June 20th, 2016 at 7:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka Let’s be brutally honest here. Before his dramatic bottom of the eighth inning pinch-hit solo home run on Sunday afternoon that turned a 1-0 deficit into a 1-1 tie and eventual 2-1 Dodgers win, Dodgers super utility Kiké Hernandez has been … well … awful. I mean, in the 61 games in which he has appeared this season (out of the Dodgers 71), the extremely popular 24-year-old San Juan, Puerto Rico native has a dismal slash-line of .197 / .269 / .361 for an OPS of .630 – and this is counting his solo shot on Sunday. In fact, in his last 10 Games, Hernandez is a pathetic 2 for 18 (.111) with seven strikeouts – again counting his home run on Sunday.
So when the Dodgers announced on Sunday evening that they had traded former 2010 first-round draft Zach Lee to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for shortstop Chris Taylor, it really shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone. It’s not that there is even a remote chance that Taylor will supplant Dodgers rookie phenom Corey Seager at shortstop, it’s that there is every chance that he will supplant Kiké Hernandez as Seager’s back-up at shortstop.
Could it be that Kiké’s dramatic game-tying pinch-hit solo home run on Sunday Afternoon came one day too late? (Photo credit – Jill Weisleder)
There is no disputing that Hernandez played an enormous role in the Dodgers winning the National League West last season. In fact, his .307 batting average in 2015 was tops on the team. But the disparity between the 2015 Kiké Hernandez and the 2016 Kiké Hernandez is overwhelming.
Oh sure, one can argue that Hernandez is just one of many Dodgers who are struggling mightily this season, but there’s no getting around the fact that his current .197 batting average is the third worst on the team among guys who have appeared in more than 50 games thus far. Only Yasmani Grandal (.184) and A.J. Ellis (.191) currently have a worse batting average than Hernandez, and even that wasn’t the case before his home run on Sunday when he checked in at .190.
Although there are quite a few Dodger fans who are enamored with 27-year-old utility infielder Charlie Culberson and would much rather have seen the Dodgers call him back up from Triple-A Oklahoma City than trading for Taylor, but the painful truth is that “Culbie” (as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts calls him) is hitting only .259 with the OKC Dodgers – and this doesn’t even take into consideration the fact that Culberson has played a grand total of five games at short this season.
And then there’s 27-year-old utility infielder Rob Segedin, who is currently hitting .301 at OKC, but he, too, is more of a third baseman and occasional first baseman with exactly one game played at shortstop this season. In other words, after Seager and Hernandez, the Dodgers simply do not have a viable shortstop option better than Chris Taylor. In fact, the OKC Dodgers do not even have a shortstop listed on their current roster which, of course, will now change with the acquisition of Taylor; that is if the Dodgers don’t option Hernandez to OKC and replace him on the Dodgers 25-man roster with Taylor.
Taylor was initially selected by the Mariners in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Virginia – the same draft that brought Corey Seager to the Dodgers. After spending three seasons in the Mariners farm system Taylor made his MLB debut on July 24, 2014. Since then he appeared in 86 games with the Mariners between 2014 and 2016, batting .240 with 11 doubles, one triple and 10 RBIs He played 76 games at shortstop (66 starts), four games at second base (two starts) and one game at third base. That said, Taylor has played only three games with the Mariners this season where he was 1 for 3. However, in his 62 games with the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers this season, he posted a very impressive slash-line of .311 / .388 / .459 for an OPS of .847.
Although it remains to be seen whether or not Hernandez will be optioned to Oklahoma City and Chris Taylor added to the Dodgers 25-man roster, it’s probably not a good time to be named Kiké right about now.
Stay tuned…
Posted in 
Kiki may have bought himself more time with that clutch home run yesterday. But FAZ, as you state, has to be looking at him. I like the Taylor acquisition a lot, 25 yrs old, probably now the second best shortstop in the organization. Also happy to see Lee get a shot with Seattle. Good move FAZ.
We all want to see Dodgers improve this year. Where/How do they do it? I do think FAZ will use part of the Number 1 or 2 farm system to improve the major league club this year. I see a lot of complaining on the internet, people wanting a “blockbuster”, but, realistically what areas on this team are most in need of an immediate upgrade (considering the cost)? Catching seems like #1 to me. Hitting, but what other position besides catcher? Maybe one outfield position, but then where? Who would you replace? Pitching? A second ace is always welcome, but who and at what cost? Bullpen, can always get better, but, were pretty good, with possible help coming internally. Any thoughts?
