ATLANTA_While the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated a sixth consecutive National League West title Monday that appeared improbable a few days earlier, manager Dave Roberts heaped lofty praise on one of the players who powered their September push.
"When you're talking about MVP of the ballclub," Roberts said, "he's right there at the top of the conversation."
Stars, budding and blossomed, cram the Dodgers' expensive roster. Clayton Kershaw. Kenley Jansen. Justin Turner. Manny Machado. Walker Buehler. The list fits the setting. But Roberts wasn't referring to one of the 13 players on his then-40-man roster who have appeared in at least one All-Star game. He was complimenting Enrique Hernandez, the spirited glove-first super utility man who morphed into an offensive force over the previous five weeks.
Hernandez continued tormenting pitchers in Game 1 of the NL Division Series against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday at Dodger Stadium, belting a solo home run off right-hander Brad Brach and drawing a walk. He then went 0 for 3 in Game 2 _ the first time he went hitless playing an entire game since Sept. 12 _ but is still batting .366 with four home runs and a 1.041 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 32 games since Aug. 26, which he began batting .222 with a .738 OPS.
The breakout has elevated Hernandez _ at least temporarily _ to a title that had eluded him as a major leaguer: everyday player.
"I think for like three years now everybody knows what I can do with my glove and my arm or whatever," the 27-year-old Hernandez said before Game 2. "But it was about putting it together at the plate. And the last two or three years I've been fighting myself, fighting my brain ... wanting to play every day really bad and not really focusing on the big picture ... and you know, with the years with failure, you learn a lot."
Long limited to starts against left-handers, Hernandez is mashing right-handers too. He has walked as much as he's struck out (14 times each) and accumulated 10 multi-hit games in his last 28 starts while playing seven positions during his torrid stretch, one Roberts attributed to mechanical and approach adjustments Hernandez has implemented.
"There's a commitment to using the big part of the field," Roberts said. "And also, just really appreciating the value of staying in the strike zone, and not just always trying to slug. ... The mechanical piece, to be able to stay on the baseball when the ball is going away from you _ typically the secondary stuff _ and to not try to slug, which allows you to see the ball just a tick longer. And I think those three components right there have really helped him be the player he is."
When Hernandez was a minor leaguer in the Houston Astros' organization in 2014 while trying to figure out how he could cement a place at baseball's highest level, he made a decision. He wasn't just a second baseman anymore. He couldn't be. The Astros employed a guy named Jose Altuve and he wasn't going anywhere. Hernandez was stuck in triple A. So he started playing a different position every day. Shortstop. Third base. Center field. He rotated through them every week, his athleticism rendering the experiment a success. The constant movement continued when he was traded to the Miami Marlins that summer. Versatility, he knew, was his ticket to a steady spot in the majors.
He reached the big leagues that season with the Astros and Marlins, appearing in games at every position but pitcher, catcher and first base. He was traded to the Dodgers that winter in the Dee Gordon deal and solidified his role as a super utility man in the big leagues while batting .307 with an .836 OPS in 76 games.
Struggles at the plate followed. Hernandez batted .190 with a .607 OPS in 2016. He wasn't much better last season (.215 and .729). He supplied enough value with his speed, glove and positional flexibility to stay in the majors, but he understood his margin for error was thin.
"It has helped me establish myself in the major leagues, definitely, because the last two years, I haven't produced like I can produce at the plate," Hernandez said in Spanish. "If it wasn't for my defense and versatility, I would've been in the minor leagues again."
Hernandez was at a table speaking to reporters at Dodger Stadium before Game 2 _ an assignment reserved for one prominent position player from each team before every postseason game. It was, in a way, a nod to his recent ascent. There was no doubt about his status Friday. Hernandez, who clubbed a career-high 21 home runs during the regular season, was in the Dodgers' lineup again, batting seventh and playing second base.
Hernandez has batted leadoff and played center field against left-handers recently, but Roberts indicated the Dodgers' starting lineup would look different than its recent configuration against southpaws for Game 3 on Sunday opposite left-hander Sean Newcomb because the Braves have right-handed starters Kevin Gausman and Julio Teheran in the bullpen.
"We might have a tweak or two," Roberts said.
Regardless, Hernandez will be in the lineup. The platoon-loyal Dodgers spent September fielding _ besides a few constants _ two different teams depending on the opposing starting pitcher. Hernandez emerged as one of those few everyday constants even after the Dodgers acquired Brian Dozier, a right-handed-hitting second baseman, at the trade deadline.
Hernandez has been a star-level performer on a team filled with them. He credited Chase Utley _ his team dad _ for unearthing his success by helping him develop his work ethic and maturity, but the talent was there. It was on display when he slugged three home runs against the Chicago Cubs in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series a year ago, when his playing time was less consistent. It took three years, but he's a valuable everyday presence now, one the Dodgers will depend on for as long as this playoff run goes.
"At first, it was whatever to get to the major leagues," Hernandez said. "And then it was whatever to help establish myself. And now I'm used to the role. I'm still doing it. At the end of the day I just want to be in the lineup. I want to play every day, whether it's playing one position or a few positions. I don't have a problem with that. As long as I'm in the lineup every day."
