Ronaldo Hernandez

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #27 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: The Red Sox acquired Hernandez from the Rays prior to the 2021 season. He hit .326/.369/.568 with 10 homers over his last 63 games at Double-A and Triple-A.
  
  Scouting Report: Hernandez has significant raw power that shows up in games when he gets the barrel to the ball, something that can be challenging despite his solid contact rate due to a lack of plate discipline. Still, if he remains at catcher, his power would allow his offense to stand out at the position even if he grades as a 35 or 40 hitter. There’s industry skepticism about his ability to stay behind the plate given technical shortcomings as a receiver and blocker, but the Red Sox were encouraged by progress he made in his receiving at the bottom of the zone and his blocking after going to one knee.
  
  The Future: If Hernandez stays behind the plate, he could have a long career as a backup. The 2022 season is his last with an option.
  
• 
  Ranked Boston Red Sox #13 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Signed for $225,000 in the same 2014 international class that produced righthander Diego Castillo, Hernandez was an infielder the Rays immediately converted to catcher. His bat has always outpaced his glove, but he mainly focused on his defense in 2020. He spent much of the year traveling with the Rays as a taxi squad member, catching bullpens and side sessions.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hernandez's stints on the taxi squad gave him experience catching premium stuff, but fewer opportunities to work on his hitting. Hernandez has the plus power to hit 20-25 home runs, but he has to do a better job selecting which pitches to hit. He makes frequent contact with his solid hand-eye coordination but often swings at pitches that are tough to drive. Hernandez's approach is very pull-heavy. Every home run of his pro career has been hit to left or left-center field. Hernandez has a plus arm behind the plate and moves well for a big catcher, but his receiving is fringe-average and needs to continue to improve.
  
  THE FUTURE: The Rays added Hernandez to the 40-man roster after the 2019 season knowing he still needed time to develop. He is likely to open the 2021 season in Double-A.
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #8 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Catcher is one of the few thin positions in the Rays' farm system, which makes Hernandez even more important. An infielder as an amateur, Hernandez quickly took to catching as a pro. He had a breakout season with low Class A Bowling Green in 2018, but offensively he took a step back in 2019, largely because the Florida State League seemed to sap his power.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hernandez has already filled out and has a relatively mature, physical body. He has plus raw power. His bat speed is average at best and he too often hits pitchers' pitches, but he has solid bat-to-ball skills to go with his plus power. He will have to work to stay flexible enough to catch. He has tried a variety of setups to better present low pitches and has made improvement in his receiving, game-calling and English. He projects as an average defender with a plus-plus arm—he threw out 39 percent of basestealers in 2019.
  
  THE FUTURE: Hernandez is expected to be added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The Rays have generally emphasized receiving over offense over the past decade, but Hernandez has a chance to be a two-way threat behind the plate. If robo-umps ever arrive, he'd be even more valuable. He's ready to head to Double-A Montgomery.
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #4 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: The last time the Rays had a homegrown catcher serve as their starter was Toby Hall in 2007. The Rays passed on drafting Buster Posey the following year and haven't produced a regular at the position since. Hernandez could change that. An infielder as an amateur whom the Rays converted to catching, Hernandez ranked second in the Midwest League with 21 home runs and second in the minors among catchers (behind the Padres Austin Allen).
  
  Scouting Report: Hernandez has some of the best power potential in the Rays system with legitimate 20-plus homer potential. His swing varies from short with no-load to longer and leveraged depending on the situation. Hernandez will have to stay on top of his conditioning because his body is already mature, and he's taller and heavier than his listed weight. He is doing yoga to try to help maintain his flexibility. Hernandez has shown steady improvement with his English-language skills, and he carries himself as a confident leader. A below-average receiver, he needs to improve his blocking ability and soften his hands as he receives and frames. He has a 70 arm that can shut down running games.
  
