BA GRADE
50
Risk: High
FB: 60.
CB: 50.
SL: 60.
CHG: 40.
CTL: 45.
Born: Dec. 17, 1996. B-T: L-L. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 185. Signed: Venezuela, 2013. Signed by: Rolando Pino/Ramon Mora.
Signed out of Venezuela for $25,000, Hernandez has shown stuff matched by few others in the Red Sox system. He has struck out more than a batter per inning as a starter across three consecutive levels, including a strong performance at low Class A Greenville in 2017, where his success was a product of stuff, because his abilities remained relatively unrefined.
Hernandez makes hitters uncomfortable with his low three-quarters arm slot, coming at them aggressively with 93-96 mph fastballs that top out at 97. His fastball can be so overwhelming to lower-level hitters that it may have slowed the development of his secondary pitches. Though his primary breaking pitch has been a curveball, his arm slot has long seemed suited to a slider. He used the pitch sparingly for most of 2017 before, in his final outing, leaning heavily on it in a dominant performance. While his walk rate remains high (4.3 per nine innings in 2017), it represented a major improvement over 2016 (6.7). Poor control is a major stumbling block after walking 4.3 per nine innings in 2017.
Hernandez’s fastball and slider give him the look of a pitcher with at least late-innings potential–lefties hit .134 with a 37 percent strikeout rate against him–and if he can improve his control, he has a chance to be a mid-rotation starter.
Year |
Club (League) |
Class |
W |
L |
ERA |
G |
GS |
2015 |
Red Sox2 (DSL) |
R |
6 |
1 |
1.10 |
16 |
13 |
2016 |
Lowell (NYP) |
SS |
3 |
5 |
4.10 |
14 |
14 |
2017 |
Greenville (SAL) |
LoA |
4 |
5 |
4.01 |
23 |
23 |
Minor League Totals |
14 |
12 |
3.12 |
67 |
51 |
||
Year |
Club (League) |
CG |
SV |
IP |
H |
HR |
2015 |
Red Sox2 (DSL) |
0 |
0 |
65 |
55 |
0 |
2016 |
Lowell (NYP) |
0 |
0 |
48 |
39 |
1 |
2017 |
Greenville (SAL) |
0 |
0 |
103 |
85 |
8 |
Minor League Totals |
0 |
0 |
245 |
203 |
9 |
|
Year |
Club (League) |
BB |
SO |
K/9 |
WHIP |
AVG |
2015 |
Red Sox2 (DSL) |
30 |
66 |
9.1 |
1.30 |
.227 |
2016 |
Lowell (NYP) |
36 |
58 |
10.8 |
1.55 |
.217 |
2017 |
Greenville (SAL) |
49 |
116 |
10.1 |
1.30 |
.221 |
Minor League Totals |
134 |
255 |
9.4 |
1.38 |
.223 |
|