Blue Jays: In the era of versatility, try Teoscar Hernandez at first this winter

Professional ball players are becoming more versatile, and multi-position players are becoming more common, and valued. With that in mind, is it worth trying out Teoscar Hernandez at first base this winter?

It’s no secret that Teoscar Hernandez has struggled on defence this year, as he’s got the worst defensive rating of any Blue Jay in 2018. I wrote about his struggles last week, and I also suggested that the Blue Jays have the time to be patient and allow him to develop while making mistakes without it costing them dearly in the standings. A rebuild is about the only time an opportunity like that exists in the big leagues, and if the Blue Jays believe in Hernandez’s bat enough, they’ll give him more than enough opportunities to improve in the outfield.

However, I got thinking more about Hernandez’s future with the club, and whether his defence will hold him back from being a piece of the puzzle in the next generation of this team. As things stand right now I think that’s absolutely the case, but again, he does have some time to prove that he’s capable in the outfield, at least enough to justify keeping his bat in the lineup. If he can’t do that over the next year or so though, I would suggest the Blue Jays look at another alternative: Giving him some reps at first base.

I can hear the naysayers already, telling me that first base isn’t as easy as everyone thinks it is, and that you can’t just move an outfielder there and expect them to hold their own at the highest level. I totally get that, and I’d never suggest that Hernandez or anyone else get moved there without proper time to work on defensive chops at a new position. That said, positional versatility is becoming so common in baseball these days that I don’t think it’s an idea that can be immediately dismissed, even if it would take some time to implement.

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I think there’s enough doubt around Hernandez’s game in the outfield that you could start that process right now, even if you don’t really need it down the line. For now the smartest thing would be to have him focus on the final six weeks of the season, and do his best to finish strong on both sides of the ball.

I would, however, approach the young man and see if he might be interested in a stint at winter ball to potentially work on another position to add to his resume. After a season of struggles, it might not be that tough to talk him and his agent into such a thing. His bat is definitely his most desirable asset at this stage, and the idea of relegating a 25 year old to an exclusive DH would both limit his value to his employer, and his career potential.

The Blue Jays need to find a way to make him a serviceable defender, and working him out at first base isn’t as crazy as it sounds. He’s got a long frame that would work in his favour, and he also has minor league options remaining, which means he could realistically work on the position in Buffalo next year if there was enough progress shown. I fully expect Justin Smoak to come back in 2019 and I’m not suggesting Hernandez as a full-time option at first right away anyway, but working on the versatility could make a lot of sense.

For what it’s worth, this is just an idea that rattled around in my head for awhile today. Hernandez has never played first base as a professinoal, or anywhere in the infield for that matter, so it would be an entirely new thing. There’s no guarantee that he’d take to it well either, so maybe it’s not even an option worth exploring much.

However, as I’ve watched more and more skippers get creative with their lineups, and organizations with their development strategies, I can’t help but think it’s worth a shot.