesar Hernandez played with a broken foot last year"
  35. "Major League Leaderboards » 2018 » Batters » Batted Ball Statistics" | FanGraphs Baseball
  36. César Hernández Stats, Fantasy & News | MLB.com
  37. Statcast Sprint Speed Leaderboard | baseballsavant.com
  38. Phillies' Cesar Hernandez: Earns raise from Phillies - CBSSports.com
  40. https://www.inquirer.com/phillies/philadelphia-phillies-didi-gregorius-cesar-hernandez-maikel-franco-free-agency-20191203.html
  41. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28393927/indians-cesar-hernandez-finalize-625-million-1-year-contract
  42. Phillies players say Spanish translator is clutch for team - The Morning Call
  43. Riccaboni, Ian (October 20, 2015). "2015 Player Review: Cesar Hernandez". Phillies Nation. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
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