Gaby Hernandez Stats & Scouting Report

IP	1264
ERA	4.813
WHIP	1.389
BB/9	3.247
SO/9	7.384

Full name Gabriel Hernandez
Born 05/21/1986 in Miami, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Belen Jesuit Prep
Drafted in the 3rd round (74th overall) by the New York Mets in 2004 (signed for $480,000).

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RHP Gaby Hernandez has shown a fastball that touches the 93-94 mph range. Hernandez, a talented hitter as well, profiles better on the mound because he has a quick arm and strong 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame that helps him hold his stuff.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Drafted by the Mets in 2004, Hernandez was sent to the Marlins in a trade for Paul LoDuca in December 2005. Florida, in turn, dealt him to Seattle at the 2008 trade deadline for Arthur Rhodes. Hernandez struggled in six Double-A starts after joining the Mariners organization, and that came on the heels of a first-half thrashing at Triple-A Albuquerque, one of the worst pitching environments on the planet. Hernandez is too critical of himself at times and may have placed undue pressure on himself because a big league callup appeared to be within reach. He's durable and flashes three average or better pitches, but he often tries to be so fine that his stuff plays down. His fastball parks at 88-92 mph and touches 94 with good deception. At his best, he'll show a quality slow curveball and a changeup. He's still quite young and he won't be the last pitcher to be humbled by Isotopes Park, so he can get back on track to become a No. 4 or 5 starter.
Acquired from the Mets in the Paul LoDuca salary dump, the hometown Miami kid keeps impressing as he climbs the ladder. Hernandez annually has been among the youngest players at each level, but that has yet to catch up with him. Hernandez' tight curveball comes and goes but still ranks as the best in the system. His fastball sits at 88-92 mph and touches 94 mph with good deception. His changeup is improving and shows plus life at times. He has proven to be durable, missing time in 2006 with a minor toe injury but having no other physical problems of note. He has a well-developed frame and good athleticism. Hernandez wore down in the final month, when he posted an 8.48 ERA, and may have put too much pressure on himself with a potential big league callup dangling in front of him. He needs to be more consistent and do a better job of resisting the urge to pitch backward. He can overthink at times and be too self-critical. Hernandez will come to spring training with a chance to make the Marlins rotation, but more likely he will go to Triple-A Albuquerque for a few additional months of seasoning. Once he makes it to Florida, he profiles as a back-of-the-rotation piece who can eat up valuable innings.
Yusmeiro Petit was supposed to be the best arm the Marlins got in the twin deals that sent Carlos Delgado and Paul LoDuca to the Mets, but it's now clear that Hernandez is better. One of the youngest players in the high Class A Florida State League for the second straight year, he continued to build on a solid track record despite a minor toe injury that slowed him in the early going. Hernandez' fastball sits at 90-92 mph with good run and he'll pop his four-seamer at 94 mph. His changeup is average to maybe a tick above. Not afraid to work inside, he hit 13 batters in 2006, though most of those were on wayward curveballs. He has a tremendous work ethic and the ability to turn things up a notch with runners on base. Though it continues to make progress, Hernandez' slow curve is average at best. He may junk it and go with a slider in 2007. His overall command must improve. He's his own harshest critic, and his perfectionism works to his detriment at times. Hernandez will make the jump to Double-A Carolina as a 20-year-old. He projects as a No. 3 or No. 4 starter in the majors, but he must improve his breaking ball to get there.
After getting Yusmeiro Petit in the Carlos Delgado trade, the Marlins came back and got Hernandez, the Mets' second-best pitching prospect, in the Paul Lo Duca deal. After dominating the Gulf Coast League in his 2004 pro debut, Hernandez did the same in the low Class A South Atlantic League as a teenager. He no-hit West Virginia on Father's Day to clinch a share of the Northern Division first-half title, then beat top Astros prospect Troy Patton in a one-game playoff to win it. Hernandez commands a two-seam fastball with low-90s velocity and excellent life. He also has the makings of a plus changeup. He employs an effortless delivery that bodes well for his command, and he's not afraid to challenge hitters. His grasp of the game is well beyond his youth. Hernandez' curveball is a work in progress. It lacks depth and he tends to reveal it early. He's not overpowering enough to survive without a good breaking ball, a point more advanced hitters drove home following his promotion to the high Class A Florida State League. Hernandez will get another shot at the FSL, this time in Jupiter, in 2006. He projects as a middle-of-the-rotation starter if his curve develops.
Hernandez was one of the top high school pitchers in Florida in 2003 and 2004, leading Belen Jesuit to the state 3-A finals as a junior. After signing for $480,000, he won the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League ERA title and pitched the Mets to the league playoffs, where he got shelled. Hernandez features an 89-94 mph sinker that he already commands like a veteran. He baffled GCL hitters by throwing it to both sides of the plate. He also has a sharp curveball with good bite that he throws for strikes. His body is the prototype for a righthander. With all that, the Mets say his poise may be his best attribute. Hernandez is more polished than the average teenager, but he still can improve his mechanics. His changeup is solid but still can improve. More than anything, he just needs experience. Hernandez aced his first exam. The Mets place an emphasis on winning at short-season Brooklyn, so they could send him there in 2005 even though he probably could handle an assignment to their new low Class A Hagerstown affiliate.

