Teoscar Hernandez

Hernandez was acquired by the Mariners from the Blue Jays last offseason to bolster the M's lineup for 2023, and he provided 26 homers and 93 RBI in 160 games during a contract year. However, his .740 OPS was the worst since his rookie campaign in 2016 as his strikeout rate rose nearly three points to 31.1 percent. Two hot months carried his production, as he hit .337 with 13 home runs during June and August while laboring to a .222 average in 432 at-bats the rest of the campaign. He especially struggled at T-Mobile Park with an 81 wRC+ compared to a 126 mark on the road, which could make Seattle hesitant to bring him back for 2024, either via a long-term deal or the franchise tag. Hernandez entered 2023 with 73 homers and an .852 OPS over the previous three seasons (324 games), and getting away from the pitcher's park in Seattle could help him return to that form in 2024.

With Hernandez heading into his final season before free agency and due well north of $10 million through the arbitration process, the Blue Jays traded him to the Mariners in November in exchange for reliever Erik Swanson and prospect Adam Macko. The move comes with a park downgrade for Hernandez, though he should slot into the heart of a quality order in Seattle. Hernandez didn't come all that close to replicating his All-Star 2021 season from a run-production standpoint, but it was still an excellent campaign, as he reached 25 home runs in his third consecutive full season. He will chip in a handful of bags around the extra-base hits and strikeouts (career 29.4 K percentage). While his defense does not grade well, that's not going to cost him playing time in 2023, as the M's need his bat in the lineup every day.

The 2021 Blue Jays had two AL MVP finalists (Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Marcus Semien), the AL Cy Young winner (Robbie Ray) plus another young phenom in Bo Bichette, leaving Hernandez as somewhat of a complementary piece, amazingly. He won't be an afterthought at the draft table for 2022; much to the contrary, Hernandez will be treated as a top-15 outfielder in most fantasy leagues. The exception may be on-base percentage leagues, as Hernandez does lag in that department with a career 7.7 BB% and .320 OBP. He shaved his strikeout rate to a career-low 24.9% in 2021, but the plate discipline is still shaky enough to leave room for some concern as he ages. At age 28, Hernandez was able to make up for it by blistering the baseball, ranking in the top 15% of the league in pretty much every Statcast batted-ball metric. He should have a few years before any real physical decline sets in, and Hernandez showed a greater willingness to run in 2021. The 2022 campaign should be another fruitful one for Hernandez amidst one of the game's best lineups.

The trio of Vlad Guerrero, Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio got most of the attention last spring, but it was Hernandez who carried the Blue Jays' offense through most of the short 2020 season. Hernandez had two multi-homer games before the end of July and was still playing at an MVP-caliber level in early September before an oblique strain cropped up. The injury was expected to cost Hernandez serious time, but he returned after the minimum only to hit .227/.227/.386 in his final 11 regular-season games. Despite the cold finish, Hernandez still ranked among the elite in virtually every batted-ball metric, and his sprint speed ranked in the 85th percentile. He displayed big-time growth against right-handed pitching, shaving his strikeout rate against righties from to 34.7% to 28.9%, though it's fair to wonder how much of that growth is real. Hernandez has to get the most out of his limited contact.

Hernandez struggles defensively and has an unsightly 31.8 K% across nearly 1,200 MLB plate appearances. When he manages to put bat to ball, Hernandez does damage, as evidenced by an average exit velocity in the 85th percentile last season. The 27-year-old's sprint speed ranked even higher, in the 94th percentile. Those tools have carried Hernandez to this point in his career, and what's encouraging is that Hernandez has been above league average the past two seasons despite his plate-discipline woes. Hernandez's walk rate improved last season, providing a shred of hope that the batting eye may come along yet. The power is very real, and Toronto's talented young core should provide him with RBI opportunities. If you build up a strong batting-average foundation early, you can safely roll the dice on a player like Hernandez who projects as a BA detriment with 30-homer upside.

Let's get the bad out of the way: Hernandez whiffed a bunch (31.2 K%), gave his manager headaches on defense (minus-5 outs above average) and might struggle with future playing time. However, Hernandez's 2018 issues shouldn't completely erase his former hype. After all, he tied for ninth with a 9.4 Brls/PA mark (after 9.5 in limited 2017 action) and sat among the top 25 in average exit velocity (91.8 mph) and contact distance (201 feet). Toronto appears focused on improving his fielding to justify fitting him in the lineup. The 26-year-old should still see opportunities at designated hitter and left field, and maybe he'll revisit a fraction of the base-stealing that helped him swipe 16 bags in the minors in 2017, if new skipper Carlos Montoyo gives him the green light more often. Those who go back to the well and target him as a depth player could wind up with a high-impact breakout. Just don't get too attached.

Hernandez was a popular late-season pickup in 2017 during his September callup, thanks to his combined .265/.351/.490 line with 18 homers and 16 stolen bases between Triple-A Buffalo and Fresno. Toronto gave him an audition and Hernandez impressed, generating two six-game hit streaks, a pair of two-homer games, and a stretch of six homers in six games. There's more pop in his bat than his 6-foot-2, 198-pound frame suggests, though his flyball-centric profile comes with a lot of swing-and-miss, making him a potential batting average liability, and a player susceptible to lengthy slumps. Still, he boasts a walk rate that could make up for that. The 25-year-old, who has shown 30-steal speed on multiple occasions in the minors, could emerge as a surprise power-speed producer if he's given a starting job for 2018. Even if he's projected for a fourth-outfielder role coming out of spring training, Hernandez has a combination of tools that could force the Jays' hand to an increase in playing time at some point this season.

Hernandez earned his first taste of the big leagues in 2016 after rocketing through the upper levels of the minors. The toolsy 24-year-old outfielder hit a combined .307/.377/.459 with 10 home runs, 53 RBI and 34 stolen bases (on 49 attempts) in 107 games between Double-A and Triple-A, parlaying that success into a promotion to the majors. He appeared in 41 games for the big club, though he was often just used as a pinch hitter against lefties. His power, particularly against lefties, is at least 50-grade, so he has the potential to someday post double-digit steals and homers in a season, but he lacks a true plus tool. In another organization, Hernandez might be poised for everyday duties heading into 2017, but the Astros depth dictates that his best chance of making the big league club out of camp is as the right-handed side of a platoon.

Hernandez emerged as one of the Astros' most exciting prospects in 2014 after putting up huge numbers in the California League, but that excitement faded a bit after his first full season with Double-A Corpus Christi. Hernandez certainly fits the profile for the Astros, combining power and speed with a ton of strikeouts, but he'll need to improve his ability to get on base (6.4-percent walk rate) to take the next step forward in his development. Despite his struggles last season, a jump to Triple-A is likely at some point in 2016.

Signed by the Astros out of the Dominican Republic in 2011, Hernandez emerged as one of the team's most exciting prospects last season. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, the 22-year-old mans center field with a rocket arm (11 outfield assists in 2014) that could eventually warrant a move to right field as he develops. Hernandez also has the power and speed combo that fantasy owners crave, hitting .292/.362/.535 with 37 doubles, nine triples, 21 home runs, 85 RBI and 33 steals in 119 games between High-A Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi last season. With exceptional work ethic and five average or better tools, Hernandez is someone to keep an eye on as he reaches the upper levels of the Astros' farm system. A jump to Triple-A is likely at some point in 2015.