by Megan Garcia
Possibly one of Teoscar Hernández’s biggest advocates to usher a reunion between him and the Dodgers was Executive Vice President and General Manager Brandon Gomes’ eight-year-old daughter.
“She’s been asking me every day since the end of the season, ‘Are we bringing Teo back?’” Gomes said during Hernández’s press conference at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
His recently inked three-year contract embodied many things: leadership, camaraderie, talent, connection and trust.
Hernández’s signed a one-year contract with the Dodgers during the offseason leading into 2024. The All-Star outfielder wanted to stay in Los Angeles on a long-term basis when he signed last offseason, but there was a caveat to strike that type a deal.
Win a World Series.
A title was won. Hernández is back in a Dodger uniform. But long before October baseball, the 32-year-old established himself as a prominent presence on and off the field. His desire to win palpable yet his demeanor was even keeled. And it won’t change in the future.
“I’m going to focus on the things that I got to do on the baseball field to get this team a win that day,” Hernández said.
He found ways to put the team first. He became the heartbeat of the team. Slow and steady in tense situations. He was clutch when the game was on the line.
Then, off the field, he was a mentor. He took younger players under his wing, like Andy Pages who was navigating his first go-around in the Major Leagues.
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His selflessness lent itself in how he maneuvered the game. Hernández was needed in more ways than one.
“You can feel the energy he brings to the clubhouse, the infectious smile that he has each and every day,” Gomes said. “It’s not a surprise of why he’s become such a fan favorite and so popular in the clubhouse.”
There was a new-found confidence for the veteran when he joined the Dodgers last season. They trusted in his talent and in return, that confidence transpired at the plate. His 33 homers set a career-high while it also led National League outfielders, along with his 99 RBI and .501 slugging percentage.
Hernández was an All-Star, Home Run Derby champion, World Series champion and Silver Slugger in one year with the Dodgers. It was a testament to the environment the Dodgers fostered that allowed Hernández to thrive.
“Doc says this all the time, and it’s something that I believe wholeheartedly as well, you play the game the right way, the game will honor you and the game will reward you,” Gomes said. “What Teo has done, taking care of mentoring his younger teammates and having the amount of big moments that he had and us being able to sit here today is all a testament to that.”
The veteran’s impact was felt across the organization. He fits the mold the Dodgers desire that other players follow. One that is talented, hungry to win and wants to play the game that makes their teammates better.
“We’ve created a situation here with the Dodgers that the bar is extremely high,” manager Dave Roberts said. “You’ve got to be good on the field, and you’ve got to play the game a certain way, because what that does is it makes people around you better. It holds his teammates accountable. And when you’re looking at young players in the system, they have something aspire to work, and for us, Teo checked every single box.”
Teoscar Hernández checks all the boxes for the Dodgers was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.