The Seattle Mariners made a major trade on Wednesday, when they sent pitchers Erik Swanson and Adam Macko to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for right-handed outfielder Teoscar Hernandez.
Hernandez hits the ball hard and far very often: his power will come in handy to the Mariners, as they try to close the gap with the Houston Astros in the AL West.
Hernandez, who is still in his prime at 30 years old, is one of the most underrated sluggers in the game.
Generally speaking, his name is not mentioned in the same breath as other producers in the American League, and that needs to change.
Hernandez hit 32 home runs in 2021, with 116 RBI.
This year, he knocked 25 balls out of the park in just 131 games.
Evidently, he has some thump in his bat.
Hernandez Ranks In The Top Ten Of A Key Offensive Stat Among Outfielders
MLB insider Chelsea Janes is bringing us a stat that proves Hernandez’s worth as a hitter.
“A mildly cherry-picked statistic that nevertheless surprised me: Over the last two seasons, only nine outfielders had a higher OPS than Teoscar Hernandez. Judge, Harper, Alvarez, Soto, Schwarber, Betts, Bryan Reynolds (!), Kyle Tucker, Julio Rodriguez. Decent list,” she tweeted.
A mildly cherry-picked statistic that nevertheless surprised me: Over the last two seasons, only nine outfielders had a higher OPS than Teoscar Hernandez.
Judge, Harper, Alvarez, Soto, Schwarber, Betts, Bryan Reynolds (!), Kyle Tucker, Julio Rodriguez. Decent list.
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) November 16, 2022
We can use advanced metrics like wOBA, wRC+, and others to assess Hernandez’s performance at the plate, but if we want to keep things simple, a look at OPS will suffice.
OPS is still popular in player analysis because it combines the best of both worlds: getting on base (OBP) and slugging ability.
Hernandez is in the top-ten in MLB among outfielders in OPS over the last two campaigns.
That’s the kind of hitter Seattle is acquiring, at an affordable price.
NEXT: Mariners Reportedly Looking To Keep Overhauling The Outfield