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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
After Freddie Freeman pulled off Kirk Gibson and before Yoshinobu Yamamoto got off to a career-defining start, Teoscar Hernández hit a two-run home run in Game 4 for the Los Angeles Dodgers to set his own record in this World Series. – -2 win over the New York Yankees. Being trampled by Shohei Ohtani’s injury scare in Game 2 was an almost unremarkable moment in the series’ story, but that anonymity may be appropriate.
Hernández spent the year as an overlooked but important figure on a star-studded Dodgers team that is now two wins away from winning the title.
Amid the $1 billion splurge headlined by Ohtani, Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, Hernández accepted a one-year, $23.5 million deal as his market barely materialized, an addition that seemed almost unnecessary. But without his power, the Dodgers’ lineup wouldn’t be as deep. Without his presence, their clubhouse would not have unity.
“It was better than anything I could have imagined,” said Hernández over a cup of coffee near his home in LA’s Studio City neighborhood last week, reflecting on a year that began with hope and will end with or without a win. . Hernández had one of his best offensive seasons, posting a .272/.339/.501 slash line, 33 home runs, and 99 RBI in 154 games, winning the Home Run Derby and becoming a fun sunflower seed thrower. , the in-game microphone-wearing face of one of baseball’s most famous teams.
“Shohei will definitely be the MVP of the entire league,” Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas said. “But to me, besides him, Teosca is our MVP.”
Ohtani and Yamamoto were the clear headliners of last winter’s free agent class, poised to sign nine-figure contracts that would set a new precedent. They were followed by a pesky group of players including Jordan Montgomery, Josh Hader, Matt Chapman and Cody Bellinger, who all demanded massive contracts but also raised various concerns.
Hernández lived in the tier just below them. It’s not noticeable enough to make you big money, but it’s probably a safe bet amidst the uncertainty. He was the second best outfielder after Bellinger and Lee Jung-hoo. He may have been the best power hitter after Ohtani. A 3-4 year contract seemed reasonable, if not likely.
“I thought things would be different.” Hernández said, looking at his agent, Rafa Nieves of Republik Sports, sitting next to him. “we “I thought it would be different.”
Hernández, who turned 32 this month, entered free agency as a former All-Star with two Silver Slugger Awards and an OPS 19 percent above league average over six seasons. From 2018 to 2023, he hit .262/.317/.484 with 147 home runs and 442 RBI. But he was having a down year in Seattle. He played in a career-high 160 games, but had his lowest full-season OPS.
In addition to general concerns about his defensive value and strikeout rate, this has hampered the market for Hernández. So Hernández was only offered a two-year contract, with the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels emerging as top suitors. Any team could have signed him to a contract guaranteed for three years.
Both made the Dodgers increasingly tempting.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes had been in contact with Nieves since the beginning of free agency, and was the person he met for the first time at the GM meeting in early November. The Dodgers went after Ohtani and had to address their rotation. After that they wanted another bat. Hernández was favored even after signing veteran corner outfielder Jason Heyward to a one-year, $9 million deal in late November.
After weeks of signing Ohtani, Glasnow, and Yamamoto, the Dodgers re-signed Nieves, eventually signing him to a one-year deal, but with a higher average annual value than any of Hernández’s other offers. Rather than long-term security, Hernández will likely be back on the market in a year. He continued to play until October, putting his money on the Dodgers franchise, which has a reputation for developing players.
But he mostly bet on himself.
“It hasn’t been easy in my career,” Hernández said. “There was nothing. But I’m the type of person who fights back.”
Hernández grew up in the town of Maimón, Dominican Republic. He was a utility infielder who didn’t receive much attention as a teenager. Scouts decided he wasn’t fast enough and didn’t have enough power. He was viewed as the worst thing a predictable teenager could be: a tweener. From age 15 to 18, he received nothing but empty promises and lukewarm attention.
“If I were to ask you how many exams you had to take to get a contract, how many would you say?” Hernández asked. “Throw away the number.”
10?
15?
30?
“I’ve taken over 100 exams,” Hernández said.
