Houston Astros: Corpus Christi Player Spotlight – Teoscar Hernandez

The Future of the Houston Astros Rests in Double-A.

The Corpus Christi Hooks are the Texas League first half champions, securing themselves a playoff spot this year. After the mediocre start, it is exciting for Astros fans to see their young talent start to heat up. The center fielder for the Hooks, Teoscar Hernandez, has been one of the best hitters on the team and even has more hits than the soon-to-be-called up Alex Bregman, at least some people think he will. Hernandez has quietly put together an outstanding season so far.

It has taken awhile for Hernandez to get to the point where he is today. He was signed as a non-drafted free agent all the way back in 2011 and has slowly progressed to Double-A. He was able to make it to the Hooks in 2014 but has not made it any farther than that. With the breakout year, he is in the process of having, moving up to Triple-A may soon be in his future.

Hernandez has become one of the best center fielders in minor league baseball. He has shown great speed throughout his career, with 141 stolen bases. He has shown the ability to hit the long-ball, with 21 in 2014. He also knows how to get on base, normally always having a high on-base percentage.

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His play in center field is also very solid, normally having more than a .950 fielding percentage. Hernandez has many strengths, and they should be able to translate to the major league level. Even though he has been in the minors for a while, he is still very young at 23 years old.

Hernandez is in the midst of a breakout season. Primarily serving as the Corpus Christi Hooks’ leadoff man, he has been able to compile a .313 batting average and a .390 on-base percentage. He also has 76 hits, with 17 of those being doubles and 6 of them being home runs. He has shown power in his swing, and if he improves on that ability even more he can really become a force to be reckoned with. Hernandez, along with seven other Hooks’ players, has been selected for the Double-A All-Star game.

Next: Astros Activate Luke Gregerson and Tyler White Goes to AAA.

The outfield is the place to be if you’re a prospect of the Astros right now. With Carlos Gomez and Colby Rasmus set to become free agents, plenty of opportunities should arise for the young players. Hernandez should definitely get some consideration as the center fielder of the future for the Astros and has the potential to be a very great player in the league.

***All stats via milb.com***