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Thursday, July 12, 2012

Edwin Encarnacion inks extension

Like the Bautista extension, this is a crazy good deal if Encarnacion’s breakout season is for real, and pretty fair even if most of it is a fluke.

TORONTO—Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion has signed a three-year contract extension.

The $27 million deal announced Thursday includes a $10 million club option for the 2016 season.

Matt Clement of Alexandria Posted: July 12, 2012 at 01:49 PM | 29 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: blue jays, edwin encarnacion, signings

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1. RJ in TO Posted: July 12, 2012 at 01:53 PM (#4181085)

I do not hate this deal.

2. Harveys Wallbangers

Posted: July 12, 2012 at 01:57 PM (#4181093)

is this season legit or is it jeff blauser circa 1997?

3. Petunia inquires about ponies Posted: July 12, 2012 at 02:06 PM (#4181101)

Wow, that's a great deal for the club.

It'd be better if the 3-year deal actually INCLUDED an option, but if my math is correct, the option is in addition to the extension. So $9m AAV 2013-15 and a $10m option for '16. That's crazy good if ANY of this season represents a real step forward. Which wouldn't surprise me at all. This was a great pickup by AA.

4. mr. man Posted: July 12, 2012 at 02:10 PM (#4181109)

is this season legit or is it jeff blauser circa 1997?

His BA is a little on the high side; his HR/FB is high too (17% vs 12% career). Otherwise, though, his K & BB rates are moving in the right direction, and he's hitting more balls in the air than he did when he was younger (it seems like he's been around for ages, but is just 29). His homers have not been cheapies - most of them clear the bullpen and 5-10 rows of seats. It's been pointed out that Edwin has latched on to Bautista as a mentor, FWIW. It may be that he needed some advice about keeping his swing consistent.

5. Boxkutter Posted: July 12, 2012 at 02:13 PM (#4181115)

People keep comparing his break out to Bautista's. E5 was actually a good hitter before though. This is still his best season, by far, but he's popped out over 20 homers in a season a couple times, and although it had gone down recently, his OBP had always been good. Maybe the move from 3B across the diamond allowed his mind to be freed up, accompanied with the hitting instruction in Toronto.

6. Matt Clement of Alexandria Posted: July 12, 2012 at 02:23 PM (#4181128)

People keep comparing his break out to Bautista's. E5 was actually a good hitter before though.

7. Paul D(uda) Posted: July 12, 2012 at 02:26 PM (#4181132)

He seems to hit well as long as you don't ask him to play third.

8. Dan Posted: July 12, 2012 at 02:48 PM (#4181161)

It seems like the comparison to Bautista is because they're both RHH power hitters who appear to be finally succeeding because they've bought into a dead pull approach. They're both just trying to yank everything as hard as they can to LF rather than use the whole field or cut down their swings, etc.

9. formerly dp Posted: July 12, 2012 at 02:53 PM (#4181166)

The seasons before Encarnacion's breakout, by OPS+, go 91, 109, 110, then 150. For Bautista, they go 96, 91, 99, 164. That's not a radically large difference, though certainly Bautista's breakout was larger.

I think Boxkutter's point was that EE had a track record of something that at least looks like success before 2012, where Bautista, before his breakout, didn't.

Bautista's 2004-2009:
2038 PAs, .238/.329/.400/.729/91 OPS+

EE's 2005-2011:
3078 PAs, .260/.336/.453/.789/104 OPS+

Not radically different, but different enough that I don't think the comparison ports that well.

I like this deal-- if they can stop bleeding pitching, the Jays are going to be a force over the next 5 years. That lineup is young, cheap, and talented, with a lot of talent on the way/

10. The Clarence Thomas of BBTF (scott) Posted: July 12, 2012 at 02:56 PM (#4181172)

Given that a marginal Free Agent win costs, IIRC, 6m, then Encarnacion can give back quite a bit of improvement and still be worth this deal. Even if he tanks completely, 9m dollars probably isn't an albatross deal.

11. Papa Squid Posted: July 12, 2012 at 03:01 PM (#4181183)

E-E-E-E-E-E-UNIT!

The other day, I heard (I think) Gregg Zaun on the radio saying he'd empty the farm for Zach Greinke and Matt Garza. Not that either player would look bad in a Blue Jays uniform, but I'm glad that Zaun is not GM. I don't get the sense that the Jays are close enough for that type of move...

12. formerly dp Posted: July 12, 2012 at 03:08 PM (#4181195)

The other day, I heard (I think) Gregg Zaun on the radio saying he'd empty the farm for Zach Greinke and Matt Garza. Not that either player would look bad in a Blue Jays uniform, but I'm glad that Zaun is not GM. I don't get the sense that the Jays are close enough for that type of move...

Urg, please no. AA isn't that short-sighted. There was a NY GM who had a similar thought process some Fridays back, and it didn't work out well for him.

13. Every day JLAC may or mayn't be hustlin Posted: July 12, 2012 at 03:12 PM (#4181200)

I do not hate this deal.

I also do not hate this deal.

14. RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: July 12, 2012 at 03:12 PM (#4181201)

It was just two years ago that it was "GAME OVER" for Encarnacion in Toronto. Maybe all is not lost for Adam Lind after all.

