Hernandez made his professional debut with the Venezuelan Summer League at the age of 17. In two seasons there, he tallied a .296 batting average with 3 HR and 45 RBI in 114 games.

The current Phillies 40-man roster member played with the Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2009, where he batted .267 with 5 doubles and a triple in 41 games.

In 2010, as a member of the NY-Penn League’s (short-season Class A) Williamsport Crosscutters, Hernandez was voted as the Most Valuable Player of the club by his teammates. He proved clutch with the ‘Cutters, posting a .400 average (16-for-40) with runners in scoring position and two outs. Overall that season, Hernandez sported an impressive .325/.390/.392 line with 13 doubles and 2 triples in 65 games and was 2nd in the league in stolen bases with 32.

His remarkable season in Williamsport led to a complete skip of full season Class A Lakewood. Hernandez played the entire 2011 season with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers, where his offensive production took a dip (.268/.303./.333 line). With just 15 extra-base hits against 98 singles last year, a power boost will be something to look for from Hernandez as he climbs upwards in the developmental ranks.

Also taking a noticeable drop was the damage Hernandez did on the base paths. After a success rate of 84% in 2010, the youngster was only successful in 70% of his stolen base attempts with Clearwater the following year. Moving up two levels provides an acceptable reason for the decreased output and, as such, the Phillies were still very pleased with the progress Hernandez made against the difficult Florida State League competition.

The 21-year-old played in the Venezuelan Winter League this off-season. As a member of the Bravos de Margarita, the switch-hitting Hernandez posted a weak .259/.314/.277 line in 34 games.

Defensively, Hernandez’s arm is clearly above average and his range is very good. He has played 45 games at shortstop in his pro career, but none since advancing above the VSL.

Hernandez’s coaches and organizational instructors praise his many talents (defensive instincts, swing, speed) and are confident that Hernandez has what it will take to compete at the highest levels of professional baseball.

Expect Hernandez to get a shot at playing with the Double-A Reading Phillies in 2012. Whether or not he begins the season there could depend on where the organization places the older Harold Garcia to open the year. While Hernandez may project to compete at the big league level, the capacity in which he could contribute in the Majors will surely depend on the progress he makes in the meantime.

__________________________________________________

Image- Joe Wombough

Our 2012 Prospect countdown index can be found HERE.

Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league insider. You can check out more from Jay by visiting his site, PhoulBallz.com.

It's Happy Snacking!, our recurring feature that teaches you the skills you need to make our signature handcrafted, fit-for-human-consumption foodstuffs. Never go hungry between meals again!

More than any other artist this side of Tay Zonday and OK Go, the great Rick Astley proves the Internet can make you a household name if you just play along. And today he turns 46! So Happy Birthday to you, our golden voiced giant. We're pretty sure that you and the digital generation are gonna be together forever.

This post's shorter than usual but it's still Music Monday. Join us in the TurntableFM room to celebrate Rick's birthday, and maybe play some other stuff too. Hope to see you there?

Slowly, that seed morphed into a small plant. The small plant became Phillies Nation TV, which Corey Seidman and I shoot on a monthly basis. We began shooting PN TV’s late in the 2011 season and have tried to keep up with it to the best of our abilities. Our hard work and diligence has paid off.

The small plant is now larger than we ever imagined it could be.

We’re excited to announce a new partnership with Service Electric’s 2 Sports in the Lehigh Valley. Phillies Nation TV will go from an 8-10 minute show into a 30 minute program that will be taped once a week and will air three times per week – with days and times to be announced soon. So, those of you in the area of Allentown, Bethlehem, Quakertown, Reading, Northampton, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and parts of Northern New Jersey will be able to see PN TV several times a week, satisfying your need for all things Phillies. You’ll also be able to get it on-demand.

Service Electric Television is a private, family owned cable business servicing over 294,000 subscribers located in approximately 250 communities in Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania and Northwestern New Jersey. 2 Sports, the channel we’ll be on, is the TV home of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs and Reading Phillies. So we’ll feel right at home covering the Phillies and their minor league affiliates while adding a new dimension to the network.

With this new partnership, we’ll be able to give you greater access to the minor leaguers we’ve come to know and love. We’ll also continue to provide the best Phillies coverage possible.

Needless to say, we’re completely stoked and can’t wait to get started on this newest project. Myself and Corey will continue the hosting duties with Ian, Jay, and all of our Phillies Nation contributors involved in some way, shape, or form. The ideas are already flowing, but of course, we’d love to hear from you. What more would you like to see out of Phillies Nation TV? Please, feel free to leave your thoughts/comments/ideas in the comments section below.

Hide This Person

With settings specifically for photos of food, pets, and the beach, you can annoy your Facebook friends like never before.

