By now, everyone knows that Kike’ Hernandez will not be back in Dodger blue. Some fans are very saddened by his departure. I go on Twitter a lot because guys like Rosenthal and Passan, and even Heyman, post there quite often, and even break the news of signings there. I know some here subscribe to The Athletic, but I just cannot afford something like that so I get my news wherever I can.
I said all that because the reaction to Kike’s signing in Boston drew long groans from most of the fans there. They are acting like we are losing Bellinger or Seager. Me? Well, I take a much different view of the performance of Kike’ over the last 6 seasons.
His glove was and is his most valuable asset. He did have a penchant for some dramatic hits. And he will always be remembered for the homer he hit in game 7 against the Braves that tied the game, and his 3 HR performance in game 6 of the 2017 playoff win against the Cubs.
Great moments for Dodger fans and I appreciated them. Kike’ was fun to watch, and his exuberance was contagious. He kept the mood in the dugout light and fun. But he also almost took Bellinger out of the playoffs for good with that elbow bump that dislocated his shoulder.
The fact is that after an excellent first season in LA, his production never came close to that level again. In 76 games, he hit .307, with 7 HR’s, 22 RBI’s. His OBP was.346, and his OPS was .836. Pretty good even for a part time player.
The next season, he fell way down hitting a paltry .190, with 7 HR’s, 18 ribbies and a OPS of .283. He was versatile and played all over the diamond. In 2017, he was handed the second base job, and totally flopped. His hitting improved, but not much at .215. He played in 140 games, moving all over the diamond.
Where he did shine was in the playoff series against the Cubs. Hitting .444 with 3 HR’s, all in game 6, and 7 RBI’s. But that did not carry over to the World Series against the Astros.
In 2018 Kike’ had what would be his best full season in the bigs, .256 BA, 21 HR’s, 52 RBI’s and a OBP of .336. His OPS also topped .800 for the second time in his career. It looked as though he was getting it. He walked more, and cut his K’s down from the year before.
But again in 2019, he dropped off some. He played 15 less games, and dropped from 21 HR’s to 17. But he had his highest RBI total to date with 64. His BA was a mediocre .237. OBP dropped to .304, and the OPS to .715.
I had felt myself that Kike’, while a valuable utility player, had not done himself any favors trying to be a power hitter. He was constantly pulling the ball. Not using the entire field, and just taking the pitch where it was thrown. He struck out way too much for a player of his skill set. Over 2 to 1 with his K to BB ratio.
But he did have his moments. 2020 was an aberration of a season. But Kike’ played to the level we were accustomed to. .230 avg, 5 HR’s, 20 ribbies, OPS of .270, OBP of .680. in his walk year..
To me at that point, even with the heroics in the seventh game, it was just a matter of time before he was going to leave the Dodgers. That was also with the knowledge that Chris Taylor, a much more reliable hitter, was on a 2 year contract paying him about 7 mil in 2021.
Since Kike’ is barely a year younger, they are basically the same player. Kike’ getting a slight edge defensively. They both have had a 21 homer season, but Taylor’s .266 average as a Dodger is much better than Kike’s and his OBP is much higher.
So Kike’ signs a 2 year deal with Boston for 14 mil, which is 2 million more than he has made in his entire career. It is a great deal for him. No way he was getting that kind of money in LA to be a utility player. They have Zach McKinstry who can fill that role for a much lower salary.
Will he be a regular in Boston at second base? He might. But in order to do that he is going to have to turn his splits drastically around. He is a career .222 hitter against RHP. 41 points lower than his avg against LHP. He has almost the same amount of homers vs RH, 34-37. But he strikes out a lot more against them too.
In the long run, retaining Kike’ for his glove and his exuberance for 7 mil a year did not compute with AF. Kike’ also is going to have to be better in one of the tougher divisions in baseball. The AL East.
Those are going to be high stress games, especially against the Yankees. Alex Verdugo is excited to have his former teammate in Boston. Let’s see how excited Red Sox fans are the first time he fails in a clutch situation against the Yankees. Boston fans can be brutal, whereas in LA, he always felt the love. I wish him well. Just in case you wondered, Kike’s career stats in LA. BA. 240, HR 68 RBI’s 213 OBP .312 OPS .757 K’s 396 BB 172. SLG .425.
