MIAMI, FL—If I told you that Heriberto Hernández would end up being the best right-handed hitter on the 2025 Miami Marlins, you would’ve assumed that the team suffered through another 100-loss season. Instead, the minor league free agent signing emerged as a key piece of the Marlins outfield throughout the last four months, helping them to a 79-83 record.
Originally signed by the Texas Rangers a few days before his 18th birthday, Hernández put up great numbers in Minor League Baseball. He finally ran into issues at the Triple-A level in 2024 as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Even with a strong finish to the season—.264/.369/.583/.952 slash line over his final 20 games—the Rays let him leave as a free agent.
Hernández had a positive outlook when he reached a deal with the rebuilding Marlins in November. “When I signed here, I knew there was a big opportunity here for me to make my dreams come true and potentially become an everyday big leaguer,” the Dominican outfielder said in Spanish.
“The biggest thing for me was the hard work that I put in during the offseason,” Hernández added. “I didn’t play winter ball to focus and make sure that my body was 100% to make sure that I could play an entire season wherever I was.”
A non-roster invitee at Marlins spring training, Hernández was sent down to AAA at the end of camp where he split time between left field and designated hitter for Jacksonville. He had mixed results with the Jumbo Shrimp, slashing .220/.319/.454/.773 with nine home runs, 21 RBI and a 107 wRC+, while striking out in 35.0% of his plate appearances. With several hitters on their active roster underperforming, the Marlins called up Hernández on May 30.
“I’m just so grateful for the opportunity that the Marlins gave me,” Hernández said. “I think this was an amazing season, because when I got here, I found really good chemistry and everyone received me well.” He stayed in the majors from the point forward.
For the first week, Hernández was only in the starting lineup against left-handed pitchers. As he continued to produce, his role expanded.
Overall, Hernández slashed .266/.347/.438/.784 with 10 home runs, 45 RBI and a 118 wRC+. He played in 87 of the final 108 Marlins games. Amongst National League rookies, Hernández finished 10th in batting average, fifth in home runs, sixth in RBI, sixth in on-base percentage, eighth in slugging percentage and ninth in OPS.
Hernández cut down his strikeout rate from 35.0% in Jacksonville to 26.2% with the major league team. He still whiffs at a high rate, but only chased 21.5% of pitches outside the zone, per Baseball Savant. That chase rate ranked in the 90th percentile of MLB hitters this season. Also, Hernández was equally successful when facing pitchers of either handedness.
As the Marlins offseason gets underway, Hernández is set up well to make the 2026 Opening Day roster. Something to keep in mind—although he never saw any game reps at first base, the 25-year-old did some pregame work at the position this season. If the Marlins don’t sign any veteran first basemen in free agency, they could give Hernández a shot to prove his defensive versatility.