The Season That Was: Edwin Encarnacion
by Tom Dakers on Nov 17, 2009 9:00 AM EST
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16 comments
Edwin had a good season in 2008, hitting .251/.340/.466 with 26 home runs in 506 at bats for Cincinnati. It was pretty much in line with the two seasons he had before. 2009 should have been a good year since he was just 26. But he had a sore wrist starting in spring training. At the end of April he was hitting just .127 and they found he chipped bone in his wrist. He missed all of May.
At the trade deadline Scott Rolen wanted to be traded closer to home. The Jays got pitching prospects Zack Stewart and Josh Roenicke and well as Edwin for him, not a bad deal for one that we were forced to make. For the Reds Edwin hit
For us he hit
So it was not a good season, he had to get hot at the end of the season to bring his WAR value back to 0.
Encarnacion hit lefties (.250/.348/.467) far better than righties (.219/.312/.395).
He hit much better in Cincinnati, at the Great American Ballpark (.254/.390/.429) than he did at Rogers Center (.227/.294/.373) or on the road (.213/.301/.419).
By month Edwin hit:
April .127/.286/.190
July .276/.375/.526
August .186/.206/.271
Sept/Oct .274/.364/.547
He had a terrible April, got his wrist fixed, then was great in July, got traded to the Jays and was terrible in August then was terrific again in September. I had been working on the theory that his wrist had been sore until September but it looks like he was fine in July and then couldn't hit after he got traded. Then after a month he got it together again. So what does this mean for next year? I don't know.
His longest hitting streak was 6 games, once in July with the Reds and once in September with us.
His favorite team to play was the Phillies (.417/.462/.833). Least favorite was Atlanta (.091/.167/.091) but the was in just 3 games.
Defensively he wasn't good. He had a -18.4 UZR/150. He also had 11 errors for a .947 fielding percentage at third base. I thought, watching, that his defense improved the longer he was with the Jays. It seemed to me that his footwork was all messed up when he got to Toronto. I'm hoping that working with Brian Butterfield has and will continue to make his defense better. He does have a strong arm. Getting his feet to work right so that the 'strong arm' can hit a target would help make him a reasonable third baseman.
All-in-all I'm very curious to see what he does with the team next year. I keep reading about the team being interested in finding someone else to play third but I think the team has far more pressing problems. I'd rather the team find a shortstop, catcher and right fielder before replacing Edwin. Let's give him a shot, he could give us 25 homers and play a decent 3B. If he doesn't.....well Anthopoulos has told us we aren't winning this year anyway, if he shows he's not up to the task then we can find someone else for 2011.
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3B is the position I’m least interested in going out on a trade for, unless EE is part of it. Encarnacion wasn’t good in the hot corner, but he wasn’t terrible either; inconsistant is the best term, and he faced replacing Rolen there, the best defensive third baseman since Brooks Robinson. The two things most noted about Emcarnacion at third was his strong but inaccurate arm, not helped by poor positioning which forced him to rush throws off balance, and difficulty transitioning the ball out of the pocket to throw cleanly. Both of those are problems that can be corrected through better footwork and positioning, something that Butterfield is a master of.
I actually think that Encarnacion has a high upside, and that the Jays might be considering a longer term deal if he starts to produce defensively. In August, he wasn’t getting the bat around on fastballs, forcing him to chase breaking pitches to put in play, as opposed to fouling them off and sitting on something to drive, which I think shows in his lack of power and the low OBP. He finished out the season showing pretty good management of the strike zone, driving good pitches, and had some tough at bats even for outs.
Assuming that Butterfield can sort out the defensive issues, which I have a certain amount of confidence he can, EE could be a very valuable 3B for a while in Toronto. He showed moments of real brilliance on the field, and to me, that hints that there’s good potential for an average or even above average fielder there. If he can turn in 25HRs and an OBP over .333, we essentially have a Gruber-esque player in the corner again.
by dexfarkin on Nov 17, 2009 10:53 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
if lind or ruiz
play first base this year, EE has the potential to set the record for errors at 3B.
