Luís Andres Hernández Mendoza (born June 26, 1984) is a

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

and Texas Rangers.

Career

Atlanta Braves

Hernández was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

on September 16, 2000. He spent five seasons in the Braves' minor league organization, but only played 19 games for their AAA affiliate, the

Richmond Braves The Richmond Braves were an American minor league baseball club based in Richmond, Virginia, the Triple-A International League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves from 1966 to 2008. Owned by the parent Atlanta club and colloquially referred to as the ...

, before moving to Baltimore.

Baltimore Orioles

Hernández was claimed off waivers by the

on October 12, 2006. He made his major league debut for the Orioles as a late-inning defensive replacement July 8, 2007 against the Texas Rangers. Hernández collected his first major league hit, a

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

, in his second career game on July 12, 2007 against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Hernández got his hit, a line drive to

center field A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the Baseball positions, baseball and softball fielding position between Left fielder, left field and Right fielder, right field. In the numberi ...

, off of the first pitch he saw from White Sox

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...

Dewon Day Amos Dewon Day (born September 29, 1980) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays. He was then taken by the White Sox via the Rule 5 draft in 2005. He had two brief stints with the Chicago White So ...

in the bottom of the ninth inning. He also got his first major league RBI on the play, as

Jay Gibbons Jay Jonathan Gibbons (born March 2, 1977) is an American former professional baseball right fielder in Major League Baseball. He played college baseball at California State University, Los Angeles and in the Major Leagues for the Baltimore Oriole ...

came in to score. His first major league home run was hit on September 27, 2007 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Hernández was penciled in as the Orioles' starting shortstop for the 2008 season, but faced

Spring Training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

competition from Brandon Fahey. Considered an "all-defense" player, Hernández and Fahey vied for the position vacated by

Miguel Tejada Miguel Odalis Tejada ( Tejeda; born May 25, 1974) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for six teams, most notably the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles, before ...

, who was traded to the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

over the offseason. He became a free agent at the end of the season.

Kansas City Royals

In November 2008, Hernández signed a minor league deal with the

. He added to the major league roster on May 3, 2009 after Tony Peña Jr.was placed on the disabled list. On July 6, 2009, he was designated for assignment to make room for the newly acquired Ryan Freel. Hernández was released on January 19, 2010.

New York Mets

Luis Hernández on August 29, 2010 (cropped)

On February 3, 2010, Hernández signed a minor league contract with the

. The Mets purchased Hernández's contract from the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

on August 27, 2010. Hernández played in 17 games for the Mets in 2010, batting .250 with two home runs with 6 RBI. His season ended after hitting a foul ball off his right foot, breaking a bone in his foot on September 18, although he still managed to hit a home run on the next pitch. On October 17, 2011, he elected free agency.

Texas Rangers

On December 1, 2011, Hernández signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. Hernández spent most of 2012 with the Triple-A

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

, hitting .262/.303/.376 with eight home runs and 70 RBI in 129 games as the team's shortstop. Hernández did play two games with the Rangers, going 0-for-1 in each, coming in as a defensive replacement.

Cleveland Indians

On November 7, 2012, Hernández signed a minor league deal with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

Wichita Wingnuts

Hernandez signed with the

Wichita Wingnuts The Wichita Wingnuts were an independent baseball team based in Wichita, Kansas, in the United States. The Wingnuts were members of the South Division of the American Association of Professional Baseball. An expansion franchise in the 2008 seas ...

of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball and played with them in the 2015 season.

Bridgeport Bluefish

On March 29, 2016, Hernández signed with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. On November 1, 2017, Hernández was drafted by the

New Britain Bees The New Britain Bees are an American collegiate summer baseball team based in New Britain, Connecticut. They are a member of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL), a wood-bat league with teams in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connectic ...

of the Bridgeport Bluefish dispersal draft. On February 20, 2018, Hernández signed with the Bees for the 2018 season.

Post-playing career

However, Hernández later announced his retirement prior to the season on April 21, 2018, in order to pursue a coaching opportunity in the

organization.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez, Luis 1984 births Living people Arizona League Indians players Baltimore Orioles players Binghamton Mets players Bowie Baysox players Bridgeport Bluefish players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Caribes de Anzoátegui players Columbus Clippers players Gulf Coast Braves players Kansas City Royals players Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Major League Baseball shortstops Mississippi Braves players Myrtle Beach Pelicans players New York Mets players Norfolk Tides players Omaha Royals players People from Lara (state) Richmond Braves players Rome Braves players Round Rock Express players Salt Lake Bees players Texas Rangers players Tiburones de La Guaira players Tigres de Aragua players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Wichita Wingnuts players