Red Sox Opening Day: Kiké Hernández will be the player to watch today
Kiké Hernández set to lead-off in Red Sox Opening Day debut
Opening Day is less than an hour away and the excitement is definitely in the air. This feels far different than where we were last year ahead of both Opening Days. The Red Sox may have finished fourth from the bottom in 2020 but they sure don’t look like a near last place team coming out of spring training. One man that has played a part in that is recent free agent signing Kiké Hernández, and the new Boston lead-off man is ready to get things going.
Hernández has spoken about his excitement levels in regards to playing at Fenway Park and being a member of this team. He entered spring training in a bit of a duel with fellow former Dodger Alex Verdugo for the vacant lead-off spot. The two would trade chances at the position but as spring went on it became clear the route that Alex Cora would be going with his lineup. That was further solidified this morning when lineup cards were submitted and Kiké was at the top of the list.
In his first spring with the Red Sox, the utilityman posted a solid .327/.450/.592/1.042 line with 3 homers and 7 RBI. He would also draw 10 walks to just 8 strikeouts through 60 plate appearances. It’s pretty clear that he’s taking the opportunity given to him by Cora and is trying to run with it as far as he can. Boston has suffered at the lead-off spot since the great lineup shuffle of 2019 and has never really recovered. Kiké is set in that role and has gotten plenty of reps this spring, I truly feel that he’s going to excel and it all starts with today.
Hernández has spent the majority of his career with the Dodgers and has played damn near every position under the sun except catcher. He’ll likely get the lion’s share of the playing time at second base with Christian Arroyo as the backup. Now that Dustin Pedroia has hung up his glove the position is officially wide open and Kiké is the favorite to take over the mantle. He’s set to play second this afternoon and we’ll get our first glimpse of him in the infield in the 2021 season.
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He brings more to the table than just versatility and stats on a scorecard though and those intangibles are another reason I believe he’s someone we need to keep our eyes on. Dodger fans as well as former teammates have heaped nothing but praise upon Hernández for the type of person he is on the field and off of it. He’s said to be a great clubhouse guy that has the sole purpose of keeping the energy levels high and spirits lifted. We’ve seen that already coming through in spring alongside Verdugo who is another guy that will do whatever he can to keep morale high.
Cora has made it pretty well known that while he has plans for Kiké at second, he will move the versatile infielder around the diamond when other players need a day off. His ability to excel almost anywhere in the field also makes him someone worth watching as he could rack up Web Gems all around the diamond. And with his history with AC dating back to his childhood in Puerto Rico, you know the skipper has some extra love for him and will give him as many chances as possible.
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The Red Sox missed Opening Day yesterday and I think players and fans alike were disappointed, especially with the weather we saw around the league. I have zero doubts that Hernández wasn’t among those let down by the postponement as he’s spoken before about his love of Fenway and wanting to earn his playing time there. He’ll get that chance today as the skies are blue and the sun is shining. I don’t think he’ll waste any time in rewarding not just Chaim Bloom, but Alex Cora and the entire organization for putting their faith in him.