Cheo Hernández

José Hernández
(Cheo)

• Bats unknown, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8"

• Debut 1920
• Final Game 1920
• Born 1894 in Havana Cuba

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Biographical Information

José "Cheo" Hernández pitched in Cuba, the minor leagues and the Negro Leagues.

He debuted in the 1915-1916 Cuban Winter League, playing mostly right field and going 2 for 15 with a walk between Habana and San Francisco. In his lone mound appearance, he was rocked for 17 hits and 14 runs (6 earned) in eight innings, taking a loss. He next surfaced with the 1919 Tampa Smokers, hitting .195 in regular action in the outfield.

He played for the Cuban Stars in 1920, going 12-10 with a save and a 3.08 ERA (119 ERA+) while hitting .237/.275/.281 (102 OPS+). He tied Tom Williams for 6th in wins, tied Faustino Valdés for 6th in losses, was 3rd with 21 starts (behind Bill Drake and Dizzy Dismukes), was second with 18 complete games (4 behind Drake), tied Dismukes for 5th in IP (187) and tied Valdés for 4th in walks (58). That fall, he beat Pol Perritt and the New York Giants when they visited Cuba.

That winter for Almendares, he was 4-1 with a 1.62 ERA (149 ERA+) and batted .333/.333/.375 (127 OPS+). He was second to Dolf Luque in ERA and third in wins (one behind José Acosta and Oscar Tuero). In the summer, he switched back from the Negro Leagues to the minor leagues like light-skinned Cubans could but not other Negro Leaguers. He hit .304/?/.507 for the St. Petersburg Saints. Had he qualified, he would have made the Florida State League top five in slugging.

With the 1922 Saints, Hernández was 16-13 with a 3.80 ERA and hit .285/?/.395. He tied Joe Lane, Frank Riel and Harry Smythe for 6th in the FSL in wins, tied Don Hankins for 7th with 34 games pitched and was 6th with 256 innings pitched. He was 3-2 with a 4.53 ERA (76 ERA+) for Habana in 1922-1923, a far cry from his previous Cuban campaign. Back with St. Petersburg for '23, he improved to 18-13, 3.65 though his offense fell (.176/?/.212). He tied Roy Sullivan for 4th in the FSL in victories and led with 271 innings pitched. Showing sharp control, he walked only 50.

In 1924, he had a 13-13, 4.36 record for St. Petersburg and hit .288/?/.459. He tied for 5th in wins, was third with 229 innings and 4th in losses. With Marianao, he was 2-2 in the winter of 1924-1925. He did not play in the US in 1925, his first absence there since arriving. In 1926-1927, he kept up his pace of appearing in Cuba in alternate winters, going 2-2 for Almendares. With the 1927 Saints and Miami Hustlers, he was 11-7 with a 3.48 ERA in his last US campaign. He ended his career that winter with the Cuba team, allowing five runs in four innings and going 3 for 12 with a walk and three RBI at the plate.

Sources

• Seamheads database
• Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History by Jorge Figueredo