Enzo Hernandez

Enzo Octavio Hernández Martínez

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 155 lb.

• Debut April 17, 1971
• Final Game August 19, 1978
• Born February 12, 1949 in Valle De Guanape, Venezuela
• Died January 13, 2013 in El Tigre, Anzoátegui, Venezuela

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Biographical Information

The public address announcer at San Diego Stadium would announce Enzo Hernández as "Numberelevenenzo... Hernández!", leading to his popularity in the early days of the San Diego Padres major league franchise. He played seven seasons for the Padres, from 1971 to 1977 and was their starting shortstop for most of the period. He finished his career with one season with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1978. He only played a handful of games in the majors in both 1977 and 1978.

A good fielder and baserunner, he was very weak with the bat, hitting a mere .224 for his career. Even at a time when middle infielders were not expected to contribute much at the plate, he was well below average. He had almost no power and did not draw many walks, making him one of the weakest offensive players of the 1970s. He did have four seasons with 20 or more stolen bases, with a high of 37 in 1974, but had fewer RBI (113) than stolen bases (129) in his career. As a rookie in 1971, he collected only 12 RBI in 618 plate appearances as the Padres' lead-off hitter, one of the worst RBI ratios of all time. However, as a defender, he was outstanding, and he and his contemporary Dave Concepcion were considered the heirs to the great Luis Aparicio, Venezuela's sole Hall of Famer and a superlative fielder, who retired at the time the two young infielders reached the major leagues in the early 1970s.

He played 11 seasons with the Tiburones de La Guaira in the Venezuelan League and was well-liked there for his defensive prowess.

He died in 2013, committing suicide at 62. There were reports that he had been treated for depression in previous months.

Related Sites

• Obituary (in Spanish)