Nationals: Yadiel Hernandez continues to prove he belongs

After his debut in the league last year, Yadiel Hernandez took his talents to the Mexican Winter League, where he led all hitters with a .339 batting average.

Everywhere this guy goes he hits. Okay, Yadiel Hernandez did struggle some with his first major league call up this past season. He did entertain us with a walk-off home run, which happened to be the first of his career. After his winter in the Mexican League, he’ll be chomping at the bit for more big league action.

First things first. In 51 games playing for Naranjeros de Hermosillo, Hernandez stroked a league best .339 with a team high OPS of .923. He led the team in walks and was top three in doubles. Safe to say Hernandez was dialed in for the duration of the winter.

The 33 year-old has shown he can hit, no matter where he plays. In six seasons playing in Cuba, Hernandez hit .324, before signing with the Washington Nationals.

Assigned to Double-A Harrisburg, Hernandez batted .292 in his first taste of baseball stateside. After hitting .315 to begin the following season at AA, he was promoted to Triple-A Syracuse where he finished the year hitting .277.

During his 2019 season with Triple-A Fresno, Hernandez hit .323 and knocked out thirty-three home runs in the hitter friendly Pacific Coast League. His 90 runs batted in led the team.

He joined Hermosillo where he hit .336 and fell just short of the batting title for the winter.

Then the pandemic hit and erased the minor league season in 2020. Hernandez was put on Washington’s sixty man roster, and received a call-up towards the end of the season.

While receiving limited playing time, Hernandez hit .192 in his twenty-six at-bats. Four of his five total hits, went for extra bases; including his two-run, walk-off home run, against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Currently, Hernandez is one of just four outfielders the Nationals have on the 40-man roster. While he doesn’t figure to make the opening day roster, Yadiel will get the call at some point during next season. And odds are, he’ll be ready to hit when he arrives.