At first I didn’t understand all the hostile comments. “Thanks, I REALLY care about what you have for dinner EVERY SINGLE DAY,” said one college classmate under a photo of my delicious shrimp risotto.

“omg we get it u hav cats jeeze”: that barb from my cousin (also named Barb) was the only comment posted to a picture of Tiago and Snarl, my two Maine Coons, lounging on the dryer. And when I put up some photos of my trip to South Padre Island, this guy I used to work with went through and posted “IDIOT” to every single one. Why so harsh, you know?

But now that I have an Olympus VR-320, I totally get it. Those people were mad about my food, cat, and beach pics because my old camera just wasn’t doing them justice.

Well, they can stop complaining. It won’t just be the 14MP resolution and 12.5X optical zoom that will bring my shots to life. The VR-320’s 14 scene modes include Cuisine, Pet, and Beach & Snow. So my Facebook friends can look forward to seeing much, much more of Tiago and Snarl, and my upcoming spring break at Sanibel, and my continuing exploration of Epicurious – and in more detail than ever before.

Enjoy them while you can, guys. Because pretty soon I won’t have time to do many of those things. That’s right – Mike and I are pregnant! Do you think baby pictures should use Portrait mode, or would that still be considered Pet?

Warranty: 1 Year Olympus

Condition: New

Features:

• Meet the whole package – slim, stylish and full of features
• This camera fits perfectly into a purse and its all-metal body offers a sleek, premium look
• An impressive 12.5x zoom perfects all those family shots, and with Magic Art Filters and HD movie recording options, you can guarantee that all your pictures and videos will glamorously capture any night on the town
• The 12.5x zoom lets you get incredibly close to your subject while the 24mm wide-angle lens lets you zoom back for panoramas and group shots
• A simple, one-touch button allows you to record 720p HD movies with amazing clarity in high-definition, right from your camera
• Add style and artistic flair to your photos with Olympus’ Magic Art Filters
• All-metal body gives this chic, lightweight camera extra durability
• Dual Image Stabilization combines Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization with high ISO sensitivity and fast shutter speeds so you can capture crisp, clear images even if the subject is moving

Overview:

• 14 MEGAPIXEL: 14 million pixels in the high-resolution CCD create superior image quality. Create poster-sized prints without losing a single detail.
• 12.5X WIDE-ANGLE OPTICAL ZOOM: The 10x wide-angle (24mm) optical zoom lets you get closer to the action while the 24mm wide-angle lens lets you capture more in your shot.
• 3-INCH LCD: This huge 3-inch LCD features an extra-wide viewing angle for easier composing and shooting.
• HD MOVIE 720P: A simple, one-touch button allows you to record movies with amazing clarity in high-definition, right from your camera.
• ALL-METAL BODY: Capture your favorite memories with this chic, lightweight, durable all-metal body camera.
• DUAL IMAGE STABILIZATION: Combines Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization with high ISO sensitivity and fast shutter speeds so you can capture crisp, clear images even if the subject is moving.
• INTELLIGENT AUTO: The Intelligent Auto setting identifies the scene you’re shooting—portrait, landscape, night portrait, macro, or sport—and adjusts the settings to optimize results.
• AF TRACKING: AF Tracking automatically tracks unpredictable, fast-moving subjects such as kids and pets, and continuously adjusts the focus and brightness so you can capture these photogenic whirlwinds with ease.
• FACE DETECTION: Face Detection automatically focuses on your subjects’ faces and optimizes exposure for sharp, brilliant portrait pictures.
• MAGIC FILTER: Add style and artistic flair to your photos with Olympus’ Magic Art Filters. Joining, Pop Art, Pin Hole, Drawing, Fish Eye, and Soft Focus are the new Punk, which creates a two tone image with a classic punk rock feel, Watercolor, which transforms images into frame-worthy paintings, and Sparkle, which adds a twinkle to your photos. (Effects vary by model)
• IN-CAMERA HELP GUIDES: If you feel the need for a little extra advice, the camera’s on-board Help Guides will briefly describe the camera’s features and settings at the touch of a button.

In the box:

(1) Olympus VR-320 14MP Digital Camera (Choose: Black, Blue, Red or Silver)

• USB Cable & Charger (F-2AC)
• Audio/Video Cable
• Wrist Strap
• Lithium-Ion Battery (LI-42B)
• Instruction Manual & Software CD
• Quick Start Guide
• Warranty Card

But Sunday mornings, like for many people, are my mornings.  It gives me a chance to look back on the week, the month or in some cases the season we are currently working our way through.  This Sunday is one of those mornings.  Jumping from sport site, and some even more popular blog sites, to sport site it is amazing how much I’ve missed.

