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At 20-years-old, Julian Hernandez is easily the youngest player on the Mahoning Valley Scrappers roster.
Hernandez is also the only player on the Scrappers roster without any college baseball experience.
Yet despite his youth, Hernandez came to the MLB Draft League with an impressive resume.
A native of Venezuela, Hernandez and his family moved to Miami when he was 8-years-old. By then, he was already "totally in love" with baseball. He described the game as not only the national pastime of Venezuela, but "an obsession" throughout the entire country.
Hernandez brought his love of baseball with him to the United States. He excelled at the game from an early age, and by the time he reached the ninth grade, he was regarded as one of the top high school players in Florida.
Then, Hernandez flipped the script.
While it is not uncommon for foreign players to move to the United States to pursue their professional baseball dreams, Hernandez did just the opposite. At the age of 15, he moved to the Dominican Republic with the hopes of being selected in the MLB International Draft, which allows for players as young as 16 to be drafted.
Current MLB All-Stars Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Fernando Tatis Jr. are among the players selected in the International Draft.
"It was a gamble, and it was a tough decision," Hernandez said. "I'm extremely close to my family. I had everything I could ask for in the USA. But I wanted to pursue my dreams, and I knew that there was a good chance I could get drafted at an early age internationally.
"I had my family's full support. They were like, 'We love you, we don't want to see you go but we're behind you 100 percent.'"
The gamble paid off.
At the age of 16, Hernandez was drafted by the New York Mets. He spent three years in the Mets international system before being released earlier this year. He immediately hooked up with the MLB Draft League and joined the Scrappers at the start of the second-half of the season.
Now at the age of 20, when most players are just starting to think about the draft, Hernandez hopes his time in professional baseball pays dividends.
"I'm only 21-years-old and I have a second chance," Hernandez said. "This (Draft League) league provides a lot of exposure, it is closely associated with the MLB, so it's easy to get noticed. The opportunity is here and I feel like my experiences up to this point put me in a good position."
Hernandez was a shortstop throughout his Little League days, a position his dad played in Venezuela at the college level. He transitioned to a catcher at the age of 12 and immediately knew he belonged behind home plate.
"I was a shortstop because like so many little kids, I wanted to follow in my dad's footsteps," Hernandez said. "But I was always intrigued about catching. I always wanted to give it a try. I told my dad I wanted to be a catcher and he bought me catching gear for a Christmas gift, and I've been at it ever since.
"I love it. I love taking control of a game and I love being a leader in some way. I love the challenge of throwing runners out and blocking balls. I enjoy the fact that I am involved in every pitch."
Following his three-year stint in the DR, Hernandez returned to Miami earlier this year anxious to "make up for lost time with family." He said he was especially excited to reconnect with his younger sister, noting that "I missed three years of watching her grow up, and I want to make up that time."
Hernandez also returned to Miami just in time for the World Baseball Classic, in which Venezuela defeated the United States in the title game. Hernandez attended Venezuela's first-round game against the Netherlands, a second-round game against Israel and the semifinal against Italy.
"The atmosphere was unlike anything I've ever experienced," Hernandez said. "The sound from start to finish was incredible. I think every Venezuelan-born resident of Florida was inside that stadium. I didn't hear a single fan speaking English. It was electric."
So, who did the Venezuelan-born Hernandez root for in the title game?
"I can't lie, I was behind Venezuela 1,000 percent," Hernandez said with a laugh. "The people of Venezuela deserved that win. They deserved the celebration. Baseball is such a huge deal. A lot of those people don't have a lot, but they have baseball. It was good for the country."
Entering play Tuesday with the Scrappers, Hernandez was batting .268 with 16 RBIs.
TUESDAY'S GAME
Just as the MLB Draft League season is winding down and the weather is cooling down, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers are heating up.
The Scrappers on Tuesday defeated Trenton 5-4 in walk-off fashion, winning for the sixth time in their last eight games.
With the victory, the Scrappers continued their home success, lifting their record at 7 17 Credit Union Field to 23-13.
Trenton had early opportunities to score in both the first and second innings against Scrappers starter Clayton Burke. The Thunder put a pair of runners on in the first but a double play halted the threat. In the second the Thunder had runners at second and third with one out, but Burke enticed a strikeout and a flyout to end the inning.
Burke settled down to retire the side in order in the third, but he again worked himself in and then out of a jam in the fourth. The Thunder loaded the bases on a walk and a pair of singles, but Burke kept the Thunder off the scoreboard with an inning-ending groundout.
The Scrappers broke through in the bottom of the fourth. Tervell Johnson doubled to left field to start the inning. Kaikea Harrison then doubled home Johnson, giving the Scrappers a 1-0 lead. Harrison was thrown out at third on the play. The next two Scrappers reached base but they were able to add on to the lead.
Burke wiggled out of his final jam in the seventh. After giving up a one-out triple, Burke got Thunder leadoff hitter Brayden Faasman to pop out in the infield. That was followed by a Bryson Tramell groundout.
Burke worked seven scoreless innings, throwing 103 pitches. He gave up just four hits while recording four strikeouts.
The Scrappers turned to their bullpen in the eighth, and Trenton immediately took its first lead of the night. Reagan Rivera relieved Burke, and gave up a walk and a double before a Cy Turner single gave the Thunder a 2-1 lead.
The Scrappers, however, immediately responded in the bottom of the eighth. Harrison reached on a one-out walk, followed by a Jordan Taylor single. Both runners scored courtesy of Jayden Hylton's third triple of the year, giving the Scrappers a 3-2 lead.
For a second straight night, Scrappers reliever Justin Abercrombie entered the ninth inning of a one-run game. On Monday, he picked up a save in a 10-9 Scrappers win. However, on Tuesday, Trenton got its revenge. Abercrombie issued a walk to start the inning, but the base runner was erased on a double play. Abercrombie then issued a second walk, and that was followed by an AJ Swader two-run homer, giving the Thunder a 4-3 advantage.
In the bottom of the ninth, Jason Torres led off with a single. Zion Williams followed with an infield single. Tervell Johnson bunted both runners in scoring position. Harrison tied the game at 4 with a base hit to right field. On the play, Williams advanced to third.
Taylor then hit a ground ball to the shortstop, who forced an out at second but Taylor beat out the attempted double play and Williams scored the winning run.
The Scrappers will return to action Thursday when they host Aberdeen for the start of a three-game series - the final home series of the 2026 season. Out of playoff contention, the Scrappers will look to play the role of spoiler. Aberdeen will enter the series with a half-game lead over State College in the Draft League second-half standings. The second-half winner will play at Williamsport in the Draft League title game.
Following their three-game series against the IronBirds, the Scrappers will close the season with a three game series at West Virginia.