I saw this article on Lucroy. Looks like he has a partial no-trade list. Wonder if Dodgers are on it.
http://chinmusicbaseball.com/mlb/these-3-mlb-teams-could-really-use-jonathan-lucroy-at-catcher.html
I have wanted the Dodgers to pursue Jonathan Lucroy for a couple of years now – just as I did with Adrian Gonzalez back when James Lonely began his slide; and I honestly believe it could happen.
Been a long time since the Dodgers have had a .300+ hitting catcher. : )
I think I’d like this trade off. Lucroy certainly seems like he could really help in a big way.
I am not a believer in Grandal so I personally would want to include him in a trade for Lucroy. With Puig coming back soon plus the addition of Taylor, the Dodgers don’t need Kendrick or Hernandez IMHO.
Don’t see the Dodgers getting rid of Kendrick anytime soon – probably not many teams willing to take on a 2-year / $20 million contract for a 32-year-old mediocre 2B/3B/OF.
That said, he seems to be heating up at the plate (finally), so I can’t imagine F&Z are even considering moving him.
Nobody mentions Zach Walters, who has played mostly shortstop in his minors career, but Taylor certainly seems like an upgrade offensively and he has some speed which is sorely lacking on the big league club. It sounds like Lucroy would not be interested in being a Dodger, unfortunately.
I like Zach Walters, and I agree he can play SS in a pinch. He is a switch hitter, with some pop. He was also my grandson’s first autograph, so he will always be special to me. I just do not see him with the Big Club as a backup for Seager. If the Dodgers do something bold, like move AGon (and I do not think they will), Walters or Segedin would be capable of backing up SVS (presumed 1B) and Justin Turner.
I do think Kike’ is going to be on the short string with Chris Taylor now capable of playing SS on an extended basis (if needed). Culberson also appears to be in jeopardy. I am not sure where Brandon Hicks now fits in.
I agree with Box that catcher is a position of need. For whatever reason, Grandal never seems to stay healthy or consistent. It is a lot like with Puig; projected ability only goes so far…at some point you have to produce. I would still like to see something along the lines of AGon and Grandal to Baltimore for Matt Wieters. Baltimore needs to go for it this year and AGon helps. There is no clear cut favorite in the AL, so why not Baltimore. I doubt that the O’s sign Wieters next year and maybe Grandal finds a home on the East Coast. I do not know Baltimore’s financial appetite after Davis, O’Day and Gallardo, but it is just a way of moving a big contract, freeing up a lot of $$$, and getting a catcher (even a rental).
I prefer to have Lucroy. My list of players I would like the Brewers to choose from include Grandal, Kendrick, Hernandez, Wood, SVS, Bolsinger, Stripling, Cotton, the Andersons.
Lucroy is a much better option, but he is going to cost more than those mentioned. Out of the group, the only player(s) they may be interested in would be Stripling and Cotton. Both back of the rotation guys. But that with the inclusion of Grandal or Barnes, is not enough for a true offensive All-Star catcher with a team friendly 2017 contract. I think they would listen if you inserted Joc Pederson into the discussion. I would not be in favor of that. Maybe Puig, which I would be in favor of.
The other negative is that he is not a big city guy, so we do not know if the Dodgers are one of his no trade teams, but it would make sense that they are.
I could see Milwaukee being interested in Grandal, Hernandez, Wood, SVS, Bolsinger, Stripling and Cotton from Bumsrap’s list. All low priced players, but, I totally agree it would take a lot more. Add in a Grant Holmes, Alex Verdugo type player or two and it could happen. It would be expensive. Sure wish Barnes had been given a fair chance or Grandal would start hitting.
Anybody willing to pay a big price for an offensive upgrade at any other positions?
I have been writing about Walters since he was acquired by Dodgers; top notch prospect for a utility role, switch hitter with speed, so far has played every infield position for OKC. Was below the Mendoza line, but as a Dodgers he has brought up his BA to around .280 with some pop.
But we have so many utility players now. Have you noticed how few switch-hitters we have in the upper minors? I remember when the Dodgers were always looking for the big LH bat, and now it seems the situation is reversed. Of course, who cares how they hit as long as they hit.
[…] ThinkBlueLA: Taylor Signing Could Be Bad for Kiké Hernández […]
Good article on Taylor and the trade for him.
http://dodgersdigest.com/2016/06/19/exchanging-zach-lee-and-chris-taylor-is-win-win-for-dodgers-and-mariners/