César Hernández (hernace02)

César Augusto Hernández

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 175 lb.

• Debut May 29, 2013
• Final Game October 5, 2022
• Born May 23, 1990 in Valencia, Carabobo Venezuela

BR page

Biographical information

Second baseman César Hernández made his major league debut with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2013.

Hernandez signed with Philadelphia in July 2006, less than two months after his 16th birthday; the scouts were Sal Agostinelli and Jesus Mendez. He began his professional career in 2007, playing for the VSL Phillies. That year, he hit .276/.328/.436 in 54 games, fielding .920 at SS (his main position). He led the Venezuelan Summer League with 8 triples. With the same team again in 2008, Hernandez hit .315/.412/.426 with 19 stolen bases in 26 tries over 60 games while fielding .971 at 2B. He finished among the VSL leaders in average (6th), OBP (5th), slugging (tied for 10th), OPS (tied for 4th), steals (4th) and triples (6, tied for 1st). He went 0 for 2 that winter for the Bravos de Margarita in his Venezuelan Winter League debut.

He played for the GCL Phillies in 2009, hitting .267/.351/.313 with 13 stolen bases in 41 games. In 2010, Hernandez hit .325/.390/.392 with 32 stolen bases (caught 6 times)in 65 games for the Williamsport Crosscutters. He was named his team's MVP and finished among the New York-Penn League leaders in hits (83, 4th), average (5th), steals (2nd), putouts at 2B (135), assists at 2B (179), double plays at 2B (40) and fielding percentage at 2B (.978). Baseball America rated him as the NYPL's #9 prospect, between Nick Longmire and Colton Cain. For Margarita, he was 10 for 39 with four walks. Cesar hit .268/.306/.333 with 23 steals in 33 tries for the '11 Clearwater Threshers. He led Florida State League second basemen with a .975 fielding percentage and Baseball America listed him as the league's best defensive 2B. He was a regular for the 2011-2012 Bravos, batting .259/.314/.277; only Collin Cowgill had a lower slugging percentage among their players with 100+ AB.

In 2012, Hernandez split time between the Reading Phillies (.304/.345/.436 in 103 G) and Lehigh Valley IronPigs (.248/.270/.298 in 30 G). Overall, he had 30 doubles, 12 triples and 21 steals but was caught stealing 15 bases. He led Phillies farmhands in triples, tied for second in times caught stealing and was 8th in doubles. In the Eastern League, he tied Aaron Hicks for the most three-baggers (11), led second basemen in errors (15) and was 4th in times gunned down running. Despite only leading EL second sackers in miscues, Baseball America still picked him as the league's best defensive second baseman. With the Bravos in the winter, he hit .266/.345/.357. He stole 14 bases in 18 tries, one swipe behind leader Gorkys Hernandez, and tied for second with three triples. He began 2013 well with Lehigh Valley (.305/.382/.428, 15 SB, 4 CS, 28 R in 49 G). He was leading the 2013 IL in triples (6) and was in the top 10 in steals.

Hernandez got his first taste of the majors when Michael Young went on the bereavement list. In his debut on May 29, 2013, he pinch-hit for Antonio Bastardo with a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 7th. Facing Andrew Miller of the Boston Red Sox, he flew out to Jacoby Ellsbury. He stayed in after a double switch, replacing Kevin Frandsen at 2B. He got one more at-bat that day, grounding out against Koji Uehara. He played 34 games that season, hitting .289, then hit .237 in 66 games in 2014.

From 2015 to 2019, Hernandez was the starting second baseman for the Phillies, playing over 125 games each season. His best year was 2016, when he ledt the National League with 11 triples while batting .294, but he also had a good season in 2017, when he also hit .294 and had a OPS+ of 110. The other three years, however, he was a below-average hitter due to limited power: he only topped 30 doubles in 2019, and his high for homers was 15, in 2018. He generally hit near the top of the batting order, having over 700 plate appearances in 2018, but the Phillies were never a fearsome offensive team during the period and settled around .500 his final two years. The team felt that improving production from its infielders was a key to getting over the hump, and let go of Hernandez and 3B Maikel Franco after a disappointing 2019 season. After the Phils declined to offer him arbitration, he signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Indians on December 29th, worth $6.25 million.

Hernandez became the Indians' second baseman and lead-off hitter in 2020. On August 23-24, he became the first player in Indians history to hit a lead-off homer in two consecutive games. He played 58 games for Cleveland during the shortened season, hitting .283 and leading the American League with 20 doubles, in addition to 3 homers. He added another two-base hit in the postseason in going 3 for 8 in Cleveland's loss to the New York Yankees in the Wild Card Series. He re-signed with the Indians after the season and on April 1, 2021, he had the distinction of collecting the first hit of the major league season when, as the second batter in the game against the Detroit Tigers, he doubled against Matthew Boyd. He hit .231 in 96 games, with better power than at any other time in his career - 17 doubles and 18 RBIs - and 60 runs scored. For all that his OPS+ was below average at 97, par for a Cleveland offense that was sputtering if you discount perennial All-Star José Ramírez. Then in a surprise move on July 30th, the Indians traded him to their main rivals, the Chicago White Sox in return for P Konnor Pilkington. The White Sox had recently lost 2B Nick Madrigal for the remainder of the season and had ambitions to go deep in the postseason, so the experienced Hernandez was a great fit. For Cleveland, it was a bit of a white flag trade, however.

Notable Achievements

• AL Gold Glove Winner (2020)
• AL Doubles Leader (2020)
• NL Triples Leader (2016)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (2021)

Sources

• 2013 Phillies Media Guide
• Purapelota
• 2011-2013 Baseball Almanacs

Related Sites

• César Hernández on mlb.com
• BR Minors page