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Statistics For All Levels

Plate Discipline

Preseason Long-Term Forecast (Beyond the 2019 Projections)

Comparable Players (Similarity Index 75)

Rank	Score	Name	Year	DRC+	Trend
1	83	Alex Presley	2017	93
2	82	Chris Burke	2011	0	DNP
3	82	Chris Denorfia	2012	101
4	81	Ezequiel Carrera	2018	0	DNP
5	80	Marlon Byrd	2009	111
6	80	Tike Redman	2008	0	DNP
7	79	Cory Sullivan	2011	0	DNP
8	79	Nyjer Morgan	2012	69
9	79	Craig Gentry	2015	66
10	79	Brian Bogusevic	2015	63
11	79	David Lough	2017	0	DNP
12	78	Paulo Orlando	2017	71
13	78	Tony Gwynn	2014	66
14	78	Emil Brown	2006	104
15	77	Jason Ellison	2009	0	DNP
16	77	Clete Thomas	2015	0	DNP
17	77	Jeff Salazar	2012	0	DNP
18	77	Andrew Romine	2017	70
19	76	Chris Heisey	2016	98
20	76	Eugenio Velez	2013	0	DNP
21	76	Rajai Davis	2012	85
22	76	Joe Inglett	2009	80
23	76	Ivan De Jesus	2018	0	DNP
24	76	Nolan Reimold	2015	104
25	76	Robb Quinlan	2008	82
26	76	Cameron Maybin	2018	89
27	76	Jason Pridie	2015	71
28	76	Esteban German	2009	88
29	76	Alejandro De Aza	2015	103
30	76	Keith Ginter	2007	0	DNP
31	75	Elian Herrera	2016	0	DNP
32	75	Gregor Blanco	2015	103
33	75	Shane Robinson	2016	74
34	75	Adam Rosales	2014	94
35	75	Jarrod Dyson	2016	86
36	75	Gary Matthews	2006	113
37	75	Roger Bernadina	2015	0	DNP
38	75	Dewayne Wise	2009	78
39	75	Austin Jackson	2018	64
40	75	Sean Burroughs	2012	67
41	75	Lou Montanez	2013	0	DNP
42	74	Robinson Chirinos	2015	106
43	74	Logan Schafer	2018	0	DNP
44	74	Elliot Johnson	2015	0	DNP
45	74	Manny Pina	2018	90
46	74	Brennan Boesch	2016	0	DNP
47	74	Chad Allen	2006	0	DNP
48	74	Eric Byrnes	2007	107
49	74	Ryan Spilborghs	2011	60
50	74	Robby Hammock	2008	85
51	74	Omar Quintanilla	2013	70
52	74	John Mayberry	2015	70
53	74	Lorenzo Cain	2017	119
54	74	Jason Repko	2012	71
55	73	Travis Ishikawa	2015	81
56	73	Jason Bourgeois	2013	86
57	73	Brandon Barnes	2017	0	DNP
58	73	Ryan Freel	2007	73
59	73	Marco Scutaro	2007	103
60	73	Eric Bruntlett	2009	58
61	73	Edgar Gonzalez	2009	82
62	73	Ross Gload	2007	87
63	73	Darin Mastroianni	2017	0	DNP
64	73	Andy Phillips	2008	95
65	73	Daniel Nava	2014	102
66	73	Coco Crisp	2011	96
67	73	Ramon Santiago	2011	88
68	73	Chris Dickerson	2013	73
69	73	Franklin Gutierrez	2014	0	DNP
70	73	Matt Diaz	2009	118
71	73	Rob Mackowiak	2007	78
72	73	Marvin Benard	2002	73
73	73	Michael Bourn	2014	84
74	72	Jacob Brumfield	1996	90
75	72	Jeff Francoeur	2015	91
76	72	Lew Ford	2008	0	DNP
77	72	Jeff DaVanon	2005	87
78	72	Robert Andino	2015	0	DNP
79	72	Chris Coghlan	2016	74
80	72	Rene Rivera	2015	46
81	72	Tyler Moore	2018	0	DNP
82	72	Jack Smith	1926	98
83	72	Nick Green	2010	70
84	72	Chick Fullis	1932	98
85	72	Del Unser	1976	74
86	72	Eric Young	2016	84
87	72	Brendan Harris	2012	0	DNP
88	72	Willie Harris	2009	98
89	72	Stan Javier	1995	102
90	72	Angel Pagan	2013	102
91	72	Marquis Grissom	1998	80
92	72	Charlie Blackmon	2018	123
93	72	Scott Podsednik	2007	74
94	72	Mickey Stanley	1974	68
95	72	Randy Winn	2005	117
96	72	Steve Pearce	2014	154
97	72	Jon Jay	2016	84
98	71	Hector Luna	2011	0	DNP
99	71	Steve Tolleson	2015	79
100	71	Cole Gillespie	2015	84

