Hernández wants to be leadoff hitter, but is he selective enough?
In many respects, Kiké Hernández resides in the middle of Red Sox hopes of improvement.
Of the dozens of players acquired by the team since the end of the 2019 season, Hernández — who signed a two-year, $14 million deal this winter — is the only one to receive a multiyear contract. Manager Alex Cora has installed him regularly in the leadoff spot through the first half of spring training and speaks glowingly of the role he can play solidifying the team’s defense, whether as a second baseman or an outfielder capable of handling any of the three spots.
A great deal is going to be put on Hernández’s shoulders. Yet that enthusiasm comes with a pair of obvious questions: Why, given his skills, was he relegated to part-time (and often platoon) status with the Dodgers? And is there upside beyond the job he held in Los Angeles as a valued contributor with a limited profile?
Over seven big league seasons spanning a little more than 2,000 plate appearances, Hernández has a solid if unspectacular line — .240 average, .313 OBP, and .425 slugging, with particularly strong numbers against lefties (.263/.345/.474). He’s never had as many as 500 plate appearances in a season, and he’s been prone to streaky performances.
Yet he does feature a combination of strength, athleticism, and baseball intelligence to allow evaluators to imagine greater contributions.
“Pound for pound, he might have the most pop on the team. He’s got incredible power,” said Tigers bench coach George Lombard, whoworkedwith Hernández as the Dodgers’ first base coach. “If [RedSox hitting coach Tim Hyers] just helps him unlock a couple consistency issues he has with his swing, this guy has the potential to stay in there every day and be an impact player.”
Certainly, Cora thinks Hernández has the potential to do that. The manager has spoken often about his eagerness to “challenge” the 29-year-old — both to be a leader even as heacclimates to a new club and to be the leadoff hitter. This spring, Hernández has tried to demonstrate his readiness for that job, going 6 for 13 with a homer, three doubles, five walks, and two strikeouts in 18 plate appearances.
“I want to hit leadoff,” Hernández said on Thursday after going 1 for 3 and, for the first time this spring, playing center field against the Twins. “I feel like when I hit in the first inning I’m a little more involved in the game, and it also gives me a chance to see the starting pitcher maybe one more time, maybe a third time. I’m just trying to put good ABs together, either try to barrel some balls up or get on base however way I can. I knowthe guys hitting behind me are really, really good, so my job as a leadoff hitter is to try to get on base and score some runs. Hopefully I can do that and hopefully score 100 runs this year.”
In order to emerge as a viable option for that spot, Hernández must make his case to stay in the lineup against righthanded pitching. The Sox believe that he did that — albeit in limited opportunities — with the Dodgers.
Notes
Rodríguez makes case to be Opening Day starter: Eduardo Rodríguez’s maturation first became apparent in 2019 when he registered a 3.81 ERA in 203 ⅓ innings, striking out 213. With injuries to David Price and Chris Sale, the Sox turned to Rodríguez to lead the rotation. It forced him to move out of the shadows.
Two years have passed and Rodríguez, in a sense, isn’t as deferential as he was in the past. Sale is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and Price is with the Dodgers. In order for the Red Sox to succeed, Rodríguez understands he needs to see himself as the go-to guy.
Hot start: Marwin González hit just .211 in 199 plate appearances with the Twins last season. Yet he has been impressive this spring with the Red Sox. After his two-homer game against his former team on Thursday, González is hitting 6 for 15 (.400) with seven RBIs.
“He’s a good at-bat from both sides of the plate,” Cora said.
Work to be done: Franchy Cordero, Xander Bogaerts, and Danny Santana took part in a simulated game, facing Marcus Walden and Garrett Whitlock. Cordero will need more reps before getting into a game, but Bogaerts and Santana will make their Grapefruit League debuts Friday against the Rays as the DH. Bogaerts will start and get two at-bats, and Santana will follow. …. Righthander Hirokazu Sawamura will also make his spring debut Friday in what Cora said will be one inning.