Ohtani and Sunflower seed bromance LAD, the man I missed, believed in everything, even though there was a team that gave me 8.8 billion more
Jan 06, 2025
|
|
Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who passed a physical examination after agreeing to a three-year, $66 million contract, expressed his feelings about staying with the Dodgers in the press room.
Hernandez has publicly mentioned that he hopes to renew his contract with the Dodgers since right after the end of last season. That's because Hernandez spent a career-high season with the Dodgers last year and also won his first World Series title.
Last year, Hernandez, who first joined the Dodgers in a one-year, $23.5 million FA contract, marked a batting average of 0.272 (160 hits in 589 at-bats), 33 home runs, 99 RBIs, 84 runs, OPS 0.840 and bWAR 4.3 in 154 games. Along with 2021 (0.296, 32 homers, 116 RBIs, bWAR 3.8) during the Toronto Blue Jays, Hernandez's best season of his life.
In addition, he played in all 16 games in the postseason, hitting a batting average of 0.250 (15 hits in 60 at-bats), three homers and 12 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.769, clearly supporting the Dodgers' proud 'MVP trio' to win the World Series.
When he became an FA, the Dodgers naturally offered qualifying offers. But Hernandez did not accept it. I spent 2024 with more money than QO ($210.5 million), and I couldn't run for another year with that amount.
However, in Hernandez's mind, the Dodgers have always been the top priority.
|
Canadian media SportsNet speculated that the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox, who needed big guns outfielders, offered Hernandez more money than the Dodgers.
However, Hernandez said "The Dodgers are a special team that sets them apart from other clubs. It gave me confidence. Something I couldn't feel anywhere else." "He gave me trust in everything I do for the team. That was the most important thing for me, and I put on the Dodgers uniform and made sure I did the best I could" expressed his feelings.
So did the Dodgers. Hernandez was needed even after recruiting FA outfielder Michael Confoto in December. I needed left field, I needed a center fielder. I also needed a dugout mood maker.
General manager Brandon Gomes said, `He always puts the team first and he puts his passion for baseball on the field every day. When the big moments come, he's really approaching it, putting the team first and trying to do everything he needs."
Hernandez was like the leader of the Dodgers clubhouse last year. MLB.com said Hernandez, who has been the driving force behind consistency and a necessary healthy hit at the center of the "LA" lineup, has also shown heavy value off the field. He was a mentor to young players from Latin America at the clubhouse and was named the winner of the Heart & Hustle Award for the Dodgers.
|
In particular, Hernandez was the player who celebrated by spraying a hatchet at the entrance of the dugout every time Ohtani hit a home run last year. On the contrary, when Hernandez hit a home run, Ohtani welcomed him with a handful of sunflower seeds.
Hernandez said "He always said hello to me for some reason when we were playing. Since arriving at spring training camp, he has always welcomed me. We were feeling a little lonely at the time, and we seemed to have found shelter from each other," he admitted to his bromance with Ohtani.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