Discussion (45)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Doolittle more available now. What do you think Eric?
Hand signs with the Nats, one year, 10.5 million. No way AF was doing that.
I appreciate what Kike has done. His versatility defensively was important to the Dodgers success. He had big moments in the postseason and watching him own Madbum was hilarious. I wish him the best and I wouldn’t be shocked if he wore a Dodgers uniform again in the future when he fails to be an everyday player.
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He was also the most frustrating offensive player to watch on the team. He’s a one-trick pony and really only had one year as a true lefty killer.
I may sound like an ass but I don’t mean to be.
I’m glad Hernandez is gone. He is the poster boy for the defense firsters. The .738 career OPS should tell you everything you need to know. Doc has been a defense first manager and sometimes it seemed like defense only and he gave Hernandez way too many opportunities. Hopefully Doc will learn and move away from defense first/only. Letting Hernandez leave is a good first step.
Nats have signed Brad Hand to a 1 year, 10.5 million dollar contract.
I find it hard to believe that no one offered him a better deal than that.
Maybe someone offered him something like 2/17 or 3/21 but he decided to roll the dice in the hopes that the market would be better next year and he would still be pitching effectively.
Kike Hernandez was a good Dodger. He played a role and much like Yasmani Grandal when his cost exceeded his value, he left. I always felt Kike had a whole lot more in the tank and it was frustrating to see him not be able to harness that potential. He had some amazing dramatic moments, and I believe if you can do it once, you can do it again. It seemed to me that at times he was locked-in and at other times, he lost focus. Kike will again have the opportunity to claim a starting position… maybe it’s as simple as getting the right ADHD medication?
Kike’s teammates loved him and I will miss him… but you have to move on. Zack McKinstry will have a shot at Kike’s utility spot and do not count out Jacob Amaya.
I’m surprised nobody mentioned what Kike did to MadBum over his career. That itself made him a special player to me that will be missed.
I believe the Dodgers got their money’s worth out of kike. He was a very versatile, solid player, and spectacular at times. I personally did not like his antics or style off the field. What I will miss most is his big play potential. You almost knew he was going to tie the game against the Braves when he hit that homer. Him and joc could do that. Hopefully someone will fill that void. There was a time I thought he would be a regular for LA. Mb he can get over the hump in Boston.
I wonder what AF is up to? There are a lot of players still out there who are unsigned. There are a lot of opportunities out there that have been taken advantage of by the pads and the New Yorkers. I hope it is our turn.
Question: Was giving 7 million to a player with Kike’s skills a dope fiend move? I wish him the best but seems like a definite overpay.
I do not like to disparage players but……I just can’t help myself!
I do not like to disparage players. I liked Kike. But I always thought of him as a scrub. Especially after his first year. He was entertaining to watch, and was kind of the class clown. I am sure his exuberance and having as much fun as he seemed to have was a welcome change of pace for some of his teammates. I too thought that sometimes he just did not take the game seriously. But, he had his moments, just too far and few between them. He did have a hell of a game opening day. After about a week, it was all downhill.
I enjoyed Kiki, but he was frustrating to watch most of the time. As mentioned above he had a couple very memorable moments in the playoffs. He was very athletic, but his baseball IQ is not the best. He made many unbelievable plays with his glove and his arm at several different positions. When he first came up to the Dodgers I thought he was going to be a starter in a couple of years. His first year he hit to all fields. I think with the emphasis on hitting for power he abandoned going with the pitch approach. I was excited that he finally got a chance to start at 2B and possible have the team finally get the 2B position solved. But, what a disappointment. He was awful at the plate and had several plays in the field where I went WTH? He seemed he would zone out in field at times.
Anyway, he was fun to have on the Dodgers and I think the team got their money’s worth. Good luck to him in Boston .
NYY acquired RHSP Jameson Taillon from the Pirates. They cost was four prospects:
RHP – Miguel Yajure – #15 Prospect – 23 (2021 Baseball Age)
RHP – Roansy Contreras – #18 Prospect – 21
OF – Canaan Smith – #21 Prospect – 22
INF – Maikol Escotto – 19
Potentially a good deal for both teams. With NYY offense, they do not need five Aces.
