Looking to fill their vacancy at second base, the Cleveland Indians have shown interest in former Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez.
The Cleveland Indians are currently without a clear cut second baseman. After Sunday’s trade of Corey Kluber, they are down an internal option as they designated Mike Freeman for assignment. Per Jon Heyman, the Indians have shown interest in Cesar Hernandez.
Cesar Hernandez has spent his entire seven-year career in Philadelphia. During that time Hernandez slashed .277/.352/.381 with an OPS of .733. There are times where Hernandez will fair a bit better at the plate and others where he has a little bit less success. Overall, Hernandez is true to his career averages.
Something that may intrigue the Tribe is the increase in home run numbers from Hernandez. Hernandez has 29 home runs the past two seasons. Prior to 2018, Hernandez only had 17 home runs over five seasons. While the home run numbers may not hold up, there is at least some ability to hit for extra-bases in other ways. Hernandez has 62 doubles and 12 triples the past three years.
Overall, Cesar Hernandez seems like a safe option for second base. Probably won’t blow anyone away with his production, but won’t let them down either. Hernandez is someone that what you see is what you get. If the Indians sign Cesar Hernandez to a short-term deal it will be hard to argue against it. Perhaps a one or two year deal with an option attached for additional year could be of interest to both sides.
One final thing about Cesar Hernandez, he is a switch-hitter. Plugging another switch-hitter into this lineup would give them an advantage with the incoming three batter minimum rule for pitchers. Having multiple guys in a row who will always have an advantage of sorts is certainly intriguing.
