Cleveland Indians: Edwin Encarnacion endures lackluster first month
Edwin Encarnacion's first April with the Cleveland Indians didn't go as planned. Should the Tribe expect a quick reversal from their new slugger?
When the Cleveland Indians signed Edwin Encarnacion during the offseason, it was seen as something of a coup for the defending American League champions. As his market developed slowly, the Tribe swooped in and landed the slugger on a three-year, $60 million deal with an option. Not bad financial terms for a man who hit 42 home runs and led the AL with 127 RBI the previous season.
Unless you follow the Indians closely, you might be wondering why you haven't heard a whole lot about Encarnacion over the past month. A look at his April stats provides the explanation. Through 24 games, he owns a .200/.343/.353 slash line (89 OPS+). Though he's clubbed four homers, Encarnacion has collected an underwhelming nine runs batted in and currently leads the Junior Circuit with 35 strikeouts.
Encarnacion's 33 percent strikeout rate would be the highest of his 13-year big league career. Among qualified hitters, it's the seventh-highest rate in all of baseball. It's unusual to see Encarnacion fanning this frequently; the three-time All-Star holds a lifetime 16.4 percent K-rate.
Are there reasons to be optimistic about a turnaround? Encarnacion sports a .277 BABIP, which is above average for him (.272) and higher than his marks in each of the last five seasons. So he doesn't appear to be negatively affected much there.
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Known for his home run prowess, Encarnacion's performance in that category doesn't currently place him among the league leaders, but he does have one more round-tripper than he did at this point last year, when he finished with 42 bombs.
His 20 percent HR/FB (home run to fly ball) ratio isn't too far off from last season's 21.5 percent. He'll be hard-pressed to break the 40-homer mark again away from the AL East's hitter-friendly ballparks, but Encarnacion should still manage his fair share.
However, Encarnacion has seen a sizable drop in his overall power output thus far in 2017. His .153 ISO (isolated power) would be his lowest since 2007 when he was still a member of the Reds. Encarnacion averaged a far more robust .273 ISO over the last five seasons. Aside from his four home runs, he only has one other extra-base hit this year, a double back on April 7.
At 34 years old, it's not unreasonable to believe that Encarnacion is simply declining and won't match the heights he scaled while with the Blue Jays. However, he almost certainly remains a much better hitter than he was during the season's first month. One those strikeouts begin to level out, expect to see Encarnacion get himself back on track.
Fortunately for Cleveland, they've largely withstood the sluggish start by their marquee free agent signing. The Tribe sit atop the AL Central with a 14-10 record, though the White Sox, Twins and Tigers are all within two games. Strong play from Francisco Lindor, Michael Brantley and Jose Ramirez have masked Encarnacion's poor performance in the lineup. If he can pick up the pace, the Indians could begin to put some distance between them and their division rivals.
All statistics courtesy of Fangraphs.
