Luis Hernández (baseball)

Infobox MLB player
name = Luis Hernández


width = 250
caption =
team = Baltimore Orioles
number = 2
position = Shortstop
birthdate = birth date and age|1984|6|26
birthplace = Quíbor, Lara, Venezuela
bats = Switch
throws = Right
debutdate = July 8
debutyear = 2007
debutteam = Baltimore Orioles
statyear = 2008
stat1label = Batting average
stat1value = .264
stat2label = Home runs
stat2value = 1
stat3label = Runs batted in
stat3value = 10
teams =
*Baltimore Orioles (by|2007-by|2008)

Luís A. Mendoza Hernández (born June 26, 1984 in Quíbor, Lara, Venezuela) is a shortstop in the Baltimore Orioles organization of Major League Baseball. He was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Atlanta Braves September 16, 2000 and claimed off waivers by Baltimore October 12, 2006. [cite web
url = http://pressbox.mlb.com/pressbox/downloads/y2007/bal/players_fi_hu.pdf
title = Baltimore Orioles 2007 Media Guide
accessdate = 2007-07-12
format = PDF
publisher = MLB Advanced Media, L.P.
pages = [http://pressbox.mlb.com/pressbox/downloads/y2007/bal/players_fi_hu.pdf#page=15 p. 111] ]

Career

Minor leagues

He spent five seasons in the Braves' minor league organization, but only managed 19 games for their AAA affiliate, the Richmond Braves, before moving to Baltimore. Despite a career minor league batting average of .250 and a sub-par OPS of .588, he was called up to the majors in July 2007.

Major leagues

He made his major league debut for the Orioles as a late-inning defensive replacement July 8, 2007 against the Texas Rangers. Luis collected his first major league hit, a double, in his second career game on July 12, by|2007. The game was played at Camden Yards, against the Chicago White Sox. Hernandez got his hit, a line drive to center field, off of the first pitch he saw from White Sox relief pitcher Dewon Day in the bottom of the ninth inning. He also got his first major league RBI on the play, as Jay Gibbons came in to score. His first major league home run was hit on September 27, 2007 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

He has been penciled in as the Orioles' starting shortstop for the 2008 season, but he faces Spring Training competition from Brandon Fahey. [ [http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/team/depth_chart/index.jsp?c_id=bal Baltimore Orioles official depth chart] ] Considered an "all-defense" player, he and Fahey are vying for the position vacated by Miguel Tejada, who was traded to the Houston Astros over the off-season. [ [http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080131&content_id=2361137&vkey=spt2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb MLB.com - O's head to spring with new philosophy] ]

References

External links

*Baseballstats |mlb=434682 |espn=28823 |br=h/hernalu01 |fangraphs=3206 |cube=H/Luis-Hernandez-1