2024 Dodgers in review: Teoscar Hernández

After a successful tenure with the Blue Jays, Teoscar Hernández struggled with the Mariners with a .741 OPS and 211 strikeouts in 2023, but thrived on his one-year deal with the Dodgers this season.

It was a chance for the former All-Star to prove that he was a premiere power threat in the league, and it was a chance for him to be a part of a team that set their sights on a World Series championship after an absurdly expensive offseason.

His impact was felt immediately in his first at-bat of spring training, smacking a two-run double in an eight-run first inning against the Padres. In the clubhouse, his impact was felt in a brand new celebration; every time a Dodger would hit a home run, he would shower them with a barrage of sunflower seeds upon returning to the dugout.

Hernández welcomed himself to Dodgers fans during the team’s opening homestand against the Cardinals, blasting off for his first two home runs as a Dodger in a dominant 6-3 win, almost overshadowing Bobby Miller’s six-inning, 11-strikeout gem.

A three-hit performance against the Cubs brought his average up to an even .300, but it would be the last time in the season that his average would eclipse that mark. From that game until the end of April, Hernández struggled with a .232/.308/.354 slash line with two home runs and eight RBIs, striking out 28 times over a 22-game sample.

Crown prince of clutch

Hernández prided himself on being a player that thrives for the big moment, always eager to set himself up for an opportunity to put his team ahead with the game on the line. He proved worthy of that role on May 8 against the Miami Marlins, as Hernández cracked a go-ahead, two run home run off of Miami starter Ryan Weathers in a 3-1 Dodgers win.

Three days later, against Padres reliever Enyel de los Santos, Hernández bolted a grand slam into the left field seats that would help elevate the Dodgers to a 5-0 shutout victory.

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Hernández’s true chance to shine came during a potential (and eventual) World Series matchup against the Yankees, where his bat caught fire. He clobbered three home runs while driving in nine during the series, including a grand slam in the second game of the series that netted the Dodgers a series win.

Against the Rockies at Coors Field, the Dodgers were down five runs in the top half of the ninth inning. Jason Heyward, who had just two home runs all season heading into the game, belted a grand slam off of reliever Tyler Kinley to pull the deficit within a single run. After the Dodgers put two men on, Hernández was down in the count 1-2 against Victor Vodnik when he checked his swing, and first base umpire Will Barksdale confirmed that he held up, much to the chagrin and berating of the entire Rockies team.

On the very next pitch, Hernández launched a go-ahead, three run home run that completed an improbable seven run ninth inning comeback and netted the Dodgers an 11-9 win.

Against the then red-hot Diamondbacks in early July, Hernández connected for his first walk-off as a Dodger, as he laced a game-winning single to give the Dodgers an extra-inning victory.

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As the All-Star break loomed around the corner, Hernández initially flirted with the idea of competing in the Home Run Derby, but set his sights on winning the whole thing once he inserted himself in the race. No Dodger had ever won the derby beforehand, and the most recent Dodger participant, Mookie Betts, was bounced in the first round after hitting just eight home runs during the 2023 contest.

Hernández reached the final round of the derby, where he smacked 14 home runs. His opponent, Royals star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., smacked 13 before his final swing nearly left the yard, but instead landed at the base of the center field wall, making Hernández the winner. He became the first Dodger in history to win the Home Run Derby and the seventh Dominican player to win.

Hernández was selected to his second career All-Star team and was named a starting outfielder for the National League team after slashing .261/.327/.475 with 19 home runs and 62 RBIs in 95 games before the break.

His greatness in game defining moments carried over into the second half. After homering off of the rookie sensation Paul Skenes, he roped a walk-off single the following game that netted the Dodgers a series win.

On Shohei Ohtani’s second bobblehead night, where his dog, Decoy, was the star of the show, Hernández brought the limelight on himself by connecting for a go-ahead, three run home run off the former Cy Young award winner Corbin Burnes that gave the Dodgers a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish over the Orioles.

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Hernández was one of a select few Dodgers hitters that managed to stay healthy throughout the majority of the season, but against the Guardians in early September, he was hit on the ankle and was forced to miss the next four games. The injury didn’t limit his offensive prowess, as he slashed .329/.407/.605 with five home runs and 12 RBIs in September.

Hernández set a career high in home runs with 33, becoming one of just two Dodgers this season to hit at least 30 or more home runs. He won his third career Silver Slugger Award and was named to the All-MLB second team.

Postseason heroics

Before signing with the Dodgers, Hernández was a part of two Blue Jays teams that made the postseason, but had yet to find any team success as Toronto lost all four games he played in.

Looking to prove that his flare for the dramatic in the regular season wasn’t a fluke, he made a massive statement in the Dodgers’ 7-5 win over the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the NLDS, as a go-ahead two-run single sealed the deal in the opening match.

San Diego responded emphatically to the Dodgers’ Game 1 victory, hanging a 10-spot in a Game 2 blowout and lighting Walker Buehler up for six runs in the second inning of Game 3. With the Dodgers loading the bases in the third inning, Hernández made sure the Dodgers responded on offense, connecting a grand slam off of Michael King to make it a one-run ballgame.

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In a pitcher’s duel between two former Team Japan teammates Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Yu Darvish in Game 5, scoring was nearly impossible to come by (unless a player’s surname was Hernández). Kiké Hernández broke the ice in the second inning off of Darvish with a solo home run to deep left field. With Darvish still pitching in the bottom of the seventh inning, Teoscar put the dagger into the Padres’ season with a monstrous solo home run that helped carry the Dodgers to an NLDS victory and a date with the Mets in the NLCS.

Hernández’s bat fell flat in six games against the Mets, collecting just two hits in 22 at-bats, but demonstrating a keen eye at the plate with seven walks, giving himself a respectable .300 on-base percentage despite hitting just .091.

Hernández got his chance to etch himself in the annals of World Series history against the New York Yankees, smashing a go-ahead two-run home run off of southpaw Carlos Rodón in Game 2.

It wasn’t just offense that was an advantage for Hernández in the World Series, as with the Yankees threatening in Game 3, shortstop Anthony Volpe lined a single into left field. With Giancarlo Stanton chugging his way to home plate, Hernández heaved a beautiful one-hop throw to cut down Stanton at home, preserving the Dodgers’ lead that catapulted them to a 3-0 series lead.

Hernández’s ultimate Dodgers moment came in an epic five-run, fifth inning comeback in Game 5, as he cracked a game-tying, two-run double that evened the scoring at five.

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Hernández bet on himself that he could be a significant piece of a championship squad, and the gamble paid off immensely for both him and the Dodgers.

2024 particulars

Age: 31

Stats: .272/.339/.501, 33 HR, 99 RBI, 32 doubles, 84 R, 135 wRC+, 4.3 rWAR, 3.5 fWAR

Salary: $23.5 million, of which $8.5 million was deferred to 2030-39. Hernández also earned a $1 million bonus for winning a Silver Slugger.

Game of the year

Hernández’s best game of the season came against the eventual American League champion New York Yankees on June 8, as he swatted two home runs, including a decisive grand slam that netted the Dodgers the series win in their first series at Yankee Stadium since the 2016 season.

Roster status

Hernández is a free agent, and is reportedly receiving interest from multiple teams, who are in need of a high-end right-handed hitting corner outfielder. The Dodgers extended a qualifying offer to Hernández on November 4, which will almost certainly be rejected on Tuesday. Hernández has expressed interest in returning to the Dodgers, and the feeling is mutual.