Teoscar Hernández

Did You Know?

• Hernández played for the Dominican Republic in the 2015 WBSC Premier12, getting five hits including a home run and a double in 15 at bats.
• He played for the Dominican Republic in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, batting 0-for-5 over four games with two walks.

Professional career

Hernández first joined an MLB organization in February 2011, signing with the Houston Astros as an international free agent. That same year, he debuted in the Dominican Summer League and was named his team’s most valuable player. In 2012, he appeared in 59 games split between the Rookie-level Gulf Coast Astros and the Single-A Lexington Legends, posting a .243 average with five homers, 23 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases. The following season, he played exclusively for the Single-A Quad City River Bandits, batting .271 with 13 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 24 steals. During the offseason, he suited up for 23 games with the Toros del Este in the Dominican Winter League.

Hernández began 2014 with the High-A Lancaster JetHawks before earning a promotion to the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks. Across 119 games, he hit .292 with 21 homers, 85 RBIs, and 33 stolen bases. He spent the entire 2015 campaign back at Double-A Corpus Christi, where his average dropped to .219 but he still managed 17 home runs, 48 RBIs, and 33 steals in 119 games. He started 2016 with Corpus Christi and was moved up to the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies in late June.

He was sent to Triple-A Fresno to open 2017 but got called up on April 25 to fill in for the injured Jake Marisnick. In his first game back, a collision with teammate Jose Altuve left him injured, and he landed on the disabled list. On July 31, 2017, Houston traded him and Nori Aoki to the Toronto Blue Jays for Francisco Liriano. He was initially assigned to Triple-A Buffalo and joined the Blue Jays on September 1. On September 10, he launched two home runs against the Detroit Tigers, marking his first multi-homer game. In 26 games with Toronto, he batted .261 with eight homers and 20 RBIs.

Hernández began 2018 in Buffalo and was recalled on April 13 after Josh Donaldson went on the disabled list. Although he had defensive issues in left field, he became one of Toronto’s best hitters, collecting 51 extra-base hits in his first 100 games. Over 134 games that season, he hit .239 with 22 home runs. The first two months of 2019 were rough—he batted just .189 with three homers—and he was optioned to Triple-A on May 16 for two weeks. After returning, he shifted to center field and finished the year with a .230 average and 26 home runs in 125 games.

Personal life

Teoscar Hernández’s first name blends the first three letters of his father Teófilo and mother Carmen, with an “S” inserted in the middle. He and his wife have three boys, and their son with autism inspired Hernández to promote autism awareness. His nickname “Mr. Seeds” comes from tossing sunflower seeds at teammates after home runs, a ritual he started in 2017 with the Blue Jays.