How was he acquired?
The Braves selected Miami lefty Herick Hernandez in the fourth round of the 2024 MLB Draft. It was a slight surprise at the time for a kid who put up a 6.14 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in his lone season with the Hurricanes, but the team believed in his fastball – especially in terms of analytics due to his induced vertical break, along with his slider.
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What were the 2025 expectations?
After signing Hernandez made two exceptional starts. The first way three and two thirds perfect innings with Augusta, striking out seven in the process. That got him bumped to Rome for his second appearance, where he went three innings, allowing two runs and striking out five hitters.
The expectations for him entering the year were high. A prospect who really rose in the draft, who looked great – in a very limited sample size – had imaginations going. He was to open the year in Rome and with some luck was thought to be a candidate to reach Double-A at some point this year.
2025 results
Hernandez made all 22 appearances for Rome, pitching to a 3.57 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 127 strikeouts to 68 walks over 103.1 innings. While the strikeouts that showed up last year were there, Hernandez battled command issues throughout the season and his numbers suffered a bit.
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If there is a silver lining it would be the fact he posted a 6.07 ERA and .843 OPS against in his first 43 innings of the year. However a switch flipped in June, as from June 4th on he pitched to a 1.79 ERA and .574 OPS against over his final 60.1 innings of the year. His walks did actually rise a little in that time, but everything else looked much more crisp after the calendar turned June.
2026 outlook
Hernandez came in as a potential breakout prospect. Then by the end of May he was looking like a guaranteed future reliever, but his second half surge has created enough of a question about him continuing to start as he moves up the ladder. He is likely to begin in Double-A, but the expectation will be to continue his growth from June on while continuing to refine his command a bit more.