  The Future: If Hernandez continues to put in the work defensively, he has potential to be the rare everyday catcher who is an offensive asset. Much like the rest of his Bowling Green teammates, he's ready for high Class A Charlotte, where he should be among the league's best prospects.
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #12 prospect in 2018
  A former infielder who played on Colombia's 18U World Cup team as a 15-year-old in 2013, Hernandez signed for $225,000 and moved behind the plate with the Rays. He emerged as a legitimate dual-threat receiver in 2017 at Rookie-level Princeton after battling a groin injury for two years in the Dominican Summer League. Hernandez ranked as the Appalachian League's fourth-best prospect and finished among the leaders in hits (third), doubles (second) and slugging percentage (fifth). He also paced the Rays system in batting average (.332). Hernandez has an easy swing and good barrel control despite possessing a bat wrap. He makes hard contact thanks to his quick wrists and strong forearms. Aggressive with above-average power potential, he needs to create a shorter path to inside pitches. Scouts are surprised to discover Hernandez's limited experience behind the dish based on his ability. He has plus-plus arm strength that led to him throwing out 57 percent of would-be basestealers last season. Hernandez does a solid job blocking balls in the dirt, but showed signs of tiring late in the season. He has made strides learning English. Hernandez is on an upward trajectory that could see him emerge as one of the organization's premier prospects. He is in line to open 2018 as the starting catcher at low Class A Bowling Green.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Florida State League #20 prospect in 2019
• 
  Ranked Midwest League #7 prospect in 2018
  Will Benson's 22 home runs narrowly edged Hernandez for the MWL title, but the Colombian native was among the best sluggers in the league. He finished in the top three in the league in home runs, slugging percentage (.494) and home run rate (one every 19.3 at-bats). Hernandez, a former third baseman, is still a work in progress behind the plate, but evaluators see the tools and skills to be an everyday catcher with a chance to also be a middle-of-the-order bat. Hernandez has plus power, an advanced understanding of how to hit and a plus-plus arm. He loses focus at times behind the plate - his 19 passed balls were easily worst in the league - but the tools are there for him to be at least an average defender. He threw out 36 percent of basestealers.
• 
  Ranked American League #4 prospect in 2017
  A converted infielder, Hernandez signed for $225,000 out of Colombia in 2014 and spent the previous two seasons in the Dominican Summer League because of a groin injury. The Rays felt confident enough in his catching ability to send him to Princeton this summer, and he received near-universal praise on both sides of the ball. Hernandez projects to have plus contact skills thanks to an innate awareness for the barrel and smooth stroke. His strong 6-foot-1 frame and quick bat head facilitate average power potential, too. Calm and collected at the plate, Hernandez doesn't panic at offspeed pitches. Behind the plate is where Hernandez really shines. His plus-plus arm allowed him to throw out 57 percent of basestealers, and he combines it with an advanced feel for receiving.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #56 prospect in 2019

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The Red Sox acquired Hernandez from the Rays prior to the 2021 season. He hit .326/.369/.568 with 10 homers over his last 63 games at Double-A and Triple-A.
  
  Scouting Report: Hernandez has significant raw power that shows up in games when he gets the barrel to the ball, something that can be challenging despite his solid contact rate due to a lack of plate discipline. Still, if he remains at catcher, his power would allow his offense to stand out at the position even if he grades as a 35 or 40 hitter. There’s industry skepticism about his ability to stay behind the plate given technical shortcomings as a receiver and blocker, but the Red Sox were encouraged by progress he made in his receiving at the bottom of the zone and his blocking after going to one knee.
  
  The Future: If Hernandez stays behind the plate, he could have a long career as a backup. The 2022 season is his last with an option.
  
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Signed for $225,000 in the same 2014 international class that produced righthander Diego Castillo, Hernandez was an infielder the Rays immediately converted to catcher. His bat has always outpaced his glove, but he mainly focused on his defense in 2020. He spent much of the year traveling with the Rays as a taxi squad member, catching bullpens and side sessions.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hernandez's stints on the taxi squad gave him experience catching premium stuff, but fewer opportunities to work on his hitting. Hernandez has the plus power to hit 20-25 home runs, but he has to do a better job selecting which pitches to hit. He makes frequent contact with his solid hand-eye coordination but often swings at pitches that are tough to drive. Hernandez's approach is very pull-heavy. Every home run of his pro career has been hit to left or left-center field. Hernandez has a plus arm behind the plate and moves well for a big catcher, but his receiving is fringe-average and needs to continue to improve.
  
