LOS ANGELES, CA — The Dodgers’ signing of free agent Teoscar Hernández, Cotui, Dominican Republic, for one year at $23.5 million has given them more options in their lineup, both at the plate and on defense. The 31-year-old former Toronto Blue Jays star played with the Seattle Mariners last season as a rental before becoming a free agent this winter. His best season was in 2021, where he hit .296 with 32 HR, 116 RBI, an OBP of .346, and a .870 OPS.
Bring the energy, Teoscar. 😤 pic.twitter.com/ccEifDGYVu
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) January 12, 2024
Dodger manager Dave Roberts now has more options as he can platoon the right-handed hitting Manuel Margot, San Cristobal, Dominican Republic (Who came from the Rays in the Tylor Glasnow trade this winter) with lefty Jason Heyward in right field with the right-hand hitting Hernández playing every day in left field. This will allow Mookie Betts to play most of his games at second base this year. Teoscar does better against lefty pitching. So we can foresee different lineups every game from the number five or six batter through the ninth. Having Hernández in the lineup will fill the spot of J. D. Martinez, who is not needed now that Shohei Ohtani has taken the DH role for L.A.
Two more Latinos in the everyday lineup will bring even more excitement to Dodger Stadium, a ballpark with 55,000 seats. Last year, they drew 3,837,079 fans, the most in all of baseball, with an average of 47,371 per game. That means there were only about 7,629 seats available per game.
Dodger fans and all visiting Dodger Stadium have much to look forward to this season with a Latino-filled roster – Image Credit: Emma Sharon/Latino Sports
With the addition of Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Margot, Glasnow, and Hernández to an already stacked lineup, they could set all kinds of records in attendance, especially if they get off to a great start.
Hernández said, “I am very happy to be with a team with a chance to win a World Series yearly.”
I believe the Dodgers are a perfect fit for him.
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Julio Pabón
January 31, 2024 at 2:52 pm
LA Dodgers have a good crop of Latino players. LA is definitely a Latino city and the team has enough players of Latin heritage to attract even more fans.