Yadiel Hernandez May Be Better than Expected
By David Hill
There is a certain allure to Cuban baseball players that defect to become free agents. Perhaps it is because of the success of players like Yasiel Puig and Jose Abreu, or because there is not a lot of information readily available, but these players seem to be almost mystical figures at times. Of course, seeing the success of players like Puig and Abreu, one can understand why that would be the case.
Yet, for every Puig and Abreu, there are those players who fail to live up to expectations, like Leslie Anderson or Noel Arguelles. Then there are those who fit somewhere in between, serviceable major league players, but not exactly at that superstar status that others have reached. It is there, in that middle ground, that Yadiel Hernandez is expected to slot.
Hernandez, a 27 year old outfielder who was considered the 16th best player in Cuba just over two months ago, left the Cuban National Team during their exhibitions in North Carolina to become a free agent. Currently projected to be exempt from the international spending limitations, Hernandez is still not likely to receive the lucrative contracts that several of his fellow countrymen received over the past few years.
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The 5’8″, 172 pound Hernandez appears to be considered more of a fourth outfielder than a potential star in the making. According to Baseball America, Hernandez is compared to a player like the Boston Red Sox Daniel Nava, a decent backup outfielder who can fill in at either corner position and can hold his own if pressed into a starting lineup.
Should his performance in Cuba translate to the majors, Yadiel Hernandez may prove to be better than anticipated. An on base machine, Hernandez has a career batting line, through 2013, of approximately .316/.437/.478 with 46 home runs. Essentially a contact hitter, Hernandez appears to have a little power, although that may manifest more in terms of doubles than home runs.
Even if Hernandez does not seem to possess much in the way of speed, given his eleven stolen bases and 50% success rate, he could slot in as a solid second hitter in the lineup, perhaps even leading off if a team is more interested in the on base aspect of his game than any speed from the top of the order. In the second spot, his bat control and knowledge of the strike zone would be perfect to move runners along or to work as another possible leadoff option.
Yadiel Hernandez may not come with the same sort of hype that other recent Cuban players have received. However, his profile would appear to be such where he would be an asset to whatever team inks him to a contract.