DETROIT — Teoscar Hernandez knows what he’s getting into now.
An hour before game time Saturday at Comerica Park, the first-time Home Run Derby participant took the field to simulate the Derby as best he could, taking timed swings off Dodgers coach Dino Ebel, who will throw to him Monday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
“It’s good. I’m just trying to get a taste of the timing, the pitches and how I feel, how many swings I’m going to take in one minute,” Hernandez said afterward. “Doing the little things so I can be in a good spot on Monday over there.”
The new format gives the batter three minutes to take no more than 40 swings. Hernandez took 39 in his three-minute simulated session Sunday, hitting 14 into the stands.
It was also a scouting session for Ebel, who will be making his fourth Derby appearance – he threw to Vladimir Guerrero and Albert Pujols during his days as an Angels coach and Joc Pederson with the Dodgers.
“His endurance was really good,” Ebel said. “I like where he likes it, which is middle and up. He wants the ball preferably up so it’s on a better plane. Now I know where I have to throw.”
Hernandez said he has spoken to former Blue Jays teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has done the Derby twice, and current teammate Shohei Ohtani, who did it in 2021 at Coors Field.
Both warned him about the fatigue factor of all those power swings. Ohtani “said he was tired at the end. That’s because it was in Colorado.”
“I think I have a little bit of an advantage because I swing a lot,” Hernandez said. “I take a lot of swings every day. My body is used to going swing, swing, swing without getting rest.”
Hernandez doesn’t plan to try to match Ohtani, who hit six 500-foot home runs in the thin air of Colorado in 2021.
“I’m trying to keep my same swing. Not to overswing or try to overpower anything because I know if I can touch the ball with a good angle it’s going to go,” Hernandez said. “I’m going to try to be nice and easy and not overswing so I can not mess up my swing.”
Messed-up swings have become a myth of the Home Run Derby, with fans worried that participants will slump in the second half because of the changes they make to their swings in order to pump out home runs during the competition. Research has debunked the theory. But Hernandez has heard it.
“It’s a show, right. And they try to hit it really, really hard,” he said. “In my case, I’m not going to be like that. It’s not how hard you hit it, it’s how many you hit out of the ballpark. I’m going to try to not overswing. I’m going to try my best to not overswing my swing.”
Hernandez will be well-supported in Arlington. Besides four fellow Dodgers on the All-Star team, his parents and two brothers have traveled from the Dominican Republic and joined him in Detroit with plans to head to Texas for the All-Star festivities.
“I’m going to try to take the nerves out and have fun,” he said.
MLB’s annual draft begins at 4 p.m. PT. Sunday
The Dodgers’ first pick will be 23rd overall. They have a signing bonus pool of $6.1 million this year (only the Houston Astros at $5.9 million have a smaller bonus pool).
The draft continues Monday and Tuesday. ESPN will televise the first round with MLB Network providing coverage as well.
Left-hander Clayton Kershaw was scheduled to resume his minor-league injury-rehabilitation assignment by starting for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday night. Kershaw is expected to pitch three innings in his first action since June 19.
Returning from shoulder surgery in November, Kershaw started a rehab assignment with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga by pitching three innings. He came out of it with a sore shoulder and was shut down from throwing for a week. After receiving pain-killing injections, he resumed a throwing program and pitched in a simulated-game setting at Dodger Stadium last week.
Dodgers (TBA) at Tigers (TBA), 10:40 a.m. Sunday, SportsNet LA, 570 AM
