Why Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernandez is most underrated free agent signing of 2024 season

Dodgers may have one of the biggest free agent steals this season.

When it comes to free agent signings, none was bigger than Shohei Ohtani joining the Los Angeles Dodgers this winter. Ohtani was the most coveted free agent the league has seen in years. But it’s hard to ignore the impact that Teoscar Hernandez has had with the Dodgers this season.

Ohtani, even though he’s set to not make one start on the mound, or possibly play in the field whatsoever this season, was expected to be great. And he’s well lived up to those expectations, leading the league in batting average and ranking second in most other offensive categories, including homers and slugging. Hernandez, however, has been a spark to the Dodgers’ lineup that maybe not most expected.

Once you get through all the future hall of famers on the team—and there’s plenty—it’s easy to understand how Hernandez’s contributions could be overlooked.

After spending most of his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, Hernandez hit free agency last season and ended up in Seattle with the Mariners. He fell just shy of his average .260 and accrued over 200 strikeouts. But the Dodgers felt he was adding to their already daunting lineup this season that needed help on the backend, plus another right-handed bat to balance out all the lefties on the team.