Padres Birthday Spotlight: Carlos Hernandez

Happy 48th birthday to former San Diego Padres catcher Carlos Hernandez. Carlos was born in Bolivar, Venezuela. He played for San Diego from 1997 to 2000 and was an integral part of the 1998 Padres, who won the National League pennant and played the New York Yankees in the World Series.

Hernandez is known for his knowledge of the game and leadership in the clubhouse. He had a career year in 1998 when he set career highs in hits (102), home runs (9), RBI (52), runs (34) and games played (129). During the 1998 postseason, he collected 13 hits in 14 games.

A bad injury before the 1999 season derailed his catching career and he never was the same. He played some in 2000 with the Padres and then St. Louis Cardinals before calling it quits. He finished his career a .253 hitter with 24 home runs and 315 hits.

Where is he now? If you watch the Padres games in Spanish on Fox Sports San Diego, you will see him calling every game from the booth. He is now sharing the knowledge he gained all those years as a catcher with his audience.

The photo is courtesy of utsandiego.com

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