Versatile pitcher and Hialeah High alum Hernandez selected on Day 3 of MLB Draft
Herick Hernandez was a center fielder when he graduated from Hialeah High in 2021.
Two years and two schools later, he’s in demand – as a pitcher.
The three-day, 20-round 2023 MLB Draft wrapped up on Tuesday, and Hernandez was one of the best stories of the proceedings.
Out of high school, he initially attended Barry University, where he was tried on the mound, throwing 86 mph.
After the fall semester, he transferred to Miami Dade College, but he barely pitched in his role as a middle-innings reliever. Then as a sophomore this year, he became MDC’s ace, going 8-3 with a 2.86 ERA.
On Tuesday, Hernandez – a 5-11, 190-pound lefty who now throws up to 96 mph -- was drafted in the 19th round by the Cincinnati Reds.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Hernandez said. “It’s a dream.”
Hernandez also has a scholarship to play for the Miami Hurricanes, and he told The Herald on Tuesday that UM is still a possibility, depending on what happens with other draft picks the Reds want to sign.
“They’re both good options for me,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez gives a lot of credit to MDC coach Adrian Morales and his staff. In addition, Hernandez thanks his personal coach, Jose Naranjo.
The duo would work out wherever they could last summer, rotating from park to park in the Miami Lakes area.
“Sometimes we would get kicked out of certain parks,” Hernandez said. “Sometimes we would have to work out in my back yard
“But I started to grow a love for pitching. I started perfecting my mechanics, growing muscle and being consistent.”
Hernandez wasn’t the only local player drafted on Tuesday.
Former Cardinal Gibbons lefty Timmy Manning, who played for Arizona State, was drafted in the 12th round by the Giants. He went 1-4 with a 7.26 ERA in 20 games, including nine starts, this past season for the Sun Devils.
MDC first baseman Wooyeoul Shin was drafted in the 16th round by the Rays.
And Carlos Rey, a lefty from Miami Springs High and Nova Southeastern University, was drafted in the 17th round by Diamondbacks.
Rey went 6-0 with a 1.40 ERA in 16 appearances last year, including 13 in relief. He held opponents to a .138 batting average.
This year, Rey went 6-4 with a 2.73 in 15 games, all of them as a starter. He struck out 102 batters in 82 1/3 innings, and he held opponents to a .187 batting average.
Shin was another incredible story.
He arrived from South Korea with few contacts and no English-language skills. Three years later, Shin is fluent in English, he has a scholarship to play for the Hurricanes if he doesn’t sign with the Rays, and he is coming off a monster season in which he hit .407 with 15 homers and 47 RBIs in 47 games.
Shin’s MDC try-out was … well … interesting. It happened in December of 2019, and Shin spoke no English at the time.
As Morales watched, Shin silently stretched for a full 40 minutes. He then ran a couple of laps. Next, he ran a 60-yard dash.
“I said, ‘What is this guy doing?’” Morales recalled. “’We play baseball – not track and field.’ I wanted to go home.”
Morales stuck around, and he’s glad he did.