Americas graduate Darell Hernaiz finds success with Oakland Athletics

Darell Hernaiz always envisioned receiving the chance of a lifetime to play in the majors after he was drafted out of Americas High School in the 2019 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles.

This season that answer came when he made the opening day roster of the Oakland Athletics, a team that made a move for him prior to last season.

"Making the opening day roster was an amazing feeling," Hernaiz said. "Getting the chance to compete against the best players in the world has been an amazing feeling. Every day is a learning experience and our clubhouse is great, we have a good group."

The A's are 17-20 this season and appear headed back to respectability after going 50-112 last season.

Hernaiz' versatility played a role in his making the A's roster. He can play either shortstop or third base. His performance last summer at Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas also proved critical. He had nine home runs, 32 doubles, 71 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 131 games between the two levels.

"Last year was a confidence booster and helped me going into spring training," said the 22-year-old Hernaiz, who graduated from Americas in 2019.

Hernaiz, 22, has driven in five runs and scored seven runs this season and has had some big moments, including two hits at Yankee Stadium on April 25 against the Yankees. The hits came after a short stay with Las Vegas after being sent down to the minors.

"Every situation is a chance for growth," Hernaiz said. "I'm working as hard as I can every day and the fact that I can play multiple positions certainly helps me."

Hernaiz said he still talks to former teammates from the Baltimore organization, which has made tremendous strides in recent years.

"I'm happy to see my former teammates finding success in that organization," he said.

Hernaiz played on the Americas High School varsity for three years and is the first player from the school to reach the majors.

"Humble person is a great way to describe Darell," Americas coach Jesse Munoz said. "Darell has worked hard for everything he's earned. He still comes back to our school to workout and talked to our kids last year before a playoff game and that was a great moment for all of us. Darell has accomplished so much and he'll continue to get better. His passion for the game will help him achieve what he wants."

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Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on X

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Darell Hernaiz is first Americas grad to reach Major League Baseball