As he faced a major decision in his career, Teoscar Hernández decided to take a chance on himself this offseason.

Coming into his first free-agent experience, Hernández weighed out all his options. He had a couple multi-year offers on the table -- with the Angels and Red Sox both being in the mix -- that would’ve given him the security of being with the same team over the course of his prime seasons.

His other option was riskier. After a down offensive season with the Mariners in 2023, there weren't as many multi-year offers as he had once hoped. That forced him to consider taking a one-year deal in order to re-establish his true value and his the open market again a year from now.

In the end, Hernández ended up choosing the latter and it has turned out to be one of the best win-win deals to come out of the offseason for the outfielder and the Dodgers. With a stellar first half of the season, Hernández, along with teammates Will Smith, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani, will represent Los Angeles in this year’s All-Star Game presented by Mastercard in Arlington.

“It means a lot,” Hernández said of his second All-Star selection. “This is what we’ve worked for. Obviously, coming in here, big city, big team, huge fan base, and to be able to do the things that they expect me to do, help the team, that is most important for me.”

Since becoming a regular with the Blue Jays in 2018, all Hernández has done is hit at the big league level. Hernández was primed to be a key piece of a Blue Jays core that was expected to compete for championships. In ‘21, Hernández delivered his best season at the plate to date, posting an .870 OPS and hitting a career-high 32 homers while driving in 116 runs.

The following season, Hernández continued his production, hitting 25 homers with an .807 OPS. That offseason, however, the trajectory of Hernández’s career changed as he was traded to the Mariners, who were looking for a big right-handed bat to boost the middle of their order.

As he entered a contract season, the change wasn’t easy. When you add in the fact that T-Mobile Park in Seattle is often regarded as one of the most pitching-friendly parks in the Majors, the results weren’t what you expected out of a big trade piece.

Hernández’s OPS dropped to .740 with the Mariners in 2023, the second-lowest clip of his career. His numbers were particularly poor at home. Hernández had a .643 OPS in 79 home games compared to .830 in 81 road games.

“I think everything comes down to being confident at the plate,” Hernández said. “That was one of the hardest things for me, getting comfortable at the plate when we were home. You can see in my numbers that there’s a big gap between playing on the road and at home.”

Those road-home splits gave the Dodgers the confidence that Hernández would have a bounceback season. That’s why they felt comfortable enough to give him $23.5 million over one year to be an everyday outfielder.

Since then, Hernández has responded by with 19 homers and a .795 OPS through 93 games this season. His 60 RBIs rank second on the team behind Ohtani. Hernández’s impact has also been felt in the clubhouse, as he has served as a sounding board for young outfielders Andy Pages and Miguel Vargas.

Hernández, who will also participate in the Home Run Derby for the first time in his career, is enjoying one of his best seasons as a pro. He’s a big reason why the Dodgers go into the All-Star break in first place. The chance he took on himself has paid off in a big way.

“He’s been a stalwart,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who has compared Hernández to Manny Ramirez. “He’s driven in a lot of big runs for us, taken a lot of good at-bats. To have a guy in there that hits righties, hits lefties, can slug and can smell a run batted in – it’s been big.”