  THE FUTURE: The Rays added Hernandez to the 40-man roster after the 2019 season knowing he still needed time to develop. He is likely to open the 2021 season in Double-A.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Signed for $225,000 in the same 2014 international class that produced righthander Diego Castillo, Hernandez was an infielder the Rays immediately converted to catcher. His bat has always outpaced his glove, but he mainly focused on his defense in 2020. He spent much of the year traveling with the Rays as a taxi squad member, catching bullpens and side sessions.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hernandez's stints on the taxi squad gave him experience catching premium stuff, but fewer opportunities to work on his hitting. Hernandez has the plus power to hit 20-25 home runs, but he has to do a better job selecting which pitches to hit. He makes frequent contact with his solid hand-eye coordination but often swings at pitches that are tough to drive. Hernandez's approach is very pull-heavy. Every home run of his pro career has been hit to left or left-center field. Hernandez has a plus arm behind the plate and moves well for a big catcher, but his receiving is fringe-average and needs to continue to improve.
  
  THE FUTURE: The Rays added Hernandez to the 40-man roster after the 2019 season knowing he still needed time to develop. He is likely to open the 2021 season in Double-A.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Catcher is one of the few thin positions in the Rays’ farm system, which makes Hernandez even more important. An infielder as an amateur, Hernandez quickly took to catching as a pro. He had a breakout season with low Class A Bowling Green in 2018, but offensively he took a step back in 2019, largely because the Florida State League seemed to sap his power.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hernandez has already filled out and has a relatively mature, physical body. He has plus raw power. His bat speed is average at best and he too often hits pitchers’ pitches, but he has solid bat-to-ball skills to go with his plus power. He will have to work to stay flexible enough to catch. He has tried a variety of setups to better present low pitches and has made improvement in his receiving, game-calling and English. He projects as an average defender with a plus-plus arm—he threw out 39 percent of basestealers in 2019.
  
  THE FUTURE: Hernandez is expected to be added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The Rays have generally emphasized receiving over offense over the past decade, but Hernandez has a chance to be a two-way threat behind the plate. If robo-umps ever arrive, he’d be even more valuable. He’s ready to head to Double-A Montgomery.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Catcher is one of the few thin positions in the Rays' farm system, which makes Hernandez even more important. An infielder as an amateur, Hernandez quickly took to catching as a pro. He had a breakout season with low Class A Bowling Green in 2018, but offensively he took a step back in 2019, largely because the Florida State League seemed to sap his power.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Hernandez has already filled out and has a relatively mature, physical body. He has plus raw power. His bat speed is average at best and he too often hits pitchers' pitches, but he has solid bat-to-ball skills to go with his plus power. He will have to work to stay flexible enough to catch. He has tried a variety of setups to better present low pitches and has made improvement in his receiving, game-calling and English. He projects as an average defender with a plus-plus arm—he threw out 39 percent of basestealers in 2019.
  
  THE FUTURE: Hernandez is expected to be added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The Rays have generally emphasized receiving over offense over the past decade, but Hernandez has a chance to be a two-way threat behind the plate. If robo-umps ever arrive, he'd be even more valuable. He's ready to head to Double-A Montgomery.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The last time the Rays had a homegrown catcher serve as their starter was Toby Hall in 2007. The Rays passed on drafting Buster Posey the following year and haven’t produced a regular at the position since. Hernandez could change that. An infielder as an amateur whom the Rays converted to catching, Hernandez ranked second in the Midwest League with 21 home runs and second in the minors among catchers. Scouting Report: Hernandez has legitimate 20-plus homer potential. His swing varies from short with no-load to longer and leveraged depending on the situation. Hernandez will have to stay on top of his conditioning because his body is already mature, and he’s taller and heavier than his listed weight. He is doing yoga to try to help maintain his flexibility. Hernandez has shown steady improvement with his English-language skills, and he carries himself as a confident leader. A below-average receiver, he needs to improve his blocking ability and soften his hands as he receives and frames. He has a 70 arm that can shut down running games. The Future: If Hernandez continues to put in the work defensively, he has potential to be the rare catcher who is an offensive asset.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Hernandez has some of the loudest tools in the system, and has begun showing results in full-season ball. He’s still got to refine himself behind the plate, but has already shown an arm that scouts have graded as a 70 on the 20-to-80 scale. He’s also shown power as well as feel for the strike zone that belies his age.