Minor League Top Prospects

Hernandez more than held his own as a 21-year-old in Double-A. Marlins brass considered calling him to the big leagues, but he has to refine his command and improve his breaking ball before he's ready for Florida. He tossed a nine-inning complete game against Jacksonville in his final start in July, then tired down the stretch and put up an 8.48 ERA in the final month. Hernandez has all the ingredients for success: a solid-average fastball that touches 94 mph, an average changeup with occasional plus life, feel for pitching and a gameplan for every hitter. His curveball comes in at 75-78 mph with short break, but he has the hand speed and arm slot to create good spin, so it's mostly a matter of improving its shape. He's lauded for his work ethic, though at times tends to be too self-critical. Hernandez profiles as a back-of-the-rotation starter. Thanks to his durable frame, raw stuff and youth, he ultimately could be one of this SL crop's most successful pitchers.
Just like they have scattered throughout their system, the Marlins had some nice arms in Jupiter, with Scott Nestor, Jose Garcia and Harvey Garcia all earning mentions from FSL managers. None impressed more than Gaby Hernandez, who continued to show a strong feel for pitching, a prototypical pitchers' frame and impressive stuff after the Mets included him in the Carlos Delgado trade last offseason. The biggest difference for Hernandez, who struggled in a 10-game stint in the FSL last year, was his improved slow curveball, which now grades out as average. He also has a 92-93 mph fastball with good movement and an average changeup that has a chance to be a plus pitch. Hernandez threw all three of his pitches at any point in the count and he could get all three over for strikes. But while he has good control, his command is still a work in progress, as he struggles to hit his spots.
In one of the league's most anticipated matchups of the season, Hernandez beat Patton in a one-game playoff for the Northern Division's first-half title. Hernandez was Hagerstown's ace before moving up to high Class A, where he went just 2-5, 5.74 in 10 starts. His best attribute his knack for pitching, as he pounds the strike zone with an average fastball, setting up a curveball that's his out pitch. While he has a feel for the breaking ball, Hernandez will need to be more consistent and throw it with more power at higher levels.
Hernandez led the GCL with a 1.09 ERA while allowing just 40 baserunners in 50 innings. But he gave up seven earned runs--one more than he permitted in nine regular-season starts--in his most important start, lasting just 2 1/3 innings in a 9-2 pasting by the Red Sox in the GCL playoffs. He rebounded to pitch three scoreless innings after a promotion to the short-season New York-Penn League. "He's got great poise and rises to the occasion when pressure is on the line," Mets manager Brett Butler said before Hernandez' playoff outing. "He's got command of three pitches, including a moving 92 mph fastball that he can move in and out, up and down." Hernandez was the league's most complete pitcher. His fastball sat in the low 90s and topped out at 95 mph, while his hard, sharp curveball routinely found the strike zone.