Enrique Hernández (baseball)

Did You Know?

• Hernández played for the Puerto Rico national baseball team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, winning a silver medal.
• He was selected for the MLB All-Star team in the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series.
• Hernández revealed on a podcast that he has ADHD, calling it both his 'superpower' and 'kryptonite'.

Early life

Hernández was born in 1991, the eldest child of Enrique Hernández Sr., a scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Mónica González, a boutique owner. His mother is Cuban. He has two younger sisters. He began playing baseball at age six and attended the American Military Academy in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. During his senior year, he grew from 5 ft to 5 ft 5 in.

Professional career

The Houston Astros drafted Hernández in the sixth round of the 2009 MLB draft, and he received a $150,000 signing bonus. He played primarily second and third base in 2009 and exclusively second base in 2010. He made his major league debut on July 1, 2014, as a defensive replacement, collecting two hits including a ground-rule double. The next day, he hit his first home run. In 24 games with the Astros, he batted .284/.348/.420. On July 31, 2014, the Astros traded him to the Miami Marlins in a multi-player deal. With the Marlins, he hit a ninth-inning grand slam on September 26, 2014, his first career grand slam. He appeared in 18 games for the Marlins, batting .175/.267/.425. On December 10, 2014, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of a package. He was assigned to AAA Oklahoma City and recalled on April 28, 2015. That season, he played multiple positions, including second base, center field, left field, shortstop, right field, and third base. He batted .307/.346/.490 with seven homers and 22 RBI in 76 games. In 2016, he hit .190/.283/.324 with seven homers and 18 RBI in 109 games, and was left off the first-round playoff roster.