Keith Hernandez
From BR Bullpen
Keith Hernandez (Mex)
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 0", Weight 195 lb.
- Debut August 30, 1974
- Final Game July 24, 1990
- Born October 20, 1953 in San Francisco, CA USA
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[edit] Introduction
Perhaps the best fielding first baseman of all-time, Keith Hernandez won 11 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1978 to 1988 and was also a good hitter, with a lifetime OPS+ of 129. He was known for hitting over .300, but he also drew walks and had moderate power.
Hernandez's father, John Hernandez, was a minor league first baseman from 1941 to 1949 (mostly in the Texas League), and his brother, Gary Hernandez, was a 1B/OF in the St. Louis Cardinals chain from 1972 to 1975.
[edit] Major leagues
Hernandez spent the first 9 1/2 years of his major league career with the St. Louis Cardinals, winning the batting championship and the MVP award in 1979. In 1982, he was on the 1982 St. Louis Cardinals World Series champion team.
He became even more famous when he was traded in the middle of 1983 to the New York Mets, in baseball's largest market. He spent 6 1/2 years with the Mets, through age 35, hitting .300+ in the first four seasons he was with them. He was on the 1986 New York Mets World Series champion team.
While he played at about the same level with the Mets as he had with the Cardinals, he made the All Star team three times with the Mets in 6 1/2 years, whereas he had been on the All Star team just twice with the Cardinals in 9 1/2 years.
He finished out his career playing one year with the 1990 Cleveland Indians.
- Had 24 game winning RBI in 1985.
[edit] Outside of his career
He has been a television broadcaster for the New York Mets since 1999.
Hernandez also appeared as himself in several episodes of the popular TV show "Seinfeld" as himself and dated musician Carly Simon at one time.
In 2006 Hernandez became bogged down by a controversy when he complained about the presence of a female trainer being allowed in the San Diego Padres dug-out. He apologized after a barrage of criticism; other women involved in baseball remarked that Hernandez had been known for sexist comments since his days as a player.
[edit] Career analysis
Keith Hernandez was simply born at the wrong time. He was a slick-fielding high-average first baseman of the type that was adored from 1850 to 1940 and often got into the Hall of Fame. If he had been born in the year 1900 he would have been Hall of Famer Jim Bottomley, the first baseman who also played many years for the St. Louis Cardinals and who had an OPS+ of 125.
The most similar players to Hernandez, using the similarity scores method, are Mark Grace, Wally Joyner, and Hal McRae. However, his OPS+ is higher than any of them, he appeared in more All Star games than any of them, and he won more Gold Gloves than any of them.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 5-time NL All-Star (1979, 1980, 1984, 1986 & 1987)
- NL MVP (1979)
- 11-time NL Gold Glove Winner (1978-1988)
- 2-time NL Silver Slugger Award Winner (1980 & 1984)
- NL Batting Average Leader (1979)
- NL On-Base Percentage Leader (1980)
- NL Runs Scored Leader (1979 & 1980)
- NL Doubles Leader (1979)
- NL Bases on Balls Leader (1986)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1979)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 2 (1979 & 1980)
- 200 Hits Seasons: 1 (1979)
- Won two World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals (1982) and the New York Mets (1986)
| NL MVP | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 1979 | 1980 |
| Dave Parker | Keith Hernandez & Willie Stargell | Mike Schmidt |
[edit] Related Sites
Categories: Player | Actors | Baseball Families | MVP | Broadcasters
