Pitch after pitch after pitch after pitch.
César Hernández stepped to the plate as the Cleveland Indians’ leadoff hitter in Monday’s scrimmage against Pittsburgh, and took forever to finally leave it. One can imagine how annoyed Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams must’ve been watching Cleveland’s new second baseman spoil so many low 90’s offerings. Finally, on the twelfth pitch of the at-bat, Hernández singled into center.
It was exactly the kind of plate appearance the Indians want from him this year. The kind of at-bat they had in mind when penciling his name at the top of the order.
As he prepares for his 60-game cameo with Cleveland, Hernández’s role on offense is simple — set the table for the team’s most imposing hitters.
Casey Drottar is a Cleveland Indians writer for Sports Illustrated. Subscribe to his podcast, or follow him on Twitter and Facebook