Ray Hernandez: From the Dugout to Pit Road

Former Atlanta Braves minor leaguer and Frontier League standout, Ray Hernandez, took a singular step to remain within the sports activities world after his time in baseball got here to an finish.

After posting a profession .320 common and setting data for batting common and homeruns at Alabama State, Hernandez was drafted by the Atlanta Braves within the twenty ninth spherical of the 2018 MLB June Novice Draft. He spent simply two years taking part in rookie ball within the Braves system earlier than he was a casualty of the minor league pandemic releases.

Not wanting to depart baseball simply but, Hernandez spent three seasons within the Frontier League (Washington and New York) even main the league in homeruns (23) in 2021 whereas taking part in for the New York Boulders.

However, as luck would have it, a connection he made in baseball offered him with an expert sports activities alternative that he simply couldn’t move up – turning into a fueler for a NASCAR pit crew.

Now, Hernandez spends his weekends pitting race automobiles for 3 groups within the three high sequence in NASCAR.

Indy Ball Island not too long ago performed a Q&A with Ray Hernandez to dive deeper into his distinctive path from skilled baseball to skilled auto racing.

After your two seasons within the Braves group, how did you find yourself in indy ball? 

I had an agent on the time, and he had reference to Frontier League groups. He despatched my identify round, and the Wild Issues had been the primary staff to supply me a contract after I used to be launched by Atlanta. I used to be wanting to signal and proceed my profession.  

What was your expertise like taking part in indy ball? Any highlights that stand out? Favourite locations, video games or recollections?  

I loved taking part in in Washington even although it wasn’t a full season. I used to be glad to be with an excellent host household and to be round guys that had been like me who had been attempting to re-sign to affiliated ball.

My favourite staff to play for was New York. I had quite a lot of success there, and I actually loved the arrange in Pomona. My favourite staff to play towards was really Washington due to how small the sector was. Plus it was turf, which I felt helped quite a bit as an infielder. I liked the journeys to Canada. The followers up there have been so passionate, and people video games simply felt greater to me. I additionally preferred Gateway as a result of the sector was tiny. For an influence hitter, it was a dream.

I’ve quite a lot of recollections from Indy Ball. A few of my greatest seasons had been in Indy Ball, and I felt like I used to be capable of be a free participant and play my recreation versus feeling like I needed to copy another person like in affiliated ball. My first season with New York in 2021, I led the league in homeruns and that’s nonetheless considered one of my greatest accomplishments that I had in my profession. I miss baseball each single day.

How did you find yourself working in NASCAR?

After I was launched by Atlanta, it was throughout COVID. I used to be launched with 35 different gamers in addition to entrance workplace private. A kind of entrance workplace guys began a recruiting company due to all of the contacts he made in baseball. He additionally had a reference to Joe Gibbs Racing, and he was the one who bought me in touch with Joe Gibbs. I’m grateful for it day-after-day. 

Do you know a lot about what went right into a staff and pit crew beforehand? 

So I knew about NASCAR as a result of I’m from Orlando which may be very near Daytona. I watched a number of Daytona 500s rising up, and I performed quite a lot of the NASCAR video video games after I was youthful, so I knew concerning the groups and the way it labored, I simply didn’t know I might make a profession out of pitting race automobiles.

What does your week and race weekends appear like this season?

We have now Mondays off as a result of that’s the day after the races. Tuesday-Thursday, we have now a movie overview of the race from the week earlier than and a preview of what to anticipate for the next race. We even have observe pit stops and a carry on the facility with our power coach evey day.

Friday we fly out and work the Craftsman truck race. 

Saturday is the “Xfinity” race and Sunday is the “Cup” race.

You’ll be able to take into consideration these three races like: Truck – AA, Xfinity- AAA and Sunday as the main leagues if you wish to relate it to baseball. The drivers for these three races are all at completely different ranges of their careers, however we’re simply the professional crew, so we pit all three races. Then we fly again late after Sunday’s race to return residence and do that each week from February via November. It’s a very lengthy season. 

What features have you ever been capable of carry from baseball into your work now? 

I believe the primary factor that I carry from baseball to racing is the “flip the web page” facet of baseball. You play so many video games in a season and have so many at-bats that you simply don’t have time to harp on a foul recreation or at-bat too lengthy. Actually, you possibly can’t even benefit from the good video games or at-bats as a result of you could have one other one coming quickly after. Racing may be very related. If we have now a race the place we have now unhealthy stops, we don’t have quite a lot of time to try to modify earlier than the driving force is correct again within the stall needing us to lock in and ship even when we have now been unhealthy all race.

What recommendation would you give an athlete who’s seeking to make the leap into racing? 

Actually, I used to be very fortunate to get this chance. I knew the fitting man on the proper time, and I used to be blessed to have a gap proper after I joined. Now I’m transferring up the ranks.

The most effective recommendation I might give is to maneuver to Charlotte, NC  and attempt to get with a staff, any staff, and simply work and present them that you simply’re prepared to do no matter it takes to be a member of the squad. Present that you would be able to be an asset. Plenty of this stuff occur by simply being on the proper place on the proper time, and it’s important to try to set your self up for an opportunity someway.

The rest you need to add for our readers?

You already know, I grew up in East Orlando, and there aren’t quite a lot of gamers who made it to the MLB from my space. My highschool and faculty weren’t one of the best so far as baseball goes, so part of me is happy with how far I made it in baseball. I wasn’t purported to get drafted and even play D1 baseball. I simply made each scenario work in my favor. I struggled after I was with the Braves. They moved me round into positions that I had by no means performed earlier than, and I felt like they had been attempting to alter how I performed. I felt Iike it bought me there, so why change me?

However I don’t remorse something in my profession. I used to be an incredible energy hitter and had a really sturdy arm. I want to suppose that I used to be an excellent teammate, perhaps not 100% of the time, however a minimum of when it mattered most. I really like baseball. I performed it since I used to be 4 years previous, and that’s the one sport I ever performed. My aim for so long as I might keep in mind was to make it to the MLB. I fell wanting that, however the classes that I’ve discovered are ones that will move all the way down to my kids when I’ve them. I need to try to present them the best way to be a greater participant than I used to be.

NASCAR isn’t baseball, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be content material with how my profession ended, however a minimum of I’m fortunate sufficient to have one thing I can provide 100% in. It’s truthfully the closest factor to baseball that I could possibly be doing, and I’m grateful that I’ve this new profession with Joe Gibbs Racing.