15. Greg (U)K Posted: July 12, 2012 at 03:13 PM (#4181202)

The other day, I heard (I think) Gregg Zaun on the radio saying he'd empty the farm for Zach Greinke and Matt Garza. Not that either player would look bad in a Blue Jays uniform, but I'm glad that Zaun is not GM. I don't get the sense that the Jays are close enough for that type of move...

If I'm recalling the same segment I think Zaun said he'd empty the farm for an ace. Which he felt described Greinke. He then went on to use Garza as an example of "just a guy" who it would not be worth going after.

*I should note that I don't know much about Zaun the analyst. He seems to be going for a Don Cherry persona more than a potential GM act...and I certainly wouldn't want him as my GM. But thought I should clarify.

16. formerly dp Posted: July 12, 2012 at 03:29 PM (#4181213)

I had heard they were shopping EE; wondering if the market ended up being kind of soft for him, or if the Jays decided they didn't want to deal when they're so close to contending. He's basically a full-time DH now, right? Or is that just a function of having better fielders at LF and 1B?

17. BDC

Posted: July 12, 2012 at 03:42 PM (#4181221)

Edwin Encarnacion inks extension

Trying saying that four times fast.

18. Matthew E Posted: July 12, 2012 at 03:43 PM (#4181222)

@16: He plays a lot of 1B, too; he's done an okay job at it.

19. RJ in TO Posted: July 12, 2012 at 03:43 PM (#4181223)

He's basically a full-time DH now, right?

He's likely to be their (mostly) starting 1B for the next bit. Even with Lind back up from the minors, they've been starting E5 there. And Lind is most certainly not a better fielder there than E5.

20. formerly dp Posted: July 12, 2012 at 03:48 PM (#4181226)

Thanks. I knew they had been playing Cooper and Gomes there for a bit before recalling Lind, didn't know if there was some concerted effort to keep Encarnacion off the field.

21. Walt Davis Posted: July 12, 2012 at 05:27 PM (#4181297)

So washed-out NL Central 3B are the new market inefficiency? The Jays will next sign Casey Magahee who will put up a 147 OPS+.

22. I Am Not a Number Posted: July 12, 2012 at 06:22 PM (#4181319)

He's likely to be their (mostly) starting 1B for the next bit. Even with Lind back up from the minors, they've been starting E5 there. And Lind is most certainly not a better fielder there than E5.

The rationale for DHing Lind (rather than Encarnacion) is that he's more easily platoonable mid-game without a total disruption to the fielding lineup. And subjectively, I agree that Lind looks no better than Encarnacion at 1B.

23. Good cripple hitter Posted: July 12, 2012 at 06:31 PM (#4181322)

*I should note that I don't know much about Zaun the analyst. He seems to be going for a Don Cherry persona more than a potential GM act...and I certainly wouldn't want him as my GM. But thought I should clarify.

IMO, he started out okay when he was an active player who moonlighted as Sportsnet's analyst during the playoffs. I'd agree with your assessment of the current Zaun, he seems to be more interested in what sort of tacky jacket he can wear than offering anything beyond a cliche.

24. KJOK Posted: July 12, 2012 at 10:13 PM (#4181448)

is this season legit or is it jeff blauser circa 1997?

Looks more like Ryan Ludwick, who after failing to live up to hype had a big season at age 29, then reverted back to being nothing special but still hanging on in MLB for 4 more years....

Edit: Ha, I just looked at B-R.com and EE's #1 comp is......Ryan Ludwick!!

25. vortex of dissipation Posted: July 12, 2012 at 11:26 PM (#4181493)

Pity he's a power hitter rather than a stolen base king. Then we could nickname him EE Lightning.

26. Rants Mulliniks (formerly Cold Prosimian) Posted: July 13, 2012 at 07:42 AM (#4181584)

I like this deal, it happened sooner than I'd imagined.

They're both just trying to yank everything as hard as they can to LF rather than use the whole field or cut down their swings, etc.

That is Dwayne Murphy's philosophy, and I must say I can't argue with it. Unless he's coaching someone like juan Pierre who has no power at all and the speed to beat out grounders for IF hits, his basic approach is to have his hitter hit the ball as hard as they can.

At third he was a butcher, but he's fared much better at first (.997 FP this year, and started several nice DPs).

27. formerly dp Posted: July 13, 2012 at 08:23 AM (#4181600)

That is Dwayne Murphy's philosophy, and I must say I can't argue with it. Unless he's coaching someone like juan Pierre who has no power at all and the speed to beat out grounders for IF hits, his basic approach is to have his hitter hit the ball as hard as they can.

Wasn't Cito's philosophy-- wait for your pitch and crush it-- fairly similar, or am I misremembering?

28. Rants Mulliniks (formerly Cold Prosimian) Posted: July 13, 2012 at 08:33 AM (#4181607)

Yes, pretty much. I think Murphy has taken it a step further though, and he certainly is better at communicating with his players, especially younger ones.

29. Dan Posted: July 13, 2012 at 09:53 AM (#4181651)

The extreme pull approach is something beyond just "take and rake" hitting coaching. And it does seem pretty unique to Murphy, other than a few limited cases. That's also basically what Kevin Long did with Granderson though, from the opposite side of the plate. It definitely seems like a pull approach really works better for some power hitters than trying to go with the pitch, and it seems like a pretty recent development for coaching to acknowledge that. Baseball has obviously always had pull hitters, but I don't really recall many cases of coaches turning a guy into a pull hitter by adjusting his swing and approach until recently.

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Edwin Encarnacion inks extension

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