Darwinzon Hernandez didn’t do anything wrong in 2019. He surpassed expectations by showing in the second half of the season that he was what many observers had made him out to be – a dynamic thrower with a lively fastball that helped shape his exceptional punchout ability.
Originally seen for his potentially high ceiling as a starting pitcher, Hernandez was brought up to the Red Sox in 2019 to add depth, at least temporarily, to a bullpen worn down by having to pitch an excessive number of innings early and often during the season. He was brought up to make one appearance in April and another in June before being called up for the third time in mid-July, and that’s where he stayed through the end of the season.
In his 30.1 total innings of work spread over 29 games, Hernandez struck out 57, averaging a breath-taking 16.9 K’s per nine innings, although his 26 walks – nearly one an inning – inflated his WHIP to 1.747.
Neither the many strikeouts nor the numerable walks were surprising considering Hernandez’s similar prowess/control issues in the minors. His early success convinced Cora and pitching coach Dana LeVangie to quickly upgrade his role from one of middle relief to more of a back-end bullpen role, along the lines of a left-handed setup role opposite right-hander Matt Barnes.
A couple of other interesting 2019 stats portend Hernandez’s intriguing future. Although he finished the season with an unremarkable 4.45 ERA, it took only three stints out of his 29 appearances to account for 10 of the 15 earned runs he allowed. His ERA in his other 26 games was 1.57. Plus, of particular note, he allowed only one home run all season.
At this still-early stage of his career, Hernandez is best seen as a young pitcher who only needs to harness his control and cut down on the walks while efficiently using his dominating power – an assessment strikingly similar to one used about 60 years ago in describing a then-young pitcher named Sandy Koufax.
Unless Hernandez, who turns 23 later this month, has a regression in spring training, he likely has a reliever’s spot locked up for the Red Sox in 2020. If he can shave off even just a third of his 7.7 walks per nine innings, while continuing to load up on opposing batters’ swings and misses, Hernandez could be a true lockdown reliever and help elevate the bullpen to the upper half of the American League pecking order.