Former Seattle Mariners' OF Discusses Struggles While Playing For M's in 2023
Teoscar Hernandez, who signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason, discussed his struggles in Seattle in the 2023 season with reporters this week.
Per the Orange County Register, Hernandez said he had a difficult time picking up the ball at T-Mobile Park:
On the road, he batted .295 with an .830 OPS – numbers in line with his career statistics. At home, though, Hernandez was a different hitter. He batted .217 at T-Mobile Park with a .643 OPS.
“I think everything comes down to being confident at home plate. That was one of the hardest things for me, was getting comfortable at the plate when we were at home,” he said.
The 31-year-old Hernandez was not the first hitter to find T-Mobile’s dimensions and the Seattle nights unfavorable. For him, Hernandez said he never felt like he could pick up pitches well there.
“I don’t know. For some reason, I always see the pitcher like sideways, not straight,” he said. “I couldn’t figure it out, how to be in a straight position with the pitcher. That was hard for me.
“It’s a nice place to play because the city, the fans, the organization and everything is amazing. But that’s the only bad thing I could say about Seattle.”
The Mariners went 88-74 in Hernandez's lone season with the M's and missed the playoffs by 1.0 game. After the M's gave up a premium reliever in Erik Swanson to acquire him from the Toronto Blue Jays, they were expecting him to be a force in the middle of the order. He was that at times, hitting 26 total home runs, but he failed to find the consistency when the team needed it most.
Without Hernandez this year, Seattle has brought back Mitch Haniger and has brought in Luke Raley in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
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