The Never Weres

What am I missing? The Red Sox have players to sign. In fact, they have two players that are amongst the best at their positions in the majors. So what’s the move the front office makes? They sign Kiké Hernadez to a one-year deal. OK, it is one year but what are we doing? What is the fascination with this guy?

Don’t get me wrong, I understand he was the hottest hitter on the planet in the playoffs last year. He was one of the reasons the team over-achieved in getting to the ALCS. So it seems like a two-week stretch in October 2021 earns him a $10-million contract for 2023?

In his nearly two years with Boston, Hernandez has played like nothing more than a league-average player. If you don’t believe me look at this:

.239/.318/.416, a .744 OPS (that would be 74th out of 141 qualified hitters in baseball this year), .51 BB/K (striking out twice as much as he is walking), 98 WRC+ which makes him league average. He is a league-average hitter. Have I made my point about this yet? I personally think that slash line is below league average but maybe that’s just me.

So the versatility must be the selling point here. I get that. It is nice to be able to insert him into different positions if someone is a late scratch but making him out to be a star on this team is so strange. If he were treated like an average utility guy I would be fine with it. $10 million a year isn’t expensive for the Red Sox but why is social media falling all over themselves to talk about how great a deal this was. Here is an exercise for you, blind player comparison:

Hernandez	Mystery Player
.239/.318/.416 4.3 fWAR	.274/.336/.392 6.0 fWAR

Can you guess the mystery Red Sox centerfielder? These numbers are also over a two-year span. Could it be 03-04 Damon, am I trying to set you up by comparing him to the catalyst for a dominant World Series-winning offense? No. It’s not Damon. Is it Jacoby Ellsbury, the runner-up for the 2011 AL MVP? No, not him either. The answer is Coco Crisp. That is the slash line for Coco Crisp for the 2007-2008 seasons. Fans grew to really dislike Crisp at the end of his time with Red Sox. Would they be doing backflips if the Red Sox shelled out $10 million for one year of Crisp in 2009 when the team would actually spend money? No, don’t kid yourself, you wouldn’t.

The overall point here is why are we making him out to be a player he just isn’t? Also, management should have their priorities elsewhere when it comes to signings. If Hernandez is batting 7th next year in a lineup that has Devers, Bogaerts, Casas, Story, Verdugo, and another bat they have added I’m cool with the signing. If they think a good chunk of the team’s problems get fixed with this signing there are bigger problems in higher places than an overrated centerfielder.

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