Ramón José Hernández Marin (; born May 20, 1976) 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 Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the cat ...

. 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 (A ...

(MLB) with the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

(1999–2003),

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

(2004–2005),

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) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

(2006–2008),

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

(2009–2011),

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

(2012) and

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...

(2013).

Career

Oakland Athletics

Hernández made his debut with Oakland on June 29, 1999 as a backup catcher for

A. J. Hinch Andrew Jay Hinch (born May 15, 1974) is an American professional baseball coach and former player who is the manager of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Hinch played catcher for the Oakland Athletics (–), Kansas City Royals ...

. His steady progress enabled the Athletics to trade Hinch to the

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 ...

a year later. With experience, Hernández became known as a catcher who could solidly hit, mentor young pitchers and had steady defense. He earned praise for his defense and game-calling skills with a powerful pitching staff that included

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Ha ...

winner

Barry Zito Barry William Zito (born May 13, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants. His pitching repertoire consisted of a curveball ...

Mark Mulder Mark Alan Mulder (born August 5, 1977) is an American former professional baseball player. A left-handed starting pitcher, Mulder pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals. He is a two-time All ...

and

Tim Hudson Timothy Adam Hudson (born July 14, 1975), nicknamed "Huddy" is an American former professional baseball pitcher of Major League Baseball (MLB). After spending his college years at Chattahoochee Valley Community College and Auburn University, Hu ...

. In 2003, Hernández broke out with his best season, hitting .273 with 21 home runs and 78 RBI and made his first

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...

. His most memorable moment as an Athletic came in Game 1 of the 2003 ALDS against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning, Hernández bunted down the third base line, which scored Eric Chavez to win the game. After the season on November 26, Oakland traded him to the

along with outfielder Terrence Long in exchange for outfielder

Mark Kotsay Mark Steven Kotsay (born December 2, 1975) is an American professional baseball manager and former outfielder. He is the manager for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). As a player, Kotsay appeared in 1,914 MLB games for the Sa ...

. At the time of the deal, Hernández had caught at least 135 games each of the last four years.

San Diego Padres

In both 2004 and 2005, Hernández battled injuries. On June 20, 2004 against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

, he strained his left knee after being involved in a collision at home plate. The injury sidelined him for four weeks until he was activated on July 26. Upon his return, he batted .281 with 11 home runs with 38 RBI in the second half. He finished the 2004 season with a .276 batting average, 18 home runs, and 63 RBI in 111 games. In 2005, he suffered a wrist injury on June 17 while diving into first base during a game against the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

. His jammed wrist forced him to the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

, causing him to miss 18 games. Hernández returned to the lineup on July 7, but the condition worsened and he decided to have surgery to repair the torn cartilage. The surgery forced Hernández to the DL for the third time in two seasons, and he missed the entire month of August. He rejoined the team in time for the September stretch run, and was pivotal in the Padres' run to the

National League West The National League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed for the 1969 season when the National League expanded to 12 teams by adding the San Diego Padres and the Montreal Expos. For purpose of keeping a re ...

championship. Hernández hit .359 in September with five home runs, and drove in 20 runs in just 22 games. He came up with several clutch hits, including two dramatic game-winning home runs: a three-run walk-off shot against

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

in the 12th inning on September 17, and a grand slam against division rival

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

just 10 days later. He finished the season with a .290 average, 12 home runs and 58 RBI in 99 games. With his performance, Hernández became one of baseball's more coveted players in the winter's

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

market.

Baltimore Orioles

On December 8, 2005, Hernández agreed to a four-year, $27.5 million contract with the

. The contract included a team option for the 2010 season as well. In his introductory press conference, Hernández spoke excitedly about working with a young pitching staff, hitting in Camden Yards and helping the team become a contender. He also expressed optimism about spending the next four years with

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, befo ...

as a teammate (Tejada was traded to the

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 afte ...

before the 2008 season). Hernández and Tejada played in Oakland for almost five years, and they are godfathers to each other's children. Hernández would compile a respectable .275 batting average in 2006 with 23

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 91 RBI. Veterans Chris Widger and

Danny Ardoin Daniel Wayne Ardoin (born July 8, 1974) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played five seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000 to 2008 for the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, and ...

served as Hernández's backups throughout the season.

Cincinnati Reds

Hernández was traded to the

for Ryan Freel and minor leaguers Justin Turner and Brandon Waring on December 9, 2008. Following the season, the Reds signed Hernandez to a one-year, $3 million contract.

Colorado Rockies

On November 30, 2011, Hernandez signed a two-year contract with the

. He played 52 games for the Rockies and four games for the Triple-A

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockies ...

in the 2012 season. On March 28, 2013, towards the end of spring training, the Rockies designated Hernández for assignment.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On April 6, 2013, the Rockies traded Hernández to the

for pitcher Aaron Harang. In 17 games as the Dodgers backup catcher, he hit .208 with three home runs and 6 RBI. He was designated for assignment on June 14, and released on June 22.

Toronto Blue Jays

The

signed Hernández on June 30, 2013, and assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate, 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 F ...

. Hernández was released on July 9 after playing in five games for the Bisons and hitting .105 (2-for-19) with 2 RBI.

Kansas City Royals

Hernández signed a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training with the

on January 7, 2014. He opted out of his deal on March 23 and became a free agent.

References

External links

Venezuelan Professional Baseball League statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez, Ramon 1976 births Aberdeen IronBirds players American League All-Stars Arizona League Athletics players Baltimore Orioles players Bravos de Margarita players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cincinnati Reds players Colorado Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Frederick Keys players Huntsville Stars players Living people Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Oakland Athletics players Navegantes del Magallanes players Pastora de los Llanos players Pastora de Occidente players People from Caracas Portland Beavers players San Diego Padres players Vancouver Canadians players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Canada Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Visalia Oaks players West Michigan Whitecaps players World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela 2006 World Baseball Classic players 2009 World Baseball Classic players 2013 World Baseball Classic players