Dodgers utility man reveals career-altering decision made more than a decade ago, originally published on The Sporting News
Kike Hernandez has found himself as a fan favorite and playoff legend for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now in his second stint with the team, Hernandez recently revealed that his Dodgers legacy almost never came to fruition.
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Hernandez first broke into the major leagues in 2014, eventually arriving in Los Angeles following a trade to the Miami Marlins. Recently, Hernandez told Dodgers insider Mark Langill that he had actually hoped he would be traded again before being convinced otherwise.
“I was hoping to get traded again because looking at the Dodgers roster at the time, I thought I was going to have a career in Triple-A baseball,” Hernandez said. “Andrew Friedman called me and told me their plans were real with me. They were looking for players like me to play different positions. And I was like, ‘Okay, sure. I’ll believe it when I see it.” A decade later, here we are.
Hernandez has become a key part of the Dodgers’ success over the past decade. In two stints with the team during his career, he hit .236/.305/.403 with 95 homers and 320 RBIs over nine seasons. In the postseason, he was part of the Dodgers’ 2020 and 2024 World Series winning teams. Hernandez holds a career OPS of 0.882 in the postseason.
After beating the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card Series, the Dodgers will face the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. Having a knack for the postseason, Hernandez will look to create even more memorable moments in what the Dodgers hope will be another run to the World Series.