In 2011, after starring for a month at the Houston Astros’ Dominican Complex, Hernández was exhausted. He decided to go home and quit. He spent two weeks at his house without practicing before the Astros put him back in practice and finally extended an offer for $15,000. Hernández accepted this.
“From that day on, I just kept fighting and fighting,” said Hernández. “And every year it gets more and more difficult.”
Six years later, the Astros traded Hernández to the Toronto Blue Jays midway through the 2017 season. Two years later, in his age-26 season, Hernández was named to the Opening Day squad for the first time, but struggled greatly and was sent off six weeks later. His groundbreaking 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His 2021 season was hampered by his own COVID-19 outbreak.
But despite a sideline injury that cost him three weeks until 2022, Hernández has established himself as a valuable power hitter who can serve as a catalyst in the middle of the lineup. This was enough for the offense-starved Seattle Mariners to get traded. That person in November.
Hernández’s final year before becoming a free agent will see him play for the Mariners while anchoring the lineup alongside Julio Rodríguez. However, Hernández was only hitting .238/.288/.406 through the end of July. He got hot in August but still posted a .741 OPS, his lowest since becoming a starter six years ago. The Mariners missed the playoffs by one game.
“It was a really good, talented team,” said Hernández. “But I think we were missing something and we were playing as a group and not as individuals.”
The first player to contact Hernández, who signed a contract with the Dodgers, was Ohtani through a direct message on Instagram.
“Finally we will play together,” it said.
As an Angel, Ohtani hit Hernández’s right hand with a sinker on April 5, 2023 and apologized on his way out of the ballpark. A brief conversation sparked an amazing friendship.
Hernández is known for being an optimistic, congenial, and easy-going person. His fit for the Dodgers was immediate. Along the way, Hernández grew in the group that surrounded him. It was his first time surrounding an established star and a successful culture. He’s learned how to navigate the rigors of the season and has been inspired by the way Freeman navigated injuries as recently as October. He learned how to keep going no matter what happens.
“He said something in spring training that caught my attention,” Rojas said. “In Toronto, he was a player trying to make a name for himself, but he also had to be the leader of the group. Here, he doesn’t have to do that. He came into our clubhouse knowing he wasn’t that. He didn’t have to be the piece that brought everyone together. None, so he can focus on what he does on the field and what he does best.”
Hernández’s production remained steady throughout the 2024 season, without the highs and lows that sometimes plagued him. In September, he was at his best, hitting .329/.407/.605 as the Dodgers made one last effort to win their first Division 11 title in 12 years. Even after going 0-for-18 through the first five games of the National League Championship Series, Hernández didn’t waver in his approach. He drew seven walks during that span, which surprised even him. The results didn’t go as planned, but he didn’t pursue. He wasn’t impatient.
On the night the Dodgers earned their first win in four years in Game 6, Hernández was an early catalyst, allowing two hits while the Dodgers scored six runs in the first three innings.
It was a moment of growth for him.
“I know I’m going to fail, I know I’m going to make mistakes, but I have that confidence this year,” Hernández said. “I know one day I’m going to come back and hit the ball hard, hit a home run, get on base and make a play.”
When Yankee Stadium hosted a high-profile Dodgers-Yankees game last summer, Hernández starred. He hit a game-winning two-run double in the 11th inning on June 7, hit two home runs in a blowout loss on June 8, and had two hits and a home run in the only loss on June 9. Stakes in front of hostile crowds and against desperate teams created a special level of excitement in him.
“It’s going to be crazy,” Hernández said of the World Series, which would move Games 3 and 4 and, if the Dodgers don’t sweep, Game 5 to the Bronx. “But I like it. I like the challenge. I like when things get really difficult. I think some of my favorite moments are when you’re playing against a really good pitcher, a really good team.”
The 2024 season began with risk. It will end in growth and validation. Reaffirming his belief that things happen for a reason. We have a clearer vision of the long-term stability and winning opportunities he will pursue in free agency, and the idea that he should not become complacent.
During the offseason, only a few teams wanted Hernández. Now one of the best doesn’t know where he would be without him.
“What are they going to say now?” Hernández said. “I want to see what excuse they’re going to come up with now.”
