The San Francisco Giants‘ pitchers and catchers reported to camp on Tuesday, but one player is a day late. Earlier today relief pitcher David Hernandez signed a minor-league deal with the Giants. The deal includes an invite to Spring Training and a base salary of $1.5 million if he makes the major league roster. Hernandez is another veteran signing by San Francisco, who has the chance of being an important bullpen piece this season.
Last year was Hernandez’s first season with the Philadelphia Phillies. Prior to 2016, he spent the majority of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Last season he went 3-4 with a 3.84 earned run average, a 1.50 walks plus hits per inning pitched and had 80 strikeouts in 72 2/3 innings — those innings were an important benchmark. This was his first full year since his elbow surgery that caused him to miss the entire 2014 and part of the 2015 season.
Once Hernandez left the Baltimore Orioles after the 2010 season and moved to the bullpen full-time, he began to thrive. The highlight of his career came in 2012, when he had a 2.50 ERA and the seventh-best K/9 rate among relief pitchers (12.91).
Hernandez’s familiarity with the National League West helps his chances of making the team. But the Giants allowing three key veteran relievers, Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo and Javier Lopez, to leave this offseason could be a setback, although Hernandez’s price tag is much lower compared to Casilla’s two-year/$11 million contract and Romo’s one-year/$3 million contract.
It will be more than an uphill battle for Hernandez to make the Giants’ 25-man roster. The 31-year-old isn’t in the prime of his career anymore. San Francisco is set with the majority of their bullpen spots, but they do have an opening or two. The Hernandez signing just adds another position battle that Giants fans will have to watch play out this Spring Training.
Harrison Howard covers the San Francisco Giants and Fantasy Baseball as a Staff Writer for OPSN. Follow him on Twitter @harryhoward54.
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