Ramon Hernandez (hernara02)

From BR Bullpen

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 0", Weight 227 lb.

Debut June 29, 1999
Born May 20, 1976 in Caracas, Venezuela

[edit] Biographical Information

Ramon Hernández made his debut with Oakland in June 1999 as a backup catcher for A.J. Hinch. His steady progress enabled the Athletics to trade Hinch to the Kansas City Royals at the end of the 2000 season.

With experience, Hernández became a catcher who can hit, rather than a hitter who can catch. He also earned praise for his defense and game-calling skills with a powerful pitching staff that included Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito, Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson.

In 2003 Hernández broke out with his best season, hitting .273 with 21 home runs and 78 RBI and made his first All-Star Game. He also made a remarkable play in Game 1 of the ALDS against the Boston Red Sox, on October 1st: with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 12th inning, he laid down a perfect squeeze bunt to give Oakland a 5-4 victory. Nevertheless, Oakland had to deal him to San Diego for financial reasons, not because untested Adam Melhuse was ready to be their starting catcher. The Padres acquired arguably their best backstop since Benito Santiago left the team in 1992. At the time of the deal Hernández had caught at least 135 games each of his last four years.

However, the only thing that kept Hernández from hitting 20 home runs for the second season in a row in 2004 was an injury. He missed four weeks in mid-season after damaging his left knee in a collision at the plate. But Hernández was better than ever upon his return, batting .281 and slugging 11 home runs with 38 RBI in the second half. He finished the season with .276, 18, 63. His 18 homers ranked him third behind Phil Nevin (26) and Brian Giles (23) in the power-poor Padres lineup. The last San Diego catcher to hit more homers than Hernández was Terry Kennedy, who had 21 in 1982.

Hernández got off to a good start in his second year with San Diego in 2005, hitting .286 in April with three home runs. He was even better in May, hitting .313 and taking momentum into June. However, he suffered a fluke wrist injury on June 17th while diving into first base during a game against the Minnesota Twins. His jammed wrist forced him to the disabled list, causing him to miss 18 games. Hernández returned to the lineup on July 7, but the condition worsened and he decided to have surgery to repair the torn cartilage. The surgery forced Hernández to the DL for the third time in two seasons, and he missed the entire month of August. He rejoined the team in time for the September stretch run, and was pivotal in the Padres' run to the National League West championship. Hernández hit .359 in September with 5 home runs, and drove in 20 runs in just 22 games. He came up with several clutch hits, including two dramatic game-winning home runs: a 3-run walk-off shot against Washington in the 12th inning on September 17, and a grand slam against division rival San Francisco just 10 days later. He finished the season with a .290 average and 12 home runs. He was arguably the Padres' best player in the NLDS against St. Louis, going 5 for 11 with a home run as San Diego was swept in three games.

He signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles for the 2006 season, displacing former all-star Javy Lopez, who moved to DH and was traded away before the end of the season. He was excellent for his new team, hitting .275 in 144 games, with career-highs in doubles (29), home runs (23) and RBI (91).

In a seven-year career with Oakland, San Diego and Baltimore, Hernández is a .264 hitter with 113 home runs and 475 RBI in 949 games at the end of the 2006 season.