Washington Nationals: Yadiel Hernández, the kid from “Los Mangos”
By Yusseff Diaz
Let’s take a look at outfielder Yadiel Hernández, a Washington Nationals prospect hoarded in the team’s Minor League system.
Yadiel Hernández is an ultra-talented player who has been stagnated by the depth in the Washington Nationals farm system and outfield.
The additions of young talents like Bryce Harper, Juan Soto, and Victor Robles during his tenure in Washington combined with veterans like Adam Eaton have relegated Hernández to the minors although he has simply massacred pitching at that level.
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The native of “Los Mangos”, a town in the Matanzas province, was a bargain signing for the ball club. He practiced with the team in 2016 and has been a terror to pitching in the minors since.
In three minor league seasons, the slugger has hit .301 with 63 long balls and 217 runs batted in, but his yet to see the big show.
A productive winter
This winter he also terrorized the pitching in the Mexican Pacific Winter League in preparation for a spring in which he was going to compete for a roster spot on the Washington Nationals.
In 60 games this year for the Hermosillo Orangegrowers he hit .336 went yard five times and drove in 43 runs while slashing .462/.441/.903 en route to finishing second in the league’s MVP race.
Heading into the season he seemed confident of his chances of making the team,” I had a productive off-season and I feel more comfortable with the ball club every day. My ultimate goal is to make the ball club this spring”, said the outfielder.
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A postponed Spring Training
Hernández’s coming-out party was supposed to be this spring, but the coronavirus outbreak postponed the Cuban possibly winning a roster spot.
There was plenty of interest in the Cuban this off-season from the Nippon circuit, but the team nixed any possible deal for the outfielder and then invited him to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee.
When the season resumes, look for Hernández to make his debut sometime this year with the defending world champs.
Serie Nacional y WBC
Hernández has competed for Cuba in plenty of international events including the Caribbean World Series, he even defected in an event (the annual friendship series between Cuba and the US) in 2015.
In his six Serie Nacionales, he hit .324 with 62 round-trippers and 350 RBI’s with Matanzas. His Crocodiles were crowned champs this year in Cuba.
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Although he was never able to represent Cuba in a WBC he dreams of a Cuban team with MLB and Serie Nacional players, “I would love to see a unified Cuban with players from both sides of the pond. The Cuban people would love to see all their players playing under our flag, it would be a spectacle for all to see.”