Phillies' Cesar Hernandez: Showing surprising power

Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in a 5-2 win over the Braves on Sunday.

Analysis:

The home run was Hernandez's fourth of the season, which is just two short of his career high. His .939 OPS is the best of of any second baseman in the National League. Manager Pete Mackanin told Corey Seidman of CSN Philadelphia that he attributes Hernandez's power production to an adjustment he made to level out his swing rather than the added muscle the second baseman put on in the offseason. Hernandez has an unsustainable 26.7 percent HR/FB and .434 BABIP, which should temper any expectations for this level of production continuing throughout the season. Also of concern is his 27.1 percent strikeout rate -- that's nearly a 10 percent increase over last season. If he continues hacking at that rate, he's going to struggle to replicate last year's .294 average.