Highly regarded outfielder Yadiel Hernandez has left Cuba’s national team — which was playing in North Carolina — in hopes of achieving MLB free agency, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. Hernandez placed 16th on BA’s most recent list of top Cuban prospects.
That being said, Hernandez is not a prospect in the sense we use the term for players already playing within the MLB hierarchy. He is already 27 years old and an established player in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, so it would seem that he profiles more as a near-term contributor. Because of his age and experience, Hernandez will not be subject to international spending limitations (as with countryman Hector Olivera, most recently).
Badler explains that Hernandez is a small and not overly toolsy player who profiles as a corner outfielder. That seems to be a rather unexciting profile, at least at first glance.
But the left-handed hitter has excellent on-base ability. Indeed, he slashed .369/.509/.535 over 369 plate appearances in his most recent campaign in Cuba, walking 77 times — good for a 20.9% walk rate (which is higher than all currently qualifying MLB hitters, for some frame of reference). In its full scouting report (subscription required, and recommended), Baseball America likened his overall skill set to that of Red Sox outfielder Daniel Nava.
I wonder what steps he will have to take before he is eligible for MLB since he defected in the US.. Certainly he won’t have to establish residency in another country.. At his age will MLB still require him to wait until next May to register?
Now I’m far from a scout, but I was impressed with this guy when I saw him in the Cuban playoffs (down there on vaca). He was patient, showed power the other way and hit everything very hard…for one game at least. The Matanzas fans loved him. I get it that the talent level isn’t the same as the bigs, but this guy stood out to me. I left the game thinking I need to remember this guy’s name. Looking forward to see how that translates.