Kiké Hernández has a loyal fan base, but they surprised him a bit on Wednesday.
Major League Baseball revealed its list of most popular jersey sales over the course of the offseason, revealing the new Boston Red Sox utility man came in ninth.
Also on the list were recent World Series Champions Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger and Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, not to mention Silver Slugger recipient Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres and power hitters Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies and Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees.
Notably, though, sales for Hernández jerseys beat out LA Angels superstar Mike Trout.
"I mean, not just the fact that it was in front of Mike, but the fact that I was top 10 in the big leagues. To me that was, it was mind blowing," Hernández told reporters Wednesday. "I mean, there are so many really, really, really good players in the big leagues. And the fact that only eight of them sold more jerseys on me last year, I don't know how that happened, but I am truly humbled and really, truly is an honor to be on that list. I mean, I don't have much to say because that was completely unexpected."
It makes sense why Hernández would see a bit of a jump this offseason, as he signed a two-year, $14 million deal with the Red Sox in January. New team, new jersey.
He'll make his debut for Boston on Opening Day, as the Red Sox host the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday at 2:10 p.m. ET.
