| Ramón Hernández | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: May 20, 1976 Caracas, Venezuela |
|
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| June 29, 1999 for the Oakland Athletics | |
| Career statistics (through May 22, 2013) |
|
| Batting average | .263 |
| Hits | 1,338 |
| Home runs | 167 |
| Runs batted in | 753 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Ramón José Hernández Marin (Spanish pronunciation: [raˈmon erˈnandeθ]; born May 20, 1976) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball. Previously, he played with the Oakland Athletics (1999–2003), San Diego Padres (2004–2005), Baltimore Orioles (2006–2008), Cincinnati Reds (2009–2011) and Colorado Rockies (2012).
Contents |
Career[edit]
Hernández is a career .263 hitter with 144 home runs, 651 RBI, and 455 runs scored in 1,132 games throughout his 10 seasons with the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and Baltimore Orioles. Hernández played in Venezuela for los Bravos de Margarita.
Oakland Athletics[edit]
Hernández made his debut with Oakland in June 1999 as a backup catcher for A. J. Hinch. His steady progress enabled the Athletics to trade Hinch to the Kansas City Royals a year later.
With experience, Hernández became known as a catcher who could solidly hit, mentor young pitchers and had steady defense. He earned praise for his defense and game-calling skills with a powerful pitching staff that included Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito, Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson.
In 2003, Hernández broke out with his best season, hitting .273 with 21 home runs and 78 RBI and made his first All-Star Game. His most memorable moment as an Athletic came in Game 1 of the 2003 ALDS against the Boston Red Sox. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning, Hernandez bunted down the third base line, which scored Eric Chavez to win the game. After the season, Oakland traded him to the Padres, mainly for financial reasons. At the time of the deal, Hernández had caught at least 135 games each of the last four years.
San Diego Padres[edit]
In both 2004 and 2005, Hernandez battled injuries. In 2004, he missed four weeks mid-season after injuring his left knee in a collision at the plate. Upon his return, he batted .281 with 11 home runs with 38 RBI in the second part. He finished the 2004 season with a .276 batting average, 18 home runs, and 63 RBI.
In 2005, he suffered a wrist injury on June 17 while diving into first base during a game against the Twins. His jammed wrist forced him to the disabled list, causing him to miss 18 games. Hernández returned to the lineup on July 7, but the condition worsened and he decided to have surgery to repair the torn cartilage. The surgery forced Hernández to the DL for the third time in two seasons, and he missed the entire month of August. He rejoined the team in time for the September stretch run, and was pivotal in the Padres' run to the National League West championship. Hernández hit .359 in September with five home runs, and drove in 20 runs in just 22 games. He came up with several clutch hits, including two dramatic game-winning home runs: a three-run walk-off shot against Washington in the 12th inning on September 17, and a grand slam against division rival San Francisco just 10 days later. He finished the season with a .290 average and 12 home runs, and became one of baseball's more coveted players in the winter's free agent market.
Baltimore Orioles[edit]
Before the 2006 season, Hernández signed a $27.5 million, four-year contract to play for the Baltimore Orioles. The contract includes a team option for the 2010 season as well. In his introductory press conference, Hernández spoke excitedly about working with a young pitching staff, hitting in Camden Yards and helping the team become a contender. He also expressed optimism about spending the next four years with Miguel Tejada as a teammate (Tejada was traded to the Astros before the 2008 season). Hernández and Tejada played in Oakland for almost five years, and they are godfathers to each other's children. Hernández would compile a respectable .275 batting average in 2006 with 23 home runs and 91 RBI. Veterans Chris Widger and Danny Ardoin served as Hernández's backups throughout the season.
Cincinnati Reds[edit]
Hernandez was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Ryan Freel and two minor leaguers on December 9, 2008. Reds acquire catcher Ramon Hernandez from Orioles</ref>[1] Following the season, the Reds signed Hernandez to a one-year, $3 million contract.[2]
Colorado Rockies[edit]
On November 30, 2011, Hernandez signed a two-year contract with the Colorado Rockies.[3] In April 2013 the Rockies designated him for assignment.
Los Angeles Dodgers[edit]
On April 6 2013 the Rockies traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Aaron Harang.[4] In 17 games as the Dodgers backup catcher, he hit .208 with 3 home runs and 6 RBI. He was designated for assignment on June 14.
References[edit]
- ^ [1]
- ^ Rosenthal, Ken. Reds re-sign catcher Hernandez, FOX Sports. Published November 16, 2009. Retrieved November 23, 2009.
- ^ "Rockies deal Iannetta, sign Hernandez". MLB. November 30, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2011. Unknown parameter
|=ignored (help) - ^ Laymance, Austin (2013-04-06). "Dodgers trade Harang to Rox for Hernandez". Losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com. Unknown parameter
|http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=ignored (help);
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ramón Hernández |
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers
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