By Cary Osborne

Almost one year ago at the 2015 Dodgers FanFest, Kiké Hernandez could have walked through the thousands of people at Dodger Stadium, even with a Dodger jersey on, and gone mostly unnoticed.

It was undeniable at 2016 FanFest — by the sounds of cheers and screams — that in a year’s time, Hernandez has become a rock star.

Forgive the writer for saying this, but people were going bananas for Kiké.

Hernandez did the same private Q&A for fans in 2016 that he participated in the year before. This time, there was a significant difference. Last year, fans reacted to his stories with laughter. This year, so familiar with him, they anticipated how he would answer a question with laughter.

It didn’t slip past Hernandez how last year’s FanFest was his introduction to Dodger fans, and this year was his embrace by them.

“I was basically sharing a little but of me, because nobody knew who I was (at this time) last year,” he said. “I got to tell some fans some stories that not a lot of people have heard before. Just recalling those moments again was pretty cool. It kind of gave me some goose bumps. I would say this year I had to talk a little less about me in the past and basically explain a lot about bananas.”

If one just happened to walk by the Dodger Stadium Interview Room at 11:20 a.m. on Saturday, they would hear laughter plowing through the cracks of two closed doors. Hernandez had people in stitches retelling the story of August 31 when he wore a banana suit inside the Dodger dugout during the game.

“If you saw the pictures, I had a straight face because I was scared to death,” Hernandez said.

But Hernandez hopes it’s more than just the funny moments that win over Dodger fans.

“I don’t get sick of it,” he said of being recognized for his humor. “But I wish people knew more about what I do on the field than about bananas.”

OK — here’s more about that.

Hernandez batted .423 against left-handers last season — the 13th-best mark since 1974, according to Stats LLC. Only Philadelphia’s Andres Blanco had a better OPS+ among National League utilitymen (134) than Hernandez’s 130.

If Hernandez hits right-handers better than his .234/.262/.331 line in 2015, there’s reason to believe that even with the depth the Dodgers have, Hernandez will still be a key figure for the team this season.

He might not be the starting second baseman. Instead — he’ll be a starting second baseman, shortstop, maybe third baseman, right, center and left fielder. The Chicago Cubs signed a guy like that who just helped lead Kansas City to a World Series championship. And similarly, that player, Ben Zobrist, has historically hit lefties better than righties (.290/.368/.455 vs. .254/.349/.420). But because of his versatility and dependability, he’s been arguably one of the most sought-after players in the game.

Hernandez also adds the immeasurables — a zest for life and the game and enthusiasm that seemed to never interfere with the job at hand last season.

Hernandez clearly embraces the lighter side of the sport, and for that the fans — children, men and women — embrace him.

During the same FanFest Q&A, he mentioned that his favorite player growing up was Ken Griffey Jr. We’ve already compared Hernandez to Zobrist, and can do the same to his favorite player. Griffey never looked like he worked a day in his life — his smile and backward hat were two of his trademarks. Beside all that, he could hit. Did Hernandez look like he punched a time clock last season? His smile and banana were his trademarks. And he hit.

And the fans appreciated that also.

Maybe they knew more about him than he realized.