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2007 There was considerable moaning about Hernandez`s contract last year, but he made Year One of his four-year deal look awfully good, setting or matching career highs in at-bats, hits, doubles, homers, RBIs, and stolen bases (this was one of the years in which he stole one). That said, setting a career high in at-bats is not a good indicator of future value when you`re talking about a 30-year-old catcher. He`s been a very steady player for the last four years, so he gets the benefit of the doubt for now. 2005 Keeps getting better. Hernandez hiked his walk rate and power numbers slightly from an already solid 2003; throw in the adjustment from a good pitcher's park in Oakland to a great one in San Diego and the gains look even more impressive. The dramatic spike in his contact rate points to further gains in his future. He's still an above-average defensive catcher, and at $4.1 million, the Padres have themselves a relative bargain. Here comes a career year. 2003 .241/.315/.387 in Oakland at age 24 is promising. So what happened? Hernandez just flat out hasn’t developed, and really didn’t look good at the plate all year. He looks his best when he’s hitting balls hard to RF and RCF, usually pitches up and away. Anything else, he looks unbelievably slow with the bat. His batting eye got marginally better, but not by enough to be anything more than noise in the data. Other than that, he’s been pretty much treading water for two years. With Beane’s theft of Mark Johnson from the White Sox, he’s going to have to do something with the bat in order to keep the lion’s share of the playing time, despite his solid defense. 2002 This is a very underrated ballplayer. Hernandez is a good defensive catcher who handles the pitching staff well and is undervalued as a hitter, thanks in large part to the cavernous outfield in Oakland. Hernandez is a very similar player to former A's backstop Terry Steinbach, a league-average hitter with some durability and strong defense. He got beat up throughout the season, as catchers are prone to do, and still finished strong: .291/.339/.522 after the All-Star break. 2001 The organization’s Venezuelan scouting effort doesn’t get as much attention as its commitment to the Dominican Republic, but this year it cranked out the team’s starting catcher. Spending most of the season in the ninth slot, Hernandez had a solid campaign, consistent with his career and age. Don’t be surprised if he outhits that projection. His defense is rough, but so was Terry Steinbach's in his early years. 2000 Everything came together in 1999 for Hernandez. He came to camp in shape for the first time, impressing the organization. Although he wasn't having his best year at the plate, he'd worked hard while Hinch had flopped. After his call-up, he gave the A's some desperately needed right-handed power. His defense still needs work; he has problems sitting still and making a good target for his pitchers. He's always been injury-prone, so while he should win the job outright, the A's will need to carry a good caddy. 1998 A marvelous catching prospect with a good arm, an astronomical batting average and a gigantic A.J. Hinch in front of him in the mind of the A’s front office. He will be a very good major league player, but the opportunity for him to become a star was damaged by his failure to adapt to Double-A last year. 1997 One of the reasons the A’s probably aren’t too worried about how their numerous young catchers in the upper levels of the system turn out is Hernandez. He won the batting title in his rookie league in ’95, and was rated the A’s sixth-best prospect entering the ’96 season. He’s shown a lot of patience at the plate for a young player. He’s potentially a very good catcher, but needs work; for that reason, the A’s will be bringing him along slowly as the upper level prospects sort themselves out.
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