Blue Jays outfielder Teoscar Hernandez warms up during a game on Sept. 21, 2017.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
You could not miss Teoscar Hernandez's supporters as they traipsed around the field at Rogers Centre with wide-eyed wonder while the Toronto Blue Jays took batting practice Thursday afternoon.
Six of them – including his mother and father, two brothers and the baseball player's girlfriend – flew in to Toronto from the Dominican Republic city of Cotui and were outfitted in Blue Jays replica jerseys with Hernandez's name and No. 37 on the back.
When the young outfielder joined them after BP it was difficult to pick out the player from his admirers. After closer inspection, Hernandez was the one wearing baseball pants.
"For me, seeing them here, showing support … now that I'm with them I play more hard because I want to show them I can do this and I can stay here [in the major leagues]," Hernandez said, when he was finally able to pry himself loose from his entourage.
"They do a lot of things for me so I can get here, so I can be here. This is the little things I can do for them."
Hernandez is a promising prospect who might find himself as a starting outfielder with the American League club next season.
The 24-year-old joined the Blue Jays at the trade deadline in late July as part of the deal that sent pitcher Francisco Liriano to the Houston Astros.
Hernandez was immediately sent to Buffalo to play with Toronto's Triple-A affiliate before being elevated to the Blue Jays at the beginning of September, when major-league rosters were allowed to expand for the final month of the season.
And so far, Hernandez has not looked out of place.
Thursday night against the Kansas City Royals he was batting leadoff for the third time in his 13 starts and getting the start in left field. Through 16 games he was batting a respectable .265 with seven of his 13 hits going for extra bases.
Defensively, Hernandez has looked more than competent, showing good range while being auditioned at all three outfield spots.
And while the Jays had only 10 games left in a season gone awry, the remaining time is pivotal to someone such as Hernandez, whose exuberance is in stark contrast to a mostly dour Toronto clubhouse.
Hernandez stood with his family for at least 45 minutes down the third-base line after batting practice – laughing, hugging, taking selfies and shooting videos.
They had been in Toronto since the start of the homestand on Monday, departing the Dominican Republic before it was battered by Hurricane Maria. Hernandez said his hometown, in the north of the country, was spared most of the hurricane's wrath.
Safely settled in Toronto, his family was obviously in awe inside Rogers Centre, which remains an impressive structure despite how fans sometimes feel about its attributes as a baseball facility. The roof was open on a glorious September night and the CN Tower was looming overhead.
At one point, Hernandez scooted over to the dugout and emerged with John Gibbons and proudly introduced the Toronto manager. A group photo followed.
It was all a bit overwhelming at one point for a young woman with the Hernandez group, whom the baseball player later identified as being his brother's wife. Tears – tears of joy – just started streaming down her face.
"She's one of the happiest," Hernandez said.
Since he has arrived with the Blue Jays, Hernandez said it is another Dominican of some prominence – Jose Bautista – who has taken the fledgling player under his wing and provided counsel.
"The day that I get here, Bautista came up to me and told me a lot of things," Hernandez said, including tips on hitting and defensive play. "For me he's one of the [most] awesome guys I've ever met," he said. "Every day he tells me something new."
This has not been the a productive year for Bautista, whose contract is unlikely to be picked up by the Blue Jays at season's end. And it is not lost on Hernandez that he could be the player to take Bautista's spot.
Hernandez said he tries not to think about that.
"You know he's had a bad year but for me it doesn't matter because I know the player that he is, the person that he is now," Hernandez said. "He's one of the best."