Mets Minors 2025 Prospects: No. 26 Ronald Hernandez

No. 26 Ronald Hernandez, C-1B

B/T: S/R Age: 21

Height: 5’11” Weight: 155 lbs

Acquired: Trade with Miami for David Robertson in July 2023

ETA: 2027

2024 Stats: Brooklyn: .167/.286/.222/.508, 42 PA, 6 H, 0 HR, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 1 SB, 16 SO, 5 BB

St. Lucie: .271/.362/.359/.721, 403 PA, 95 H, 5 HR, 41 RBI, 12 2B, 7 SB, 96 SO, 47 BB

Overview

Ronald Hernandez was signed by the Marlins for $850,000 out of Venezuela as a 17-year-old, non-drafted free agent in 2021. He spent three years in the Marlins organization, playing rookie ball in the Florida Complex League and the Dominican Summer League. In all, he hit eight homers and slashed .243/.382/.370 in 116 games before being sent to New York at the 2023 trade deadline with minor league infielder Marco Vargas for reliever David Robertson.

After the trade, he finished 2023 with 22 games in the Mets organization (14 in the Florida Complex League and eight with Single-A St. Lucie), hitting one home run and driving in 18. He was named a Florida Complex League postseason All-Star.

In May 2024, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs wrote that Hernandez was “a slightly undersized switch-hitting catcher with a well-rounded skill set and no plus tool. His bat-to-ball skills, which are quite good for such a young switch-hitter, and plate discipline are what carry all the weight of his offensive profile, as Hernandez isn’t especially projectable or athletic and likely won’t grow into huge power.

“On defense, Hernandez is fine behind the plate as a receiver and thrower, though a scout source with St. Lucie coverage thought he had regressed. He’s a developmental backup prospect.”

Last season, Hernandez played 98 games for Low-A St. Lucie, hit .271/.362/.359 and homered five times. In a 10-game stint at Single-A Brooklyn, he went 6-for-36 (.167) with two doubles and 16 strikeouts. Here is a video of his first hit at Brooklyn, an RBI double.

He’s shown consistency hitting from either side of the plate, posting a .702 OPS from the left side last season and a .696 mark from the right side.

He has started 138 games at catcher and 30 games at first base in his minor league career.

2025 Outlook

Expect Hernandez to start the year with the Cyclones. He will hope to improve with the bat and get back to or surpass the numbers he was putting up in 2023 – his .701 OPS in 2024 was down a ways from the .875 he posted in 2023. He had better numbers in 2023 with the arm, too. He threw out 15 percent of runners who tried to steal on him last season (17 of 112) after gunning down 24 percent (12 of 51) in 2023.

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