Never one to mince words, Keith Hernandez is the most forthright color commentator in baseball. The former Gold Glove first baseman occasionally puts his foot in his mouth, but his blunt brand of analysis is a necessary antidote to the fawning homerism that dominates so many broadcasts.
Hernandez brings that same unfiltered honesty to his 2018 memoir I’m Keith Hernandez. “Mex” has been in professional baseball for nearly fifty years, during which time the game has changed dramatically. His recollections of his early playing days provide a window into the game’s recent past, and while he sometimes veers into unnecessary criticism of the modern game, much of his commentary is witty and thought-provoking.
An Honest Portrait
Like a superhero origin story, I’m Keith Hernandez mostly covers Hernandez’s life prior to stardom. This is one of the book’s strengths, as it avoids recycling material found in other publications. Mets fans will be disappointed to learn that the 1986 World Series is left unexplored; in fact, the book only takes the reader through his 1980 season with the Cardinals. Fortunately, Hernandez compensates for the lack of scope by filling the book with revelatory information.
I’m Keith Hernandez is at its best when it focuses on the day-to-day grind of baseball life, especially at the minor league level. Hernandez is an aspirational figure to many: a suave “man’s man” who exudes confidence. But as this memoir demonstrates, Hernandez wasn’t always so self-assured. According to the book, Hernandez had conflicts with his overbearing father and occasionally succumbed to peer pressure in the minors. He is open about his experimentation with drugs, and how he felt burdened by excessive expectations as a top prospect in the Cardinals system.
Historical Reverence
As a lifelong connoisseur of baseball history, Hernandez mostly strikes a reverential tone in his writing. He expresses gratitude for the tutelage he received from Cardinals legends like Lou Brock, and for the opportunity to play alongside several of his boyhood idols. Rather than rely solely on memory to tell his story, Hernandez has conducted extensive research to give readers a more comprehensive look at baseball in the 1970s and ‘80s. Nearly every chapter ends with a series of historical footnotes expanding upon earlier sentences, which baseball trivia buffs are sure to devour.
Structurally, I’m Keith Hernandez alternates between tales from Hernandez’s early baseball days and his current life as a Mets broadcaster on SNY. Some readers may find the present-day chapters to be extraneous, but they illustrate how Hernandez’s perspective has shifted with the passage of time. And though some of his critiques of modern baseball are tiresome, he raises valid points about pace of play and the overabundance of pitching changes. Overall, I’m Keith Hernandez is everything that one would expect from a memoir by one of baseball’s most beloved characters. It’s entertaining, introspective, and above all else, unfailingly honest.
To relieve Keith’s best pop culture moments, click here.
