WooSox catcher Ronaldo Hernández catching fire after Jorge Alfaro's release
It’s now been two weeks since Jorge Alfaro opted out of his minor league deal with the Red Sox. With the release, there has now been plenty of playing time going around for the other catchers on the roster. With Caleb Hamilton, Ronaldo Hernández, and now Stephen Scott on the roster, all three catchers have caught games since Alfaro’s departure.
We saw Hamilton get most of the starts at the beginning of the month with Hernández sprinkled in some days and mostly at DH. Scott would be promoted from Double-A in that stretch as well. Hernández caught on fire at the plate and took the increased playing time and ran with it.
Hernández has played in 10 games since Alfaro’s release, and his bat has really started to wake up. The 25-year-old is carrying a batting average of .303 over that span. The most impressive aspect is his ability to get on base and driving the ball in that stretch. He is sporting an impressive .405 OBP and a .697 SLG.
The raw power has also been on full display once the consistent at-bats came his way. 5 of his 10 hits in June have been for extra-base hits. He has 4 home runs and has driven in 15 runs in that 10-game stretch.
Hernández has always been a bat-first catcher. Soxprospects.com has this to say of his overall makeup:
“Potential up-and-down, bat-first catcher who is the third or fourth catcher on the 40-man roster. Ceiling of a regular catcher in a timeshare if he improves his defense and approach, but the likelihood of that happening is low. Given the barrier at catcher right now, could be used there in limited opportunities if his bat warrants it. Type of defensive profile that could really benefit from the automated strike zone. Questions about his approach, hit tool, and defensive profile cloud his future projection. Needs to improve hit profile to project as a major leaguer if defense stays as-is.”
It is worth noting that the WooSox pitching staff has really started to turn the corner here in June. The WooSox had the highest staff ERA in Triple-A heading into June and that number has started to come back down.
Could it be the familiarity with Hernández behind the plate?
The Columbian native has been in Worcester since 2021 and has caught a large portion of the staff before stemming from time in Triple-A or in Fort Myers at Spring Training. If Hernández decides to replicate the first half of June to the second half of the month, things could get interesting on what the future of the catcher holds in the Red Sox organization.
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