Skip to main content

Prospect Nation 2014: #4 2B/OF Cesar Hernandez

By
Cesar Hernandez, image- Jay Floyd
Signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent at the age of 16 in 2006, Cesar Hernandez swiftly proved himself as a capable prospect that had quite a future in baseball. Last year, the young Venezuelan was honored as a Triple-A All-Star and made his big league debut. This year, he'll be doing everything in his power to earn another chance to compete at the top level of the sport.

Hernandez, a switch-hitter, made his professional debut with the Phillies' Venezuelan Summer League team in 2007. In two seasons there, he tallied a .296 batting average with three home runs and 45 RBI in 114 games. He followed that effort with a campaign in which he batted .267 with five doubles and a triple in 41 games for the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2009.

The following season, with the short-season Class A Williamsport Crosscutters, Hernandez was voted as the Most Valuable Player of the club by his teammates and was a New York-Penn League All-Star. Overall that season, Hernandez sported an impressive .325/.390/.392 line with 13 doubles and two triples in 65 games and placed second in the New York-Penn League in stolen bases, with 32.

His outstanding season with Williamsport led to Hernandez complete skipping full season Class A Lakewood. He played the entire 2011 season with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers, where his offensive production took a dip (.268/.303./.333). With just 15 extra-base hits and 98 singles that year, increased power was something that the Phils’ brass and coaches were looking for when they assigned Hernandez a strengthening program during the following off-season.

In 2012, the 5-foot-10-inch 175-pounder was named as an All-Star in the Double-A Eastern League, as he sported a .304 average with 26 doubles, a league leading 11 triples, two homers and 51 RBI along with 16 steals in 104 games with the Reading Phillies. After July, Hernandez was promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he batted .248 with four doubles, a triple, six RBI and five steals in 30 games.

Last year, Hernandez began the season back at Triple-A where he tallied a .309 average along with 12 doubles, nine triples, two home runs and 34 RBI in 104 contests. After earning a cup of coffee with the big league Phils, Hernandez batted .289 with five doubles and 10 RBI in 34 games.

Improvement with being patient at the plate was evidenced last year by Hernandez lifting his walk rate to 9.3% in the minors, up from 5.4% in 2012. His strike out rate saw a boost as well though, coming in at a 18.1%, which was a 4.5% jump from the previous season.

The 23-year-old plays in the Venezuelan Winter League during the off-season. As a member of the Margarita Bravos for the fourth straight year, Hernandez posted a .254/.318/.347 line in 31 games this winter.

On the bases, Hernandez is a true speedster. He was successful in 32 of 40 chances (80% success rate) in the minors last season. His stolen base totals have steadily looked nice during his pro career, though he failed to steal safely in three opportunities in the big leagues last year.

Defensively, Hernandez’s range as an infielder is very good. Converted to an outfielder last year at the All-Star break, when he skipped representing the IronPigs in the annual exhibition in order to have a few extra days to work on his defensive transition with the Phillies' Double-A team, Hernandez still appears to be learning the new position and developing his reaction to batted balls. He committed four errors in 25 games as a minor league outfielder last season. The switch to the outfield will require some more work, but with the added versatility, his value is enhanced. Hernandez's arm is solid and capable of keeping aggressive runners from taking extra bags on balls in play.

Phillies developmental coaches like Hernandez's adaptability and feel his strength is hitting the ball to all fields. Maturing and learning outside of the game has helped the outgoing Hernandez when it comes to baseball as well. A focus on improving his English and fully adapting to the cultural changes that come with playing in the United States, has increased the his confidence and his ability to pick up more about the game from his coaches and peers.

With a competent bat, quick feet and some defensive depth Cesar Hernandez is the guy on this list that's closest to helping the big league team. It's likely he'll begin the 2014 season with Lehigh Valley but he'll possibly be the among the first position players that get the call when a roster spot with the Phillies opens up.

Click here to view the running list of this year's countdown.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stats to Ponder: Jimmy Rollins Edition

By
J-Roll has batted under .200 for a calendar month twice in his career. In April 2004, Rollins went 13-for-71, for a .183 average. The following month, Rollins went 30-for-107, which is a .280 average. And in August 2005, Rollins went 22-for-117, for a .188 average. The month that followed saw Rollins go 49-for-122 for a .402 average. Rollins is batting .171 so far in May 2009. Improvement is not far away for Jimmy. The Phillies are 10-2 in games this year which Rollins scores at least 1 run. The Phillies are 4-12 in games which Rollins does not score. Jimmy Rollins in 6 games against the Braves this year is batting .071 (2-for-28). In 2008 Rollins batted .284 against the Braves in 18 games. In 2007 Rollins batted .347 against the Braves in 18 games. In 2006 Rollins batted .367 against the Braves in 18 games. Jimmy Milestone Watch: 6 more RBI and Rollins will tie Scott Rolen for 25th all time in Phillies RBI leaders. 7 more triples and Rollins will tie Richie Ashburn for 4th all time i...
2 comments
Read more

Crawford's Chronicles: JP Crawford talks Spring Training

By
JP Crawford, image- Jay Floyd Entering this year as the widely regarded top prospect in the Phillies organization, J.P. Crawford will be taking time each week to provide insight directly from inside spring training in Clearwater, FL, right here on PhilliesNation.com. Crawford, 20, was named the top positional prospect in two leagues (Class A South Atlantic League and Class A Advanced Florida State League) last year, when he combined, in 123 games, to post a .285 average, 11 homers, 48 RBI and 24 stolen bases. He also represented the Phils organization in the MLB All-Star Futures Game last season. As the 2015 campaign approaches, the six-foot-two 180-pound lefty batter is expected to reach the Double-A level and continue to prove why the Phillies selected him in the first round of the 2013 draft. In this initial installment of our weekly check-in with J.P., he shares thoughts on a variety of topics, including his exclusion from big league camp, which member of the big leagu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Phreestyle Battle & Notes

By
Unrelated to baseball, really...but it's fun and our Phils are off today. This new kid on the hip hop scene, Charles Hamilton , whose single Brooklyn Girl is ripping up radio and video count downs, was at PSU for a performance recently. A freestyle battle ensued, and as you'll see, the Penn State student held his own. Stay tuned for the ending. It's the best part. Here are some random Phillies-in-idle baseball thoughts and notes- Colbert Hamels is slated to make his Grapefruit League debut tomorrow vs. Team Canada. Shane Victorino is going to wear #50 on his jersey for Team USA, a nod to Hawaii Five-O. Brad Lidge is likely to not see game action till next week, after he throws some more bullpen sessions and works out the tightness in his forearm. Albert Pujols is declaring "respect for his country" as reasoning for sitting out of the Cardinals' exhibition this week against Team Dominican Republic. He told reporters, "I don’t want to play against them...
2 comments
Read more