As Seth Hernandez approaches the one-year anniversary of his first-day selection in the 2025 Draft, he has a goal in mind: getting to the Majors ... quickly.
To that end, MLB’s No. 6 overall prospect appears to be on schedule, even as he competes in just his fourth month as a professional.
Hernandez rebounded from his worst start of the season by striking out four over three innings as High-A Greensboro rolled past visiting Greenville, 16-3, at First National Bank Field on Wednesday night.
The abbreviated performance was scheduled, giving the 20-year-old the opportunity to take the mound on Sunday at the All-Star Futures Game in Philadelphia.
Baseball has a way of proving that even the most ballyhooed of prospects, which Hernandez most certainly is, will face anything but a linear development on their path toward The Show.
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Pittsburgh’s No. 1 prospect was coming off an outing where he surrendered a career-high five runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings, hiking his ERA with the Grasshoppers from 2.88 to 3.79. The shaky outing represented 20 percent of the earned runs Hernandez had allowed all year.
But good players adjust, and unsurprisingly, the California native did just that against the Drive. Hernandez surrendered a homer on his second pitch of the game but settled in, registering three of his four K’s in a four-batter span bridging the end of the opening frame and the second inning.
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The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder allowed two hits and a walk during his 44-pitch outing while generating 10 whiffs on 18 swings. Hernandez moved back atop the Minor League leaderboard with 111 punchouts and will carry a 2.61 ERA in 16 starts across two levels into his Futures Game appearance.
His performance since Opening Day has been nothing short of phenomenal, lending credence to the widespread belief he is the best pitching prospect in the sport. While Hernandez isn't falling prey to the hype, he doesn't lack for confidence, either.
“A goal that I always think about is making the big leagues while I'm still 20 years old,” Hernandez recently told MLB.com. “So if I could make it before June 28 of next year, that would be pretty awesome.”
Although the hard-throwing right-hander didn’t pitch the requisite five innings to earn a win, he held down the Greenville offense until his departure, at which point his teammates erupted.
Edward Florentino (PIT No. 2/MLB No. 30) supplied one of the big blows, launching a 110 mph three-run jack in the sixth to break the game open. It was the 11th homer at High-A and the 14th overall this season for the 19-year-old, who has gone deep four times in his past five games.