Teoscar Hernandez Reveals Why He Thinks He’ll Excel in Dodgers’ Lineup
Even the most ardent fans of the Dodgers’ one-year contract with Teoscar Hernández had to acknowledge the mismatch on paper: A team whose collective plate discipline annually ranks among the best in the major leagues signed one of baseball’s freest swingers.
Put simply, Hernández swings and misses a lot. The Dodgers don’t, at least relative to other teams.
To hear Hernández and Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes tell it on a Zoom with reporters Tuesday, this isn’t as much of a mismatch as it might seem. Dodgers executives won’t insist Hernández strike out less. And the 31-year-old outfielder thinks a move out of Seattle and into the Dodgers’ star-studded lineup will help him become a more patient hitter on its own.
For proof, Hernández pointed to his five-year peak (2018-22) with the Toronto Blue Jays. During that stretch he was walking at a 7.3% rate and striking out 29.2% of the time. In 2023, his only season with the Seattle Mariners, Hernández walked 5.6% of the time and struck out at a 31.1% clip.
The veteran slugger thinks he knows why.
“Back then, what made me better is that I always came up with a lot of people on base. I think that makes me more patient at the plate because I know (pitchers) are not going to throw a lot of good pitches to hit. Going into this lineup, it’s going to be a lot better because I have players like Mookie (Betts), (Freddie) Freeman, (Shohei) Ohtani, and (Max) Muncy and all those guys that can hit around me.”
— Teoscar Hernández
Few would argue the Dodgers’ current lineup has even more potential than the Toronto Blue Jays’ core featuring Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, George Springer and (at least briefly) Marcus Semien and Matt Chapman. Only time will tell whether Hernández notices a similar effect on the kind of pitches he sees in 2024.
For now, one thing is sure: Hernández’s strikeout rate did not deter the Dodgers’ front office from pursuing him in free agency. Now that he’s on the team, they don’t view it as a weakness that needs to be addressed.
I’m not sure we’re going to be looking to actively do much on that front. It’ll be part of being in a very deep lineup, how (manager Dave Roberts) deploys him within that lineup, and our game planning, messaging: ‘this is where we’re going to look to hunt but not overly passive, change his DNA as a hitter.’ I like the little bit of diversity there. I’m not concerned about the strikeouts as opposed to what he will do: probably increase his walk rate within this lineup. Maybe some slight tweaks on how to attack pitchers that our guys will suggest along the way.
— Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes
Exactly what “slight tweaks” the Dodgers have in mind likely won’t be revealed until he steps into the batter’s box in spring training. In the meantime, fans can expect a version of Hernandez similar to that of years past.
Photo Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
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