Did the SF Giants get a 'demon' in the Robbie Ray trade with the San Diego Padres?

The SF Giants acquired Miguel Mendez and infielder Joniel Hernandez in a rare inter-division trade that sent Robbie Ray to the San Diego Padres. Mendez is already on the 40-man roster, so he is an option to pitch at some point, but what did the Giants get in Hernandez?

Hernandez is on the younger side, and it may be some time before he reaches full-season ball. He signed out of Cuba during this year's international signing period. The middle infielder received a $1.4 million signing bonus, which was the largest bonus handed out by the Padres in this year's cycle.

At the time of the signing, Padres scouting director Chris Kemp told Jesse Borek of MLB.Com what makes Hernandez so intriguing, "With [Joniel] Hernandez, it’s the tools, it’s the bat speed. Up-the-middle athlete who grades out plus in a lot of categories for us."

The right-handed bat has wasted no time in making a good first impression. He has three hits, including a double and a home run, with two walks and two steals in five at-bats since the trade. Hernandez is playing for the Dominican Summer League Giants (DSL) Black.

Young middle infielder might have been a shrewd acqusition at the SF Giants trade deadline

Overall, the 17-year-old infielder is slashing .325/.448/.546 (135 wRC+) with five home runs, 45 RBI, and 44 runs in 204 plate appearances. This includes more walks (36) than strikeouts (31). He has posted a healthy 17.6 percent walk rate, but this comes in a league that typically runs high walk rates. That does not always translate as a player moves on from the DSL. Barring an injury, there is a high probability that he moves stateside in 2027.

As soon as the deal was completed, I poked around to learn more about Hernandez. One source shared that they thought it was a good "buy-now" move by the Giants, expecting that the middle infielder's stock should only increase over the next couple of years.

Then, Tobey Schulman of The Toolshed Podcast labeled Hernandez a demon (compliment). Schulman covers the minors extremely well, so please give him a follow and check out his podcast. I prodded further, and he was nice enough to share what makes Hernandez such an interesting prospect, as well as what development opportunities he has ahead:

"[Joniel] Hernandez has done a bit of everything well. Obviously, taking into account it is in the DSL, walking more than you strike out as a 17-year-old is incredible. There’s some slight swing-and-miss concerns at times but again at such a young age, it should be expected to not be refined. He has a profile that should allow him to tap into more power as the frame grows as well, as a majority pull-side hitter that has a great feel for lifting the baseball. A lot to like early on, but the biggest thing for me is if the contact-rate and swing-and-miss can improve or at least translate stateside."

Tobey Schulman on Joniel Hernandez

Schulman's nugget on the pull detail is fascinating. Hernandez has pulled the ball in 52.6 percent of batted-ball events, and he gets the ball in the air nearly 70 percent of the time. This is a good combination of being able to pull the ball or get it into the air. That is generally a good recipe for maximizing raw power.

Hernandez has an athletic frame, with plenty of room to grow. It stands to reason that as his raw power spikes up, it should translate well to the games. Of course, his contact rate will need to show improvement as he progresses.

It might be a couple of years before Giants fans know if they got a demon (compliment), but this is the type of upside to bet on at the trade deadline.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow