2015 Dodgers review: Kiké Hernandez, the super utility man

Part of the bounty in the Dee Gordon trade last offseason with Miami, Kiké Hernandez proved to be incredibly effective and versatile for the Dodgers in 2015 and figures heavily into their long-term plans.

What went right

The 23-year-old Hernandez hit .307/.346/.490 with seven home runs and 12 doubles in 218 plate appearances. His .359 wOBA and 132 wRC+ ranked fourth on the team among Dodgers with 100 plate appearances, behind only Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Andre Ethier.

Against left-handed pitchers Hernandez was dominant, hitting .423/.471/.744 with 15 extra-base hits in 87 plate appearances. Among all major league hitters with at least 50 plate appearances against southpaws in 2015, Hernandez led in OPS (1.215), on-base percentage, wOBA (.507) and wRC+ (234).

Hernandez started 18 games in center field in 2015, 15 games at second base, 11 games at shortstop, five games in left field, and once each in right field and third base. He was the first Dodgers player to start at all six of those positions since Bobby Valentine in 1971. Hernandez was the first Dodger to start at least 10 games at second, short and center since Derrel Thomas, the gold standard for Dodgers versatility, in 1980.

In July and August combined, Hernandez hit .361/.400/.536.

Hernandez was 4-for-13 (.308) with two walks (.400 on-base percentage) in the NLDS against the Mets, and despite not yet stealing a base in two career attempts at the major league level during the regular season stole a base in the NLDS.

What went wrong

Hernandez became a true Dodger by missing most of September with a strained left hamstring.

Against right-handed pitchers, Hernandez hit just .234/.262/.331 in 131 plate appearances, with 29 strikeouts and four walks.

"His track record, he hit right-handed pitching better than he did last year," Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. "We're very optimistic about what he can do going forward."

Hernandez from 2013-2014 in the majors and minors combined hit .262/.318/.432 against right-handers.

After the season, Hernandez had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder, though he is expected to be ready before spring training in 2016.

2015 particulars

Age: 23

Stats: .307/.346/.490, .359 wOBA, 7 HR in 218 PA, 1.4 rWAR, 1.7 rWAR

Salary: $512,500; pro-rated for his time in the majors, so roughly $445,000.

Game of the year

Hernandez was 3-for-5 with a double, a triple and two runs scored in a 4-3 win at Arizona on July 1, one of four three-hit games on the season.

Roster status

Hernandez has one year, 54 days of service time and one option year remaining, having used options in 2014 and 2015.