Jan Hernandez

Jan Alexis Hernandez

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 225 lb.
• High School Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy

• Born January 3, 1995 in San Lorenzo P.R.

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Jan Hernandez is a Puerto Rican outfielder who was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 3rd round of the 2013 amateur draft after going to the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy.

His professional career started slowly as he hit .210 in 39 games for the GCL Phillies in 2013 and .177 in 74 games between the Williamsport Crosscutters of the New York-Penn League and Lakewood Blue Claws of the South Atlantic League in 2014. He returned to Williamsport in 2015, and while he improved to some degree, hitting .211 in 57 games, he was still well below what the Phillies were expecting. He did hit 10 homers that season, his first time in double figures. He did show some good improvement in 2016, when he spent the bulk of the season with Lakewood. He hit .253/.313/.416 in 90 games, with 10 homers, 49 runs and 32 RBIs. But when promoted to the Clearwater Threshers of the Florida State League in 2017, he once again had trouble keeping above the Mendoza Line, finishing at .212/.287/.415. he did hit 12 homers and drive in 35 runs.

During that time, he was playing winter ball in the Puerto Rican League, starting in 2014-15 with the Criollos de Caguas. In 2017-18, he hit .298 for the Cangrejeros de Santurce, something that should have given the Phillies some hope given the relatively high caliber of winter league baseball in Puerto Rico. In 2018, he hit well after a promotion to AA with the Reading Fightin Phils, putting up his best numbers yet: in 103 games, his slash line was .263/.326/.431, with 59 runs, 14 homers and 53 RBIs. And he followed that by again being one of Santurce's best hitters, including scoring the winning run in the game that gave them a record 20th league championship on January 20, 2019. He also led the league in doubles that year and the win also gave him the opportunity to play in the 2019 Caribbean Series. He continued to move up the Phillies chain that year as he spent the season in the AAA International League with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, where he hit .260 in 61 games in a season cut short by an injury. He also hit 12 homers and drove in 44 runs in what was basically half a season, and had he been healthy would likely had received a look in the Show. He followed that by contributing to another championship season by Santurce, and another chance to play in the Caribbean Series.

It is fair to say that Hernandez was the type of player most hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. Another good season in AAA in 2020 would likely have put him over the hump and into the majors, but he was not highly-rated enough as a prospect to secure one of the few coveted spots at the Phils' alternate training site, so he lost a season of action at the worst possible time, and was also let go by the Phillies, probably because he was by then 26 and not a significant prospect anymore. In 2021, he had to move to the independent leagues, hitting .318 in 55 games with the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association, which earned him another look in a major league organization, with the Cincinnati Reds. However, he hit just .167 in 29 games for the Louisville Bats to finish the season and was let go again. After returning to Santurce following the season, he was back in Kansas City in 2022 and continued to do well, hitting .313 with 24 homers and 71 RBIs in 73 games. He changed winter league teams in 2022-23, moving to the Gigantes de Carolina.