Philadelphia teams are doing very well in their respective sports this year.  The Sixers are out-performing almost everyone and have analysts scratching their heads at their success.  Good for them.  The Flyers currently trail by three points in the standing and are one of the most scariest teams in front of opposing nets.  I’d like to think we have come to expect this from all of our teams.

Have the Phillies spoiled us as fans?  I remember in the early 2000′s watching the Phils and just hoping for 90 wins.  Then I started getting greedy wanting 100 wins.  Then came the ‘World Series or Bust’ train of thought.  Once you get a taste of a championship, you just want more and more.

The Phillies are continuing to put the team in a better place to win another World Series.  Hell, even Chad Qualls made PN headlines three times this week.  And trust me, it doesn’t get me anymore excited about the signing.  Corey and Ian have given their opposing opinions on the matter.  End of the day some power lists have the Phillies as the third best team in the majors and Ruben Amaro Jr. and the rest of the front office thinks Qualls will add depth to the bullpen.  And Rube’s done a pretty good job thus far, so ‘yeah, we’ll go with that.’

Phillies Nation can’t claim too many records for site views ( well we can for that) or revenue spending but we can say we’ve interviewed prospect Roman Quinn more times than he’s laced up for the Phillies professionally.  Quinn, 2nd round signee from last year’s draft, has yet to play a game for the Phillies.  Jay Floyd sat down with him and asked about the late signing, his experience from the side line and got his thoughts on what kind of a player he sees himself as.  Good read.

With just under two weeks until pitchers and catchers report we have just about made it through our annual Top 20 Moments from the past season.  This week we looked at #2 and it happens to be the Phillies first win of the season.  I still remember being at this game.  It was snowing/sleeting as we tailgated.  I wore gloves so my beer wouldn’t freeze to my hand.  And I remember thinking John Mayberry Jr. made it all worth it.

Take a look back at the rest of the list and see if you can figure out what our top moment will be.

And finally, the Nationals are up to their old tricks again.  First they swoop in and snag Jayson Werth for way too much money trying to one-up the Phillies.  I credit them for finally noticing that Nats Park becomes another Phillies home game every time we hit the nation’s capital but have they taken it too far?  Advertising their ‘Take Back the Park‘ campaign they offered tickets to only DC area accounts for the May series.  Will it help?  Probably not.  Nice try though.

With it being Super Bowl Sunday, let the festivities begin.  Your first course of action should be to sign up for the VIP list for McFadden’s Super Bowl party and your first drink is on the house.  Lots of stuff going on today so don’t miss out!

Go Phillies!

Roman is a 5-foot-10-inch tall 170-pound switch-hitting shortstop that is highly praised for his speed and his adaptability. The exciting young talent is primed for a big year, potentially with the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters.

I asked Roman about various topics including his friendship with 1st round draft pick Larry Greene Jr., his off-season thus far and plenty more. Check out the full interview below.

You didn’t play an official game after signing with the Phillies in 2011, but you spent time around the GCL club. What was that experience like and how was it beneficial to you?

I think it benefited me by seeing how fast the game was and meeting most of the coordinators and some of the players.

You seemed to be paired up with Larry Greene during that time. Did you guys bond a lot during that stint?

Yeah, me and Larry became real good friends. We learned a lot about each other while we were in Clearwater.

How would you scout yourself as a player? What are your strengths?

I’m very athletic, plus-plus speed, great arm, I have gap power from both sides, and I can play more than one position. All those things aside, I’m young and still have a lot to learn about this game.

What have you been doing this off-season to prepare for your first year as a pro?

I been working on pretty much everything. Switch hitting is still kind of new to me but I’m getting a lot of reps on that side, so I’m starting to feel like a natural lefty, of course bunting on both sides because that is a big part of my game, taking a lot of ground balls at shortstop and working on my fielding technique, speed drills, and working out in the weight room.

I know you made some extra income this off-season, by signing insert cards
for a trading card company. What details can you share about that experience? Were those the first autographs you signed?

The name of the company was Panini and I signed, like, a thousand stickers for them (to be applied to their products) and got something in return. Yes, it was my first autograph signing for an actual company.

Your twitter handle is @baseballswag4. Does that handle speak on your confidence level?

Yeah, it pretty much speaks on my confidence and my girlfriend said I need to add a little bit of style to my Twitter name. So there it is.

What has surprised you the most about being a professional ball player?

Knowing that I have people that are willing to help me get to the big show and achieve my goals.

And one last thing…what is your favorite spot to eat at in Clearwater?

My favorite place to eat in Clearwater is Smokey Bones.

_________________________________________________

Image- Joe Wombough

Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league insider.  You can check out more from Jay by visiting his site, PhoulBallz.com.

Call of Pavilion.

From one HP to another: “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh HP Pavilion wgah’nagl fhtagn!”