BP Annual Player Comments

Year		Comment
2019		Due to publishing agreements, the 2019 player comments and team essays are only available in the Baseball Prospectus 2019 book (available in hardcopy, and soon e-book and Kindle).
2018		A beneficiary of poor organizational depth, Hernandez found himself entrenched on the active roster despite toting a .460 OPS in late May. The Venezuelan didn't possess incriminating photos of the general manager, but he had the next-best thing. With plus speed and a strong arm, he was a capable center fielder, the only such player on the entire 40-man roster or healthy in Triple-A. As injuries beset the Giants' frail outfield, Hernandez fell ass backward into regular playing time, leading the league in plate appearances among players without a single home run. Nevertheless, through a string of fortuitous BABIP turns, he booked a .361 OBP in his final 242 trips to the plate. That should keep him in the fifth-outfielder conversation this spring, even if—against all odds—his vital defensive abilities turn out not to be unique.
2017		Once a fabled prospect, Gorkys Hernandez is now one of baseball's ronin, wandering from one hamlet to the next, catching the pop flies that would otherwise roll to the wall. Someone has to stand there, after all, to oppose the next batch of heroes.
2013		Once a toolsy outfielder perennially mentioned in trade talks, Hernandez is now with his fourth organization, and the prospect shine has officially come off. Acquired from the Pirates in the Gaby Sanchez deal at the trade deadline, Hernandez failed to produce enough to warrant consideration for a full-time gig with the Marlins in 2013. Though he is a plus defender at all three outfield positions, his offensive value is limited to his wheels. That one-dimensional skill won’t ever suffice for more than a reserve-outfielder/pinch-runner role on a contender.
2012		The Pirates had Hernandez repeat Double-A in 2010 and he made progress until breaking a finger. In 2011, they skipped him to Triple-A and he responded by posting his highest isolated power since 2008. Not only that, Hernandez maintained his walk rate and slashed his strikeout totals. The only area where Hernandez took a step back was on the basepaths, as his stolen base success rate dipped from 85 percent to 70 percent. Now 23, the big questions are whether Hernandez’s bat will work in the majors, and whether it can play in a corner, as he is unlikely to displace Andrew McCutchen with the Pirates. Otherwise, look for Pittsburgh to dangle him in a trade.
2011		The Pirates hoped that a second season at Double-A in 2010 would provide Hernandez with the spark the perennial prospect needed to get his career moving. Unfortunately, just when he'd begun to hit well, showing more plate discipline and stealing bases at a higher percentage than he had before, his season ended when he broke a finger attempting to bunt in late July. Hernandez is one of the best defensive center fielders in the minors, but he needs to continue to make progress offensively this season at Triple-A to even think about being a regular in the bigs, something that, with Andrew McCutchen in front of him, would require the third trade of Hernandez's career.
2010		For a young prospect who has yet to see The Show, Hernandez is becoming pretty well-traveled. The Tigers shipped him to the Braves in their trade for Edgar Renteria after the 2007 season, and he was flipped to the Pirates last June as part of the Nate McLouth trade. Hernandez was a disappointment (and perhaps disappointed) following the trade, as he didn't hit much for Altoona, and had to be reprimanded multiple times for attitude problems. He's still very young, and gifted outstanding speed and range in center field, but his baserunning speed isn't being exploited effectively, and his walk rate will need to rebound. He could wind up on the move again at some point, as center figures to be the domain of Andrew McCutchen for years to come, and Hernandez's bat doesn't profile well in a corner.
2009		A speed-and-defense center fielder, Hernandez is stuck behind Jordan Schafer on the Braves’ depth chart, and thus is as likely to be used as a trade chip as to continue his climb through the Braves' system. He got off to a great start in the offense-stifling environment of Myrtle Beach last year before hamstring trouble brought down his numbers. He nevertheless managed to repeat his production from 2007 by compensating for the resulting loss in average with improved plate discipline, which could be the key to his eventual big-league success.
2007		Hernandez has not received the press clippings of the Mets` Fernando Martinez or the Yankees` Jose Tabata, but as barely legal outfielders go, he isn`t far behind. Hernandez has everything it should take to become a .300 hitter in the big leagues: Outstanding hitting reflexes, speed that rates as a 70 or 75 on the scouting scale, and a relatively low strikeout rate. He could go in a couple of directions as a prospect, either improving his walk rate to the point that he becomes a viable leadoff hitter, or filling out and developing 15-20 home run power--or both, in which case we could be talking about the next Bobby Abreu.

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