5 Rangers on Thin Ice This Offseason
By Tyler Maher
2. Jonathan Hernandez
Speaking of mediocre relievers who need to be shown the door, you can add Jonathan Hernandez to that list.
Hernandez was nearly as bad as Sborz this season, going 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA, a 1.58 WHIP and -0.3 WAR in 33 appearances. The difference was that he was actually effective in 2022 (2.97 ERA), so his down 2023 seemed to come out of nowhere.
The problem with Hernandez is his high walk rate, which doesn't seem to be getting any better. His 4.3 BB/9 this season was identical to his career 4.3 BB/9 mark, which has played a large role in his career 1.39 WHIP. He simply allows too many baserunners to be a reliable reliever, and his shaky control makes him virtually unusable in the middle of an inning when there are already runners on base or in any sort of high-leverage situation.
You can live with a guy like Hernandez if he gets out of his own jams, but he stopped doing that in 2023. If those struggles continue in 2024, it will be time to move on before he can cause too much damage.