Back to the Cleveland Guardians Newsfeed

Cleveland Indians: How can Cesar Hernandez improve the lineup in 2020?

For as long as just about anyone in Cleveland can remember, second base at Progressive Field has been occupied primarily by Jason Kipnis. With that era likely over for good, it’s time to focus on whether Cesar Hernandez can help improve the Cleveland Indians offense in Kipnis’ stead.

The first leg up Hernandez has on Kipnis is that he’s a switch-hitter. That wouldn’t have helped the Indians much in 2019, when Hernandez posted a lowly 67 wRC+ against left-handed pitching. For his career, however, Hernandez owns a serviceable 97 wRC+ in such matchups, a marginal yet noticeable step up from Kipnis’ 82 wRC+ versus southpaws.