FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- After leaving manager Dave Trembley's office where he got the disheartening news, Luis Hernandez returned to his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Tropicana Field and quietly sat down.
He stayed in the same position for several moments, slumped in his chair, his eyes fixed on the floor, his hands fidgeting with some of his equipment. Hernandez finally looked up as Brian Roberts, a veteran Orioles teammate and his double-play partner of nearly a month, got his attention.
For nearly 30 minutes, Roberts told him about his own experiences as a young player - about how he was shuttled back and forth between the majors and minors, about how he felt at times that he'd never get an opportunity to be an everyday player in the big leagues.
"He came to me and said, `You're going to be back here real soon, just don't get down and keep playing hard,' " said Hernandez, vividly remembering the conversation that occurred in August when the slick-fielding shortstop was optioned to Double-A Bowie. "What he said was very important to me. It was good to know what he saw in me."
Orioles officials see some of the same things, which is why Hernandez, 23, who learned to play shortstop at his father's Little League academy in Venezuela, enters spring training as the front-runner to fill the vacancy created when Miguel Tejada was traded to the Houston Astros in December.
Hernandez, whom the Orioles claimed off waivers from the Atlanta Braves in October 2006, said he has been dreaming about this opportunity for years. He has heard throughout his career that he'll never hit well enough to be an everyday major leaguer, and he's eager to prove the skeptics wrong.
"To play every day in the big leagues, that's what I've always wanted," said Hernandez, who made his major league debut last season, playing 30 games and impressing team officials during Tejada's stint on the disabled list. "I'm excited. I'm going to try to take the job, focus more and work hard."
Hernandez still needs to have a good spring to be in the starting lineup when the Orioles open the 2008 season March 31 at Camden Yards against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Orioles are holding a three-way competition for the job among Hernandez, Brandon Fahey and Freddie Bynum. None of the three has been considered an everyday player, but Hernandez has stood out the most in limited action.
