Lost 12 pounds and shifted to left field; Spanish-speaking coach urges him to win the Gold Glove in the outfield

Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández showed up to spring training this year in excellent shape. He shared that he lost 12 pounds (approximately 5.4 kilograms) over the offseason to improve his speed on the bases. His aim is to restore his prime hitting ability and to overcome the criticism of weak defense, boldly setting his sights on capturing his first Gold Glove award.

Last season, Hernández struggled with injuries and delivered underwhelming performances both offensively and defensively, playing in 134 games with 25 home runs, a batting average of .247, and an OPS of .738. Defense has always been a weak point for him; his Outs Above Average (OAA) last year was a low -9, ranking fourth worst among qualified right fielders. When asked about his weight loss, Hernández admitted, “I felt I was carrying too much weight last year, which affected my mobility. One of my offseason goals was to return to the physique I had when I was hitting well.”

With star right fielder Kyle Tucker joining the Dodgers, the outfield alignment has been reshuffled, and Hernández will move to left field this season. However, he is no stranger to this position, having primarily played left field the year before last. He gladly accepted the role change and set a new goal: “For every outfielder, the Gold Glove is one of the targets. I’ve already won a Silver Slugger and a World Series. I might only have two or three years left in my career, and I want to retire as a Gold Glove winner.”