Enhanced Focus Helps Cubs’ Cristian Hernandez Thrive At High-A
In his fifth season in the Cubs organization, shortstop Cristian Hernandez doesn’t turn 22 until December.
For as familiar as he’s been within prospect rankings since signing with the Cubs for $3 million in 2021 out of the Dominican Republic, Hernandez is showing signs of bouncing back from his first taste of High-A where he closed the 2024 season.
As Hernandez continues to predominantly face pitchers older than him at South Bend, there is still time for him to become the all-around player the organization believes he can be, and his performance during the first month showed encouraging trends.
Through 30 games, Hernandez was hitting .293/.353/.447 with two home runs and 13 stolen bases. His OPS was up nearly 180 points from his Midwest League time in late 2024.
Cubs farm director Jason Kanzler has seen a more mature player who has a better understanding of what he needs to do to get where he wants to go.”
“He took his offseason very seriously,” Kanzler said. “He came back more physical, more focused and more confident in the work he put in and the work still to be done.”
The Cubs’ developmental focus with Hernandez has centered on targeting his ability to get his swing off in a tighter window to better handle upper-level fastball velocities.
“He has great natural leverage and his athleticism contributes to good raw power, so we really wanted to make sure he could capitalize on those things more often,” Kanzler said.
