The World of Baseball

As a fan of baseball, I have discovered several players who made their mark before I even existed.  The majority of them were average players who made their living catching a ball and swinging a bat.  However, there are certain players who were exceptional.  One of those players was Keith Hernandez, who played in Major League Baseball from 1974-1990.  He played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1974-1983), the New York Mets (1983-1989), and the Cleveland Indians (1990).  Hernandez has been regarded as maybe the greatest defensive first baseman of all time.  I will argue that he belongs in the Baseball of Fame because of his overall play.

            When you think about first base, you think about power.  Some of the greatest first basemen are Lou Gehrig and Albert Pujols.  While Keith Hernandez was not a power hitter, he was a very productive run producer.  He drove in more than 90 runs six times during his career.  Hernandez was a line drive hitter who could hit the ball to all parts of the field.  Some of his accolades include sharing the 1979 National League Most Valuable Player Award with Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who is in the Baseball Hall of Fame (Class of 1988).  In that season, Keith led the NL with a .344 batting average.  He also led the NL in doubles (48) and runs scored (116).  His on-base percentage was .417, which ranked second in the NL. 1979 is considered the best season of his career.  He also had an outstanding season in 1980.  Hernandez led the NL in runs scored (111) and on-base percentage (.408).  He finished second in the NL in batting average (.321).

            Keith Hernandez was an integral part of the Cardinals championship in 1982.  Despite winning it all the previous season, St. Louis decided to trade him to the Mets in June 1983.  He was not happy about it because the Mets had been finishing in last place consistently for years.  But a change of scenery is just what Hernandez needed as he approached his 30s.  In his first full season as a Met in 1984, he put together an MVP caliber performance to go along with his already stellar defense.  He finished second in the NL MVP voting to Ryne Sandberg.  Hernandez drove in 94 runs as the Mets became a contender, finishing second in the NL East.  He continued to excel over the next three seasons.  He was the unquestioned leader of a young and talented Mets teams with the likes of Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden.  Hernandez helped the Mets capture the championship in 1986.  He led the NL in walks (94) in 1986.

            Some voters of the Hall of Fame may say that Keith Hernandez does not have the overall offensive numbers to be considered a Hall of Famer.  I would counter that by saying he dominated on defense by not allowing hitters to bunt towards him.  Hernandez not only won 11 Gold Glove Awards, but won in consecutively from 1978-1988.  I call him the Ozzie Smith of first base.  I know Hernandez did not hit a lot of homeruns, but he almost hit .300 for his career (.296 to be exact).  Also, he was a major part of two championship teams (1982 Cardinals, 1986 Mets).  Hernandez helped the Mets ascend into a great team in the mid to late 1980s, finishing in 1^st or 2^nd place between 1984-1989.  His career on-base percentage is excellent (.384).  For what it’s worth, he collected over 2,000 hits (2,182).

            I have the upmost respect for Keith Hernandez not only as a player, but as a broadcaster and person.  One of my uncles used to tell me how great Keith Hernandez was as my uncle is a huge Mets fan and watched him play several times on TV and in person.  Hernandez is now 71 years old.  He has had a great second career as a TV analyst for Mets games on SNY and WPIX.  I hope he gets the call to Cooperstown very soon.  He is one of those players I wish I had seen play when he played.