Yadiel Hernández
Yadiel Hernández | |
---|---|
Washington Nationals – No. 29 | |
Outfielder | |
Born: Matanzas, Cuba | October 9, 1987|
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 10, 2020, for the Washington Nationals | |
MLB statistics (through 2021 season) | |
Batting average | .266 |
Home runs | 10 |
Runs batted in | 38 |
Teams | |
|
Yadiel Hernández (born October 9, 1987) is a Cuban professional baseball outfielder for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in the Cuban National Series for Matanzas.
Career[]
Hernández began his baseball career with the Cocodrilos in 2009.[1] After hitting .369 for Matanzas in the 2014–15 Cuban National Series, Hernández defected to the United States at age 28 along with Cuban national teammate Luis Yander La O in June 2015,[1] while they were in North Carolina for a game against American college baseball players.[2] Hernández was declared eligible to sign with a Major League Baseball team in April 2016.[3] In September 2016, the Washington Nationals, not usually a major player for Cuban talent, signed him to a minor league deal with a $200,000 signing bonus.[4]
After playing for the Class-AA Harrisburg Senators in 2017 and 2018, Hernández was promoted to Class-AAA. He hit his first professional grand slam on May 9, 2019, for the Fresno Grizzlies of the Pacific Coast League.[5] Along with teammate Dakota Bacus, he represented Fresno in the 2019 Triple-A All-Star Game.[6]
At age 32, Hernández was called up to the major leagues for the first time on September 10, 2020, after Nationals infielder Howie Kendrick was placed on the injured list.[7] He made his major league debut that day against the Atlanta Braves.
In 2021, he batted .273/.329/.413 with 9 home runs and 32 RBIs in 112 games. He had the slowest sprint speed of all major league left fielders, at 25.3 feet/second.[8]
References[]
- ^ a b "Tres prospectos cubanos esperan ser llamados por Grandes Ligas". Radio Televisión Martí. August 26, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- ^ "2 Cuban baseball players defect during U.S. trip". CBS News. July 3, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- ^ Todd, Jeff (September 21, 2016). "Nationals To Sign Cuban Outfielder Yadiel Hernandez". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- ^ Janes, Chelsea (October 26, 2016). "An unusual international signing: Yadiel Hernandez". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- ^ Romero, Francys (May 10, 2019). "Cubanos en Las Menores: Yadiel Hernández y la decepcionante gerencia de los Nacionales". CiberCuba. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- ^ "Two Grizzlies named to Triple-A All-Star team". Hanford Sentinel. June 28, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
- ^ @dougherty_jesse (10 September 2020). "The Nationals have added Yadiel Hernandez in Howie Kendrick's place. Hernandez has a great story coming from Cuba a…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Statcast Sprint Speed Leaderboard". baseballsavant.com.
External links[]
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- 1987 births
- Living people
- Cangrejeros de Santurce (baseball) players
- Cuban expatriate baseball players in Puerto Rico
- Cocodrilos de Matanzas players
- Defecting Cuban baseball players
- Estrellas Orientales players
- Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic
- Fresno Grizzlies players
- Harrisburg Senators players
- Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente outfielders
- Major League Baseball outfielders
- Major League Baseball players from Cuba
- Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States
- Naranjeros de Hermosillo players
- Cuban expatriate baseball players in Mexico
- Rochester Red Wings players
- Sportspeople from Matanzas
- Washington Nationals players