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Pitch after pitch after pitch after pitch.Csar Hernndez stepped to the plate as the Cleveland Indians leadoff hitter in Mondays scrimmage against Pittsburgh, and took forever to finally leave it. One can imagine how annoyed Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams mustve been watching Clevelands new second baseman spoil so many MLB Houston Astros low 90s offerings. Finally, on the twelfth pitch of the at-bat, Hernndez 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, Hernndezs role on offense is simple -- set the table for the teams most imposing hitters.The Indians were obviously hoping Hernndez would spend more than just a few months in Cleveland. Though they signed him to a one-year deal last winter, bringing him in to replace longtime second baseman Jason Kipnis, they at the very least thought theyd have him for a full 162-game summer.Things, as we know, have drastically changed since then. Instead of having a lengthy campaign to audition for Carlos Correa Jersey offseason free agency, Hernndez now has to make the most of a 60-game sprint in whats likely to be his first and only season with the Indians.Thats not to diminish the impact Hernndez can make during this abbreviated campaign. Hes already displaying on-field chemistry with star shortstop Francisco Lindor. As mentioned, hes also replacing Lindor atop Clevelands lineup, ideally to give him another runner to knock home.Based on his career numbers, thats certainly a task Hernndez can handle.The switch-hitting second baseman certainly didnt make a name for himself as a power hitter during his seven years with the Philadelphia Phillies (career .105 ISO). However, Hernndezs OBP was above average (.352), and he boasted a walk rate of 10.6% or higher in three of his final four seasons with the team.Overall, Hernndez logged a total of 1,987 plate appearances batting leadoff for Philadelphia, slashing .275/.360/.393 from that spot in the lineup. His leadoff walk rate (11.2%), wOBA (.331), BB/K rate (0.58) and wRC+ (104) are each better than his overall numbers for those respective stats.Thats the kind of leadoff production Cleveland will certainly take. Again, Hernndez doesnt Carlos Lee Jersey need to be an impact bat for the Indians. All he needs to do is find a home on the basepaths and help Lindor and Jos Ramrez pad their RBI totals.Scroll to ContinueIts a relatively cut-and-dry plan, one which could potentially work wonders for Clevelands offense. Of course, thatll only be the case if some production dips Hernndez experienced last year were merely blips on the radar.During the 2019 season, Hernndez saw declines in walk rate (6.7%) and BB/K rate (.450), while also averaging his fewest pitches per plate appearance since 2015 (3.898). Ironically, he was just coming off a year during which he generated career highs with all three of these statistics.If these are indicators of whats to come, it may hamper Hernndezs ability to be the leadoff hitter Cleveland needs. That said, when looking at how his career was trending with each of these metrics, it initially appears as though 2019 was just an off year.Walk rate2016 -- 10.6%2017 -- 10.6%2018 -- 13.4%2019 Preston Tucker Jersey -- 6.7%BB/K2016 -- .5692017 -- .5872018 -- .6132018 -- .450Pitches per plate appearance2016 -- 3.9022017 -- 4.0142018 -- 4.2502019 -- 3.898As you can see, Hernndezs sudden downturn in plate patience does appear to be a bit fluky. Of course, we wont know for sure if thats the case until the 2020 campaign kicks off.For what its worth, Hernndez displayed signs his discipline may be bouncing back during Clevelands scrimmages with the Pirates.It goes without saying that everything from preseason games needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Still, of Hernndezs ten at-bats during these contests, half of them lasted Jimmy Wynn Jersey at least five pitches. For the series, Hernndez averaged 4.500 pitches per plate appearance.Again, its hardly defining for the season ahead, but encouraging nonethele s.Odds still favor Hernndezs stint with the Tribe being a short one. The likelihood of Cleveland re-upping with him this winter seemed low even before the 2020 season was stripped of ticket revenue.However, as long as Hernndez frequently finds himself on the basepaths this summer, hell have a big hand in ensuring the Indians offensive succe s.