Cleveland Indians: Edwin Encarnacion nudged from cleanup spot
The Cleveland Indians recently made a change at the cleanup spot after sticking with Edwin Encarnacion all year.
Over the offseason, Edwin Encarnacion was one of the biggest bats available on the free agent market. Eventually, he ended up inking a three-year, $60 million deal with the Cleveland Indians.
Encarnacion essentially replaced Mike Napoli in the Indians' lineup. Napoli, who helped lead the Indians to their first World Series appearance since 1997, had one of the best seasons of his career in 2016. Through 150 games, Napoli hit .239/.335/.465 (105 OPS+) with 34 home runs. He also drove in over 100 runs for the first time in his career.
For as good as Napoli was last season, Encarnacion's track record suggested that the Indians would be getting an upgrade. At first glance, it appeared as though Encarnacion would give the Indians a player who would not only match Napoli's power numbers – and then some – but also hit for a higher average, strike out less and perhaps even get on base more consistently.
Over Encarnacion's last five seasons, which he spent with the Toronto Blue Jays, he slashed a mighty .272/.367/.544 (146 OPS+). He also hit at least 34 home runs in each of those seasons and drove in 100 or more runs four different times. Last year, his 127 RBI led the American League.
A Rough Start with the Indians
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For whatever reason, Encarnacion has had a tough time getting it going with his new club. Over his first 37 games, he has batted only .198/.342/.328 with five homers and 12 RBI.
Surprisingly, Encarnacion has also been striking out quite a bit, with his 28.4 percent K-rate being well above his career average of 16.5 percent. It may be worth noting, however, that he did strike out a career-high 138 times with the Blue Jays last year. Prior to last season, he had only struck out over 100 times once in his career, which was with the Cincinnati Reds back in 2008.
Despite his struggles, Encarnacion's name had been a mainstay in the cleanup spot all year long. However, he batted fifth in Monday night's game against the Tampa Bay Rays for the first time of the season, with Carlos Santana taking over the cleanup duties. Encarnacion ended up going 0-for-5 in the Indians' 8-7 victory over the Rays.
Francona Not Concerned
Although Encarnacion has not yet been able to give the Indians the type of offense that many were expecting, manager Terry Francona continues to show confidence in the veteran slugger. Per The Associated Press, Francona said on Monday that "[Encarnacion is] going to be fine."
Though it has been a rough start for Encarnacion, he has been too good for too long to believe that things won't turn around at some point. It will be interesting to see how long it may be before he starts swinging the bat the way everyone knows he is capable.
