Why Kiké Hernández Matters to Dodgers’ Success
By Adrian Burgos
¡Eléctrico!
Electric. That’s what my abuelita Mercedes would have called Enrique “Kiké” Hernández.
He’s always moving, joking, prodding.
Molestando.
Annoying. He’s a guy who can easily rub the other team the wrong way. Perhaps in a different manner than his Dodgers teammate Yasiel Puig, but Kiké is so effusive, full of antics, known for his loudness and exuberance.
Kiké is kinetic, always moving, talking, bench-jockeying, joking, laughing. He is on full display during pregame warmups, team stretch, around the batting cage and fielding practice.
Kiké possesses both the personality and the ability to speak to anyone.
Jokes in English with Clayton Kershaw and Logan Forsythe one moment, and in Spanish with Yasiel Puig and Yasmany Grandal the next.
On and off the field, Kiké is in the zone when he is making moves, adjusting and adapting. That is his comfort zone; the place where he flashes that impish grin, makes you feel that he knows something that you don’t, and that he just might use it to beat your squad.
¡Kiké es tremendo!
Tremendous. Kiké, much like the Astros’ Marwin González, is an example of the new hybrid utility player — a specialist in versatility.
Their value lays in their ability to play multiple positions well and to appear in nearly every game — 140 for Hernández to González’s 134 during the regular season.
González was a more potent threat at the plate, hitting .303/.377/.530 with a team-leading 90 RBI to Hernández’s .215/.308/.421 with 37 RBI. But Kiké has sparkled in the postseason, coming through when the Dodgers needed him.
His displays of power and utter joy each time he circled the bases after smacking three home runs in Game 5 of the NLCS will be long remembered by Dodgers fans. He brought to life the exuberance of Los Doyers fans, who were watching their team clinch its first trip to the World Series since 1988.
In Game 2 of the World Series, Kiké’s ninth-inning single knotted the score and set the stage for the extra-innings insanity, which included five of the record eight home runs blasted that night.
His offensive contribution in the postseason along with his versatility in the field and in the batting order makes Hernández a key part of the Dodgers’ formula for success.
Measure of Kiké’s Success
In this age of advance analytics, how does one best measure the intangibles Kiké brings to the field and the clubhouse? What is the measure of building team chemistry?
WAR, or Wins Above Replacement, doesn’t quite capture it.
Because at one level, Kiké is the movable part.
He literally is the replacement that helps the Dodgers win. He has earned Dave Roberts’ confidence as the Dodgers manager makes his chess moves, putting Kiké in left, center and right field, as well as anywhere in the infield — first, second, third and even shortstop.
Similarly, Roberts has placed Hernández in multiple slots in the Dodgers batting order, including cleanup for Game 1 of the NLCS against the Cubs.
In either case, Kiké’s presence on the diamond as well as in the clubhouse and dugout helps position the Dodgers for success.
For Puerto Rico
Kiké’s postseason performance has been all the more remarkable given the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico. It’s never far from his mind and, like other Puerto Ricans in the States, he has sought to do his part by sending relief supplies back to his native island.
Even in this effort, he is a team player. He and fellow boricua Héctor Santiago, a pitcher with the Minnesota Twins, recently sent a container full of relief supplies to Puerto Rico in October.
Kiké has also raised nearly $200,000 for the relief effort through a YouCaring fundraising page and the sale of t-shirts with the slogan Puerto Rico Se Levanta — Puerto Rico Will Rise — that Hernández and teammates sport during pregame activities.
Keeping his focus on the game has been challenging, Hernández admitted. Going to the ballpark, ironically, has been a source of relief.
“Baseball has been a blessing to me, to be able to be here [in the playoffs],” he said. “Being able to take my mind off things for a few hours… Once the game starts, that focus, you get locked into the game, and you tend to forget about everything. It’s kind of a stress relief.
“And it’s also a blessing because I can use this platform to raise some money and help people in need. It’s not about trying to be a hero, but I feel like I am doing what’s right for my country.”
The idea that whatever he might do at the ballpark might possibly bring a moment of joy to his fellow Puerto Ricans has motivated him during this difficult time.
“There’s not a lot of good things going on for the home country right now,” he said. “So, for us to be able to come out here and do something good, to give them a few hours to take their mind off of things, it’s obviously a good thing.”
Given what Kiké is doing on the field and how he is using that platform to help fellow boricuas is something that I know my abuelita Mercedes would surely approve of.
Featured Image: Jaime Squire / Getty Images Sport
Inset Image: Adrian Burgos Jr. / La Vida Baseball