Alberto Hernández (Cuban league)

José Alberto Hernández Pérez

• Bats Right, Throws Right

• Born February 9, 1969

Biographical Information

Alberto Hernández was a catcher for the Cuban national team and in Taiwanese leagues.

Hernández went 1 for 3 as the defensive substitute for Pedro Rodriguez in the 1990 Baseball World Cup. He played in the 1990 Goodwill Games. He was 1 for 9 in the 1991 Pan American Games. He batted .286/.323/.429 as the starting backstop in the 1992 Olympics to help Cuba win the Gold. In the Gold Medal game, he hit a 2-run homer in the 11-1 romp of the Chinese Taipei national team. He went just 2 for 21 in the 1993 Central American Games. In the 1993 Intercontinental Cup, he hit .308/.412/.308 as Cuba's starting catcher, driving in 7 runs in 9 games. He was 1 for 4 in the Gold Medal game as Cuba beat Paul Wilson and the US. Hernández hit .323/.417/.581 as Cuba's starting catcher in the 1994 Baseball World Cup; Luigi Carrozza beat him out as the Cup's All-Star catcher. He hit .375/.400/.667 in the 1995 Intercontinental Cup and threw out six of nine attempted base-stealers. He was 2 for 9 while backing up Juan Manrique in the 1996 Olympics.

In the Cuban National League, Hernández played 11 years and hit .253/~.348/.412.

Hernández was banned from Cuban League play in late 1996, along with Orlando Hernández (no relation) and German Mesa for claims of having received payments from someone representing agent Joe Cubas. These claims were never substantiated. No longer able to play in their homeland, Alberto and El Duque Hernández fled the island in an account later greatly dramatized by Cubas.

Unlike Orlando Hernández, Alberto Hernández did not win a huge contract in the US. He wound up signing with the Taichung Agan of the Taiwan Major League in 1998 and batted .254/~.319/.317 in 24 games. In 1999, he went 2 for 2 with a homer for Taichung.

Alberto had a try-out with the Seattle Mariners in 2000.

Sources:

• A History of Cuban Baseball by Peter Bjarkman
• KT Choi's Taiwanese baseball database
• IBAF site
• 2005 Guia Official de Beisbol