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Up next on our 2016 Dodgers reviews is utility man Kiké Hernandez, who had an arduous second season in Los Angeles.
What went right
Hernandez made the Dodgers’ opening day roster and hit .269/.367/.442 in April.
After leading baseball against left-handers in 2015 by hitting .423/.471/.744 with 15 extra-base hits in 87 plate appearances, Hernandez began his 2016 season like a house afire against southpaws, 8 for his first 11 with two home runs, two doubles and a walk, with all four extra-base hits against Giants ace Madison Bumgarner.
Hernandez was versatile again in 2016, starting games at six different positions for the Dodgers — left field, center field, right field, second base, third base and shortstop.
Despite just 350⅔ defensive innings in the outfield, Hernandez was third on the team with four outfield assists, just two behind team leader Yasiel Puig, who had 744⅓ outfield innings in 2016.
What went wrong
By pretty much all accounts, 2016 was a terrible year for Hernandez, who was essentially replacement level. Even his solid April included a 2-for-23 ending thud, and after April 16 he hit just .155/.258/.262 in 98 games and 213 plate appearances.
On the season, Hernandez ranked 315th in wRC+ (68) among the 353 MLB players with at least 200 plate appearances, and 318th in on-base percentage (.283).
Against lefties, his strong point, Hernandez hit just .189/.308/.361. After that hot start versus southpaws in April, he was 15-for-111 (.135) against them.
Hernandez was left off the Dodgers’ NLDS roster, but added for the NLCS. He went 0-for-8 against the Cubs, though he did walk three times.
2016 particulars
Age: 24
Stats: .190/.283/.324, 7 HR in 244 PA, 0.1 rWAR, 0.2 fWAR
Salary: $520,000
Game of the year
Hernandez had 20% off his seasonal extra-base hits in one game, with two home runs and a double against Bumgarner at home on April 15. Hernandez drove in four runs in the Dodgers’ 7-3 win over the Giants.
Roster status
Hernandez has two years, 54 days of service time, and one option year remaining. The earliest he will be eligible for salary arbitration is after the 2017 season.