by ayjackson on Nov 17, 2009 12:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I doubt it. EE doesn’t look great right now, but he’s not Jim Tabor bad out there. Even if Butterfield can’t clear up his footwork and solidify his execution to first, and we end up with a below average defensive first baseman, I doubt we’re looking at a historically bad season. I’ll grant you 30+ errors are certainly possible, but I doubt the Jays would let it go on that far if he’s not destroying the ball at the plate simultaniously.
by dexfarkin on Nov 17, 2009 1:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
throwing errors yea … but his fielding seemed ok
i think that if they just worked with him on his mental discipline (ie: do not throw if it looks like it is gonna be wild, get set before throwing etc) than EE’s error rate would probably come down a bit
he seemed to be getting a big sharper last year, opting to hold the ball instead of throwing when he could not get a good throw …. among sources of errors, throwing decisions seems like one of the more fixable sources IMHO
by aagoodfella on Nov 17, 2009 1:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Most throwing errors come from having to rush the throw, and come more from poor footwork than they do an errant arm. Encarnacion, especially in his first three weeks, had an absolutely terrible approach to balls, and didn’t seem to know where in relation to the line he was playing. Which left him trying to charge a lot of hits, or go deep to his left to knock down drives up the line. In those cases, your only help is an off balanced throw or a rushed throw when you don’t have your lead foot planted, and it doesn’t take much to be off target.
One of the reasons why Rolen was so good was that he read the batter well and positioned accurately, so his amazing reflexes were able to move from an already optimum position. Similar to JohnnyMac, he moved at the swing and gave himself that extra half second to regain his footing and solidly aim the throw.
by dexfarkin on Nov 17, 2009 2:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
yep, this is what i meant by “getting set”
by aagoodfella on Nov 17, 2009 6:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t know if I’d classify that as an aspect of mental discipline though. We’re largely talking about the same thing, but I guess I see that as more of a strategic weakness, as opposed to a mental mistake. Forgetting to tag up or touch second going to third to me is mental discipline and not having your head in the game. Getting caught at third coming from first is more of a strategic mistake, not reading the hit right and factoring in the arm of the fielder, etc…
Mostly a semantic difference, but hey, what else to argue about until spring training?
by dexfarkin on Nov 17, 2009 9:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
well, the mental part is in choosing to hold on to the ball, instead of throwing it (away) in off-balance situations
last season, I saw him hold the ball a couple of times instead of making off-balance throws following recent throwing errors and I remember thinking “good job EE, to hold on” — I love to see players developing and learning from past mistakes
so from my perspective, I think EE has demonstrated that he (1) he has a tendency to make throwing errors (from being off balance and not getting set) (2) EE seems to have recognized the source of the error (3) EE seems to be making adjustments to lower the incidence of such errors
based on this, I am encouraged that he can get better so I am less inclined to think he merits replacment
by aagoodfella on Nov 18, 2009 12:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Personally, I’d rather EE minimize those errors by being properly positioned and taking a smart approach to the ball as opposed to holding it when off balanced, but yes, he was looking a lot more head’s up in the last few weeks. I’d like to see him work more on a sidearm release when he is forced to charge the ball or throw off balance, which will give him a fraction of a second longer to aim the ball, and let him bounce it off the fast carpet infront of first. That way, even if he is off line, 1B has a much better chance digging it out, or whoever is backing up the play holding the runner.
by dexfarkin on Nov 18, 2009 1:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
EE
…is cheap(ish), with a big upside and you’d pretty much be dealing him at his lowest possible value.
When you rebuild, you deal the guys at the peak of their value, not the valley. 3B is one of the few spots I am not worried about for the Jays in 2010 (2B, assuming they keep Hill, and whichever position Lind plays is the other).
by Jevant on Nov 17, 2009 5:13 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
yea, i would prefer to take a chance on EE unless a real compelling trade comes along
by aagoodfella on Nov 17, 2009 6:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
EE...meh...
I’m not high on Edwin E. However, I’m not low on his either.
However, I would not be at all surprised to see him hit 265/350/487 with 23 homers and 76 RBI’s. Defensively, he could be league average with a big helping of Butter.
by Mylegacy on Nov 18, 2009 2:03 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I would be thrilled if that was his year end line.
by Jevant on Nov 18, 2009 9:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I think he can tweak the average up a bit if he was popping on all cylinders
by aagoodfella on Nov 18, 2009 12:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
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