When the Indians signed slugger Edwin Encarnacion in the off-season, fans got pretty excited. Winter nights were spent dreaming of the Dominican veteran launching 400 ft home runs over the fence at Progressive Field, this time wearing the red, white and navy of Cleveland and not the blue hue of Toronto.
After a winter of anticipation finally gave we to spring, we got our first look at Edwin and his delightful parrot trot as he rounded the bases after a home run in the Arizona sunshine. Opening Day came and went, as did the month of April. And Edwin? Well, he was okay. Actually (lets be honest) he wasn't quite what we expected. He struck out a lot, and he wasn't hitting loads of homers, just 4 actually. By the end of the first month he was batting just .200 with an OPS of .696. Something was definitely amiss and there were quiet rumblings that the Indians had signed a bum.
But Edwin didn't listen to the naysayers and kept plugging away, battling at the plate as he always does, and has done. Since the start of May, Encarnacion's approach has finally started to reap the rewards that fans were craving for. In the last month and half, Edwin has slashed .297/.398/.579 with 12 home runs and 27 RBI, raising his season OPS to a much improved .872. He's been especially hot in the last couple of weeks, slashing .370/.483/.804 over 14 games, with 6 home runs in that span.
And it couldn't have come at a better time. The Indians have been scuffling in recent weeks, their inconsistent play holding them back from making any attempt at leading the AL Central. Then along came Edwin and a trip to Minneapolis, home of the first place Twins. This was an opportunity the Tribe could not afford to pass up, to really put a marker down in the race for the division. And Edwin and the boys did not disappoint. Encarnacion, combining with some stellar pitching and some other contributors on offense, took apart the Twins in a four-game sweep to wrestle back the AL Central lead. “It’s not a surprise that he can literally carry a team,” reliever extraordinaire Andrew Miller said, and Edwin has been doing just that.
This was the kind of performance and the kind of series that clubs look to build upon, to create that wave of momentum that will hopefully carry them to October. Encarnacion has been a huge factor in this resurgence and he'll need to continue this level of performance to keep the Indians ahead in the race for postseason baseball. As a core piece in the heart of the Indians' lineup, you could argue that the Tribe's success in 2017 hinges upon Encarnacion's output. If recent activity is to be believed, then I think we'll be just fine.
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