Major Leaguer resume Vol.92/ WBC Player’s resume Vol.78: Teascar Hernandez(Seattle Mariners) : Major Candidate for Team Dominican Republic: “Smooth batting form!!”

■Today’s player
Today's player is outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who was traded to the Seattle Mariners by the Toronto Blue Jays on November 16, 2022. Hernandez was born in the Dominican Republic and could join Team Dominica Republic in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

■The KAISPO's baseball analyst comments
"Hernandez is a slugger who can contact a ball skillfully. Since 2018, he has hit 15+ homers for five consecutive years, including a career-most 32 long balls in 2021, and won the Silver Slugger Award twice. Hernandez has a model-like hitting form to smoothly make solid contact at a suitable angle on a pitched ball and produce a long ball in the opposite direction with his power. There can be cases where he has a slump at the beginning of the season so that he could record higher than a batting average above .300 if he can start the season well. Hernandez will play for the Mariners in 2023."

■Story
Teoscar Hernandez signed with the Houston Astros in 2011 to begin his baseball career in America.

Hernandez made his major league debut as a starting center fielder versus the Toronto Blue Jays on August 12, 2016. He hammered a solo home run into the left stands for the first of his career homer off lefty Francisco Liriano in the sixth. The outfielder finished the game with 2 for 4 to lift the Astros to a 5-3 win. In his first season, he batted .230 with four long balls and 11 RBIs in 41 appearances.

The right-handed hitter was traded by the Astros to the Blue Jays with Norichika Aoki for Francisco Liriano on July 31, 2017.

In 2020, the pandemic-shortened season, the 30-year-old had a big step. Hernandez slashed .289/.340/.524 with 16 homers and 65 RBI in 50 contests, winning his first Silver Slugger Award. In 2021, although he went into a slump at the beginning of the season, he hit a career-best .296 with a career-most 32 home runs and a career-most 116 RBIs, becoming the second straight Silver Slugger Award winner. He was also named the American League All-Star for the first time.

■MLB Career Stats
Teascar Hernandez has marked .262 with 133 homers and 380 RBIs over 651 games played in his seven big league seasons at the end of the 2022 campaign.
(MLB No.390 KAISPO No.1570)