I hadn't taken a look at Edwin Encarnacion's final season numbers until today, and I was pleasantly surprised at just how good they turned out. Edwin put up a line of .276/.359/.473 with 15 home runs and a 78/41 K/BB ratio. For a 23 year old third baseman those are really great numbers.
The big concern with Edwin Encarnacion seems to be his defense, which is certainly understandable since he suffered through 25 errors this season. As far as defensive stats go however, EdE doesn't look too bad. His range factor at third was 2.43 (against a league average of 2.37). His rate stats place him at 93 (average is 100), so it looks like he's right around average, which isn't bad for a 23 year old. As he learns I have no doubt that he'll cut down on the errors, and he has solid range, which I'd think is something you can't teach.
I have no doubt that we'll be hearing talk about moving EdE to first, from people like Marty Brennaman if nothing else. I think that'd be a serious mistake (as would a move to the outfield), because I don't see EdE as a defensive hole at third base, but also because there really isn't anyone to take over for him at third. I suppose Freel could go there, but moving EdE creates more roster confusion and headaches. I'm thinking the Reds have had enough of those in recent years.
So here are a couple of questions to get the ball rolling with EdE:
- Do you think Edwin should change positions?
- Are you optimistic or pessimistic with regards to his defensive ability?
- How satisfied are you with his hitting?
- I'm pretty much going to throw this one out there for just about every player under Reds control. Do you think Edwin should be traded? What do you think the Reds could get for him?