Teoscar Hernandez learning quickly at Triple-A Fresno

Professional baseball hitters have roughly four-tenths of a second to react to a pitch traveling 90-92 mph, from the moment it leaves the pitcher’s hand to contact.

“You have a portion of that, in the first, say .16,” Fresno Grizzlies hitting coach Ralph Dickenson says, “where you better know everything there is about that pitch and be in your hitting position because it’s going to take .18 to swing the bat.

“You’ve got to dance with the pitcher, then you’ve got to see the pitch and recognize the pitch, then get in the right place at the right time, depending on what type of pitch you recognize, then you lay out the mechanics of your swing.”

That’s the challenge for young hitters such as Grizzlies outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who jumped to Triple A nearly a month ago after spending parts of three seasons trying to move past Double A.

It was a tough climb as Hernandez had to prove doubters wrong. He spent long hours working on the eye-brain-body coordination needed to excel in a sport where a 30 percent success rate can land you in the Hall of Fame.

Among those questioning Hernandez’s chances was his current hitting coach.

“There was a time when he was playing in (Class-A) Quad City when I didn’t think he had a chance because he couldn’t see spin,” Dickenson said.

It’s not just being at the plate, experts say, seeing pitches day in and day out. It’s also about arriving at the clubhouse early and digesting clips of their swings – good and bad, over and over.

Hernandez’s clips showed a 6-foot-2, 180-pound right-handed batter chasing far too many breaking balls in the dirt and striking out way too often.

At Quad City in 2013, Hernandez had as many hits as strikeouts – 135 in 499 at-bats. In 2014, he had 11 more strikeouts (153) than hits in 486 at-bats between High-A Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi. Then in 2015, he struck out 126 times , had 103 hits and finished with a career-low average of .219.

Finally, beginning last offseason, something clicked.

“Watching film from last season and comparing it to now, seeing what I’m doing wrong from the night before and recognizing pitches more has really helped me,” Hernandez said. “I’ve been working a lot on strike-zone recognition and not chasing those balls in the dirt. That’s been the key to what’s helped me have success this season.”

The 23-year-old from the Dominican Republic began 2016 in Double A again, but after hitting .305 – with 85 hits and 55 strikeouts in 279 at-bats – he was promoted to Fresno on June 30. Hernandez went 4 for 6 with a home run, triple and three RBIs in his Grizzlies debut and stayed hot, getting at least one hit in 12 of his next 14 games, including 11 straight.

He has kept his strikeouts down, too, with 13 in 84 at-bats for the Grizzlies entering Thursday. Hernandez is hitting .310 (26 for 84) with four doubles, two triples, three home runs and 12 RBIs. He’s also walked nine times, another positive sign for a hitter with a career .336 on-base percentage.

It’s some of the best ball Hernandez has played since joining the Houston Astros’ organization as a 19-year-old rookie free agent in 2011.

“I’ve been around Teoscar for four years now and saw him from low-A ball until this point, and when he came here from Corpus (Christi), this was the best that I’ve ever seen him,” Dickenson said. “When he first arrived here, he was nails. He was in charge of all that stuff.”

Although Hernandez has improved his timing and mechanics, consistency is another goal. Beginning when his 11-game hitting streak was snapped July 19, Hernandez went 6 for 28 in his next eight games, including an 0-for-4 night Wednesday.

“Guys get out of whack all the time,” Dickenson said. “Not by any intention; it just happens. Something gets in your head. Then the game becomes mental.”

Hernandez admitted that “it can get a little overbearing. You have to be focused every day, watching film every day and going up to the plate with a new plan each time, improving from your last time up.”

Nonetheless, the consensus is that he is learning quickly without the need to be rushed to the major leagues. Hernandez entered the season as the team’s 26th-rated prospect by mlb.com, though he has moved up to No. 12.

“I’d prefer to get better here all year,” he said. “That way, when I do take that next step to the majors, I’ll be ready for everything.”

This story was originally published July 28, 2016 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Teoscar Hernandez learning quickly at Triple-A Fresno."