McAdam: In Kiké Hernández, Red Sox finally have someone who embraces leadoff responsibilities

Last season, it seemed like the being the leadoff hitter was a job the Red Sox couldn't give away.

Andrew Benintendi, who had tried it unsuccessfully the year before, forcing the Sox to give up on the experiment after two months, was given another chance at role and stumbled badly again. He was relieved to be removed from the task.

Alex Verdugo took to the job better, but showed no particular affection for the assignment. He was asked to do it, and he did it. But all along, the Verdugo gave the impression that he would have preferred hitting almost anywhere else.

This spring, finally, the Red Sox have somebody who embraces the role. Kiké Hernández, Alex Cora's choice to his first atop the Boston batting order, is unabashedly a fan.

"I like hitting leadoff. I'm not going to lie to you,'' said Hernandez. "I want to hit leadoff. Alex challenged me to earn that spot and I feel like when I hit in the first inning, I'm a little bit more involved in the game and it also gives me a chance to maybe see the starting pitcher maybe one more time, maybe a third time. I'm just trying to put some good (at-bats) together and maybe barrel some balls up or get on base, whatever way I can.

"I know the guys hitting behind me are really, really good. So my job as a leadoff hitter is to try to get on base and hopefully score some runs. Hopefully I can do that and maybe score 100 runs this year.''



By traditional measures, Hernandez doesn't profile as a prototypical leadoff man. His career on-base percentage is an unremarkable .313, and in seven seasons in the majors, he has a grand total of 12 stolen bases.

Then again, like so much associated with the game, expectations are changing for the leadoff position. Where once is what the domain of patient hitters who could steal, that's no longer the case. Now, teams seek dynamic offensive performers who, yes, can reach base, but also do damage and help set the tone for the rest of the lineup.

"I think the game dictates which type of hitter you need to be in certain situations,'' said Hernandez. "When we're on the road, it's up to me to decide whether I want to be aggressive or whether I want to see some pitches. It also depends on who's on the mound and how he's been pitching. Then, at home, it depends on how the top of the first goes and whether (our) pitcher had to work 15-20-plus pitches, your job as a leadoff hitter is to try to see as many pitches as you can, try to make their pitcher work so your pitcher can get a little breather in the dugout.''

It's not as if Hernandez is completely foreign to the idea. He led off a total of 89 games with the Dodgers, though about a third of those came during the game, thanks to double-switches that are far more prevalent in the National League. Most of his time with the Dodgers, Hernandez was lodged in the lower third of the order, and he sometimes sat against righties.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, view him as pretty much an everyday player -- regardless of whether he's positioned in the infield or outfield -- and for that, Hernandez is most grateful.

"I just want to be in the lineup every day,'' he said.

Oddly, as Cora has pointed out, Hernandez tends to chase pitches out of the zone when he's ahead in the count. That uber-aggressiveness will have to be curtailed some if Hernandez is to succeed in the role, though Cora is supportive of hitters "hunting fastballs'' early in the count in an attempt to do damage.

"When I can stay in the strike zone,'' explained Hernandez, "I'm a lot better hitter than when I'm just going out there and swinging at whatever pitch is coming. That's something I'm trying to do this spring: from the first pitch of the game, I'm trying to put myself in a 2-0, 3-1 count and not just swing to swing. I want to get a pitch that I can do some damage with and so far I've been doing a pretty good job.

"I've been working on it, trying to stay in the strike zone, because I know that if I go out there and start hacking and not seeing too many pitches or getting out of the zone, I know that's not going to help my cause to be the leadoff hitter on this team.''

Hernandez half-jokingly credited himself with accumulating five walks this spring, noting "before, it would take me 100 hundred at-bats'' to reach that number.

Another consequence of having Hernandez hit first is that it helps with balance. With the righthanded-hitting Hernandez at the top, Cora can sprinkle in his few lefties (Rafael Devers, Verdugo) into slots that are more conducive to run production.

It's easy to imagine, say, Devers hitting second, followed by righthanded Xander Bogaerts third and Devers fifth, behind J.D. Martinez. Or, he could have Verudgo hit second to provide more athleticism at the top while Devers serves as protection for Martinez in the fifth slot.

Either way, for a change, the Red Sox have someone who welcomes the assignment, rather than take to it half-heartedly and without conviction.