We exist, in all our teeming grandeur, on nothing more than a small marble careening through an endless, nightmarish abyss. In relation to such a grand scope we are but micro-organisms clinging to a single grain of sand, touting our superiority and marveling at all that we rule over. But the sciences continue to expand our infinitesimal knowledge in minuscule fits and starts, and as our eyes grow accustomed to the yawning black sea of infinity before us I only pray that we keep our wits about us when faced with the terrifying vistas of reality, our frightful position therein, and that the true masters of this realm have taken notice of our small, tinny voices in the night.

Recently I have glimpsed the true and horrible nature of the cosmic cycle, and truly it has chilled me to my soul. Reports of a strange cult, presided over by strange druids of night howling demonic chants and wails at the stars from the still, cursed woods outside of town drew my curiosity most profoundly. In my continuing and extensively thorough research on the cult I found increasing numbers of seemingly unrelated events from around the world. Unbeknownst to authorities and overlooked by those parties charged with investigating, a single fact united each news clipping: at each site, no matter how grisly or horrific the events reported, a refurbished HP Pavilion p6-2003w Desktop PC was found.

Despite its seemingly modern components like a 6-in-1 Multimedia Card Reader, Windows 7 Home Premium, and 4GB DDR3 SDRAM memory, the obsidian towers were far from modern in atmosphere and suggestion. The impressionistic execution of its construction forbade any clear idea of its nature. It seemed to be a sort of symbol representing a monster, a form of which only a diseased fancy could conceive and the general outline of which I found to be shockingly frightful.

I cannot elaborate on such monstrosities, save to say that I hope these ominous signals shall go with this record of mine – buried and locked away safely. I have seen all that the universe has to hold of horror, and all of life’s riches: even the spring sunlight and warm fires of winter, shall be poison to my mind. As all those who have uncovered this secret before me have gone, so I shall go. I know too much, and the cult of HP still lives.

Warranty: 90 Day HP

Condition: Refurbished

Features:

• Powerful AMD E2 3200 Dual Core processor that makes multitasking applications a breeze
• This Windows 7 Home Premium desktop PC comes with a high-capacity 1.0 TB SATA hard drive that helps you store large numbers of photos, music files, and hours of HD videos
• The 4GB DDR3 SDRAM system memory makes it easy to handle multimedia work
• You can watch movies, read and write CDs and DVDs in multiple formats with the SuperMulti DVD Burner
• Connect to high-speed local area networks and broadband internet with its high performance Ethernet
• Backup and Restore options built into the Windows Operating System help you create safe copies of your important files
• Includes a power cord, USB keyboard, optical mouse, and an easy-to-follow Quick Start Guide (Monitor NOT Included)

Additional Photos:

• 6-in-1 Card Reader / Multimedia Optical Drive
• Rear Panel
• Side Panel - Off
• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Package Contents

In the box:

• (1) HP Pavilion p6-2003w Desktop PC
• (1) Power Cord
• (1) HP USB Keyboard
• (1) HP Optical Mouse
• Quick Start Guide

Could Oswalt return to the Phils?

According to Fox Sports’ Jon Paul Morosi, Roy Oswalt‘s price tag is falling yet his preferred suitors remain strapped for cash and may not be able to sign the righty. It is no secret the World Series-winning Cardinals and runner-up Rangers are Oswalt’s top choice due to their proximity to his Mississippi home, yet Morosi reports that the Red Sox, Reds, and, yes, the Phillies have remained in contact with Oswalt as contract demands decrease. Oswalt is the best free agent pitcher available, yet teams looking for cheaper options are exploring trades, with Morosi mentioning the Nationals’ John Lannan and the Rays’ Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis being available with affordable, team-friendly contracts.

Of Oswalt’s interest in returning, Morosi says:

Oswalt had a positive experience in Philadelphia, where he went 16-11 with a 2.96 ERA in 221 2/3 innings after arriving in a trade midway through the 2010 season. Oswalt remains interested in returning to the Phillies, sources say. But they haven’t been aggressive in looking for rotation help this off-season, given the formidable – and expensive – cast of starters they currently possess.

This off-season, the Phillies have picked up a few role players whose salaries total what Oswalt may be asking for ($8-$10 million, 1 year). Phillies fans: is Oswalt someone you would be willing to go over the Luxury Tax for, do you have confidence in our fifth starter (Joe Blanton, Kyle Kendrick, or other), and are you disappointed that the money given to players like Ty Wigginton, Laynce Nix, Jim Thome, Chad Qualls, and others could have been used to re-sign Oswalt or does the strengthened bench out way fortifying what remains one of the most formidable rotations in baseball?

Click here for Phillies Nation’s Roy Oswalt 2011 Year In Review.