Why Yadiel Hernández isn't in the mix for the outfield job

The Nationals need a corner outfielder. This is not news to anyone who has paid even scant attention this winter.

This to-be-determined outfielder most likely will come from outside the organization, acquired either via free agency or trade. Unless the front office decides to gamble and stay in-house with Andrew Stevenson, who looked awfully impressive when given a chance to play in September but has very little track record.

What, though, about the other in-house option, the other outfielder already on the 40-man roster who has developed something of a cult following among a subset of the fan base that has been asking for two years why he doesn't appear to be in the Nationals' plans?

What about Yadiel Hernández?

We haven't mentioned Hernández much around here since the season ended, but truth be told neither have club officials when discussing outfield needs for 2021.

Hernández finally made his major league debut late in the season at 32 and enjoyed his long-awaited big moment in the spotlight Sept. 22 when he launched a walk-off homer to sweep a doubleheader against the Phillies. It made for a nice story, and it gave fans who didn't previously know much about the Cuban refugee an opportunity to learn about his difficult path to D.C.

Signed for a modest $200,000 in 2016, one year after he defected to the United States, Hernández spent the better part of four years in the minors, including a whopping 370 games at Double-A and Triple-A. He put up big offensive numbers in Fresno in 2019 - 33 homers, 1.009 OPS - but didn't get called up and didn't get added to the organization's 40-man roster.

Only by the end of the 2020 season, with the Nationals roster ravaged by injuries, did Hernández finally get to fulfill his dream of reaching the major leagues. But it nearly ended only days later and without so much as one base hit. After going 0-for-7 with four strikeouts, Hernández was optioned back to the club's alternate training site.

Hernández might have remained in Fredericksburg through the season's final two weeks if not for Adam Eaton's freak finger injury. That opened a spot on the big league roster, and so Hernández got a second chance. And he made better use of it, recording his first career hit (a double) Sept. 20 in Miami, then his first career homer two nights later in dramatic fashion.

His one highlight-reel moment aside, Hernández didn't turn heads much more during his 12-game tryout. He finished with a .192 batting average (5-for-26), a .637 OPS, one walk and 12 strikeouts.

Now he's 33, and though he remains on the club's 40-man roster, he's not being talked about as a potential starting outfielder in 2021. Nor is he really being talked about as a projected member of the bench.

Assuming the Nationals do acquire another starter this winter, Stevenson is in line to serve as the fourth outfielder next season. If they decide to keep a fifth outfielder on the roster, they'll likely want a right-handed hitter. That hurts Hernández's chances even more.

Why won't they give a guy with a .301/.385/.503 offensive slash line across 1,460 professional plate appearances a chance? Clearly the top decision-makers in the organization don't see that production translating to the big league level.

That doesn't mean Hernández has zero chance. Or that, if actually given the chance, he wouldn't prove he belongs in the majors.

But if one of the sport's most successful baseball operations department hasn't given a 33-year-old outfielder with a big bat much of a chance to date, it's probably not without reason.

As much as that subset of the Nationals fan base wants to believe Hernández could produce in the big leagues, the organization itself has offered very little indication it believes in the player.