Average MLB players are sometimes damned, but a player like Cesar Hernandez of the Phillies probably deserves a bit more credit than generally given him.
The Philadelphia Phillies second baseman, Cesar Hernandez, is the player who won’t go away. He has never won any awards or gotten any votes for the NL MVP award, and he has led MLB only once in any category (triples in 2016, 11). For the past two or three years, it has been assumed by many that he would ultimately be replaced at his position by Scott Kingery, who is thought to have a higher ceiling.
And yet, in his seventh MLB year, Cesar Hernandez remains the Phillies starter at second base, despite a maddening tendency to post fielding percentages one point below the league average. (Since 2015, when Hernandez effectively became a starter on the right side of the infield, he has produced these fielding figures at second base – .984, .981, .981 and .981 – when the league average at the position has been .986, .982, .982 and .982.)
This kind of consistency is, well, consistent. And average. As a Philly sports radio host said several weeks ago, perhaps before the season started – I didn’t note the date – “he’s just a guy who’s there.”
At the major league level, this means Hernandez makes some very fine plays, botches a few that most high schoolers wouldn’t, and has a mental lapse here and there. Generally, he catches the ball and makes the right decisions when he has to throw it somewhere.
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In terms of offense, the infielder has led the team in hitting twice, posting .294 in both ‘16 and ’17, and had, before play May 22, a career slash line of .278/.358/.381.
But despite some real speed, which has remained consistent as he approaches the age of 30, he has never stolen 20 bases. On the other hand, Cesar Hernandez is almost never caught loafing down the line to first base, and if there’s a ball hit into the gap when he’s on second, whether or not it gets to the outfield wall, he will score. He’s consistent – there’s that word again.
Still, this season, it seemed Kingery might replace him. The 25-year-old Kingery really became a competitive threat to the older player, at least offensively. By his tenth game, Kingery was hitting .471; after his 14th, that figure was still .406. In that fourteenth game, though, Kingery went down with a hamstring injury that kept him on the bench for a month.
And Cesar Hernandez stayed at second base. Moreover, since the day before Kingery returned to play (May 19), Hernandez’ batting average has been .301 or higher in about four times as many plate appearances. Thus, on May 23, Scott Kingery will remain a super utilityman, and the guy in front of him at second base, a consistent competitor, will turn 29.
Kingery may ultimately settle in at second this season – he’s still hitting .375 – but Cesar Hernandez deserves not only birthday wishes but credit for battling for his starting job, consistently, for four-plus years.