Dodgers' Andrew Friedman Raves About Kiké Hernandez's Leadership

Valentina Martinez | Feb 11, 2025

Oct 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Enrique Hernandez (8) meets pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) on the mound in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees during game two of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the team's goal this offseason was to make fans happy.

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“From our standpoint, that’s our only mission: To do everything we can to be great stewards of this organization and to reward our incredibly passionate fans," Friedman said earlier this winter.

On Sunday, it was reported the Dodgers were re-signing utility man Kiké Hernández. The move appeared to be just as much for the team as it was for the satisfaction of fans, who have adored Hernández since his debut with the team in 2014.

However, Friedman revealed the Dodgers hoped to bring back Hernández not because of his popularity, but because of his leadership.

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"For Kiké, it was about he and Mariana taking time and figuring out what made the most sense for them," Friedman said on Dodgers Territory. "It wasn't something for us that if we were not able to line up with Kiké where we were gonna go, oh, here's the next best option. A lot of times you have a need, you're targeting a need, you have the player at the top of your list and then others. In this case, it was Kiké or nothing.

"Obviously the impact he has made in October on field, it was obvious -- off field, this past October may have been the most impressive displays of leadership I've ever seen. His connecting with different guys. Going out of his way on a number of different fronts was quite possibly the most impressive leadership I've ever seen."

Reports had mentioned Hernández's versatility, energy, and October heroics as to why he was invaluable for the defending champions in 2025. However, Friedman's high praise of Hernández's leadership signals there is another feature to the utility man.

Throughout his tenure with the Dodgers, leadership has never been mentioned. But it appears Hernández has entered a new phase of his career, signaling the continuous growth within the Dodgers organization.

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