February 28th, 2020 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka The good news is that 28-year-old Dodgers utility infielder Kiké Hernandez has hit two home runs through the Dodgers’ first six Spring Training games to tie him with phenom outfield prospect Cody Thomas for the team lead. The pair are also currently tied for the team lead in RBI with five each.
The bad news is that those are the only two hits for the extremely popular San Juan, Puerto Rico native, who the Dodgers acquired from the Miami Marlins along with Austin Barnes, Chris Hatcher, and Andrew Heaney on December 11, 2014, in exchange for Dee Gordon, Dan Haren, Miguel Rojas, and cash.
Through his first 11 at-bats (12 plate appearances), Hernandez is slashing .182/.250/.727/.977 with two strikeouts and one walk. He has also scored three runs.
By no means is this intended to be a knock on Kiké, nor is there any real reason for concern after only six Spring Training games with 28 yet to play. It’s just one of those things that make you say ‘Huh.’
Although the strikeouts might be worth keeping an eye on, so, too, should Kiké’s sudden power surge, which he attributes to making an adjustment with his hips late last season.
“I’m a guy with very loose hips and that’s not necessarily a bad thing in baseball, but in my case, it’s like my enemy,” Hernández explained. “My hip flies open. Now I get myself in a better position to be more efficient and direct to the ball with my upper half.
“It was literally the workout day before the playoffs that I said I was going to do this and started hitting the ball really far in BP and had good at-bats in the postseason,” he added. “It was the quality of the at-bat, recognize pitches early, and be on time. I was just messing around and it turned out it worked.”
Here again, six games into Spring Training most definitely falls under the “It’s Still Early” category and Kiké’s .182 batting average and two strikeouts should be of (very) little concern. It’s just something we might want to keep a casual eye on moving forward.
Of course, two home runs, five RBI, and three runs scored every four games is also something to keep an eye on … if you get my drift.
Play Ball!
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It seems to me, it’s way too early to make any judgement on Kike. I’m sure he’ll turn himself around and start hitting in his usual way.
You never cease to amaze me with your replies, Joe. I think I was quite clear about that.
Kike’ has always been consistently inconsistent at the plate. Nothing new.
Kiké is one of those players who can hit a home run to any part of any ball park. Once he fully commits to using the whole field when hitting he has the talent to be much more than a part-time utility player — perhaps even an All Star. Unfortunately, it will probably happen for another team with Chris Taylor signed for 2 years, the development of Zach McKinstry and Omar Estevez, and free agency after 2020.