Angel Hernandez has at least one ally.
A major league umpire who has often been criticized for his in-game calls is retiring this week after more than 30 years of officiating games at the highest level.
Hernandez, 62, has faced criticism from fans, coaches and players throughout his career but has an advocate in former MLB umpire Joe West.
West was a major league umpire for 43 seasons. I joined 670 The Score in Chicago on Tuesday.and said Hernandez is more than capable at the job.
“Believe it or not, he was good at it,” West said on “The Perkins & Spiegel Show.”
Hernandez confirmed Monday that he is retiring to spend more time with his family.
According to the referee’s scorecardHernandez was ranked in the 22nd percentile for accuracy and 21st percentile for consistency and therefore faced a lot of criticism online, which West felt was unfair.
“I hate the fact that people sitting behind desks and standing in front of computers and putting stuff out on social media don’t know what they’re talking about,” West added.
In 2017, Hernandez, who is Cuban-American, filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against MLB, alleging that his race prevented him from playing in the World Series or getting a full-time crew chief role.
He hadn’t worked a World Series since 2005.
The suit was dismissed four years later, then upheld by an appeals court in 2023.
MLB argued that Hernandez wasn’t good enough to warrant those high-paying jobs.
West argued on his radio show that Hernandez is rated higher than other umpires in the league.
“I know a lawyer who took his case, and when they looked at all the metrics he was evaluated on, he was in the top 20 percent. [of umpires]” West said.
Hernandez’s final call-up was on May 9, when the Guardians played against the White Sox.
The former MLB manager told The Washington Post’s Mike Vaccaro that he believes Hernandez is prone to making mistakes when calling games.
“This is a long game,” he said. “Sooner or later, he’s going to lock you out of a fight.”