I will miss Kike’. No he was not ever going to be a regular with the Dodgers, but he filled a key role. Some fans think unless you are a star, you need to be replaced. He isn’t Mookie, Corey, JT, Belli, Max…But he was a fantastic utility player for the Dodgers, a role the Dodgers cherish. There are two ways to win: score more than the other team or hold the other team to less runs than yours. No he did not hit very much, but he had 8 DRS in 22 games at 2B. He kept the team loose. And while he did not hit much, many of his hits were clutch as Bear outlined above.
Kike’ will be both loved and hated in Boston. One thing Boston fans love is hustle. Kike’ will get their love for that. But one thing they hate is failure. It does not matter if he hit a walk off the night before. If he gets a critical error in the next game, he will be booed. On May 25, 2004, Boston fans gave my son a standing ovation. On June 9, 2004, after a bad throw to home, they booed him. That’s Boston.
I hope Hernandez does well with Boston but I don’t think the Dodgers will miss him.
Thanks Kike for all the memories and all the big moments. Wishing you all the best in Boston
I hope Kike finds a home in Boston and the fans warm up to him. He’s a good player and brought a lot to the Dodgers D. He has nice range, a decent arm and very good hands. He’s comfortable throwing on the run from any angle. I just wish he could hit, especially RHP. Some guys just can’t hit. It’s hard to explain why a skilled, athletic player, even as a kid, struggles at the plate. The kid may be coachable, works hard to get to their ceiling; and it isn’t very good. I had a young catcher once who had MLB skills. He was a great college catcher. And despite all the coaching and all the clinics, he never hit his weight. He signed with the Pirates and transitioning to wood didn’t help. He always looked over-matched. He lasted awhile in pro ball. Now he is my dentist and a very good one.
Other guys fall out of bed hitting. Hit as a kid, hit as a teen and could hit forever. They too work at their craft but they are confident and possess natural bat to ball skill. No explaining it. If anybody knows why that is, let me know. We’ll bottle it and be rich.
Kike must have hit somewhere but not in MLB. He did become pull-happy. Maybe he platoons with the Sox? Whatever, I wish him well.
Best of luck to Hernández in Boston. A talented player, and a good teammate. He will be missed and will become an asset to the Redsox.
I wish Kike the best. I like him, but I don’t love him. I think he’s too much of a goofball and too antsy and not patient enough. I think he gets ahead of himself and has trouble slowing things down. On the positive side, he’s a very good defender at 2B, but I think he’s overrated in the outfield as I’ve seen him have trouble going back on balls hit over his head. He and CT3 are pretty redundant and I’ve preferred CT3 in the utility role. I can’t say I’m going to miss him as he irritated me as much as he impressed me. I think he has the talent to be a productive regular at 2b, but his head gets in the way of achieving that status.
Pretty boring offseason for the Dodgers. They’re in on everyone, but haven’t signed a prominent player for the 2021 roster thus far. Although, I am excited about the Knebel trade and Price joining the rotation. I’m also optimistic towards a breakout for Cleavinger. I can dream that Nelson and Morrow will be valuable pieces and it could turn out that way, but they can also turn into the next Scott Kazmir. Carrillo might be the next Gonzales, or he can be the next Santana. Hell, Santana might be the next Floro, or he can be the same Santana. I guess we’re playing a numbers game as far as the bullpen goes.
I would hate to be Friedman’s kid growing up. I would know that my dad had the money to buy me anything I wanted, but would instead pass on those name brand items searching instead for value in the clearance aisle.
Part of me understands that there’s still options available. Or, that some options were never really available. But, I would hate to see a repeat of the ’19 trade deadline where we had a clear need with a lot of options, with all those options coming off the board and the Dodgers winding up empty handed. But, I remain optimistic for now.
Good article, Bear!
Kike came up huge in some big moments for the Dodgers and is a great defensive player, but he could not produce as a regular for the team. Hopefully, he gets a chance to start in Boston and has a solid season. The Dodgers need to prioritize resigning Turner, acquiring a consistent RH bat, and maybe adding another quality arm for the bullpen. Best of luck to Kike!
We’ll see if McKinstry can fill that role.