Eric in IL (08-31-2022),Ky Fried Redleg (08-30-2022),Old school 1983 (08-31-2022),Redhook (08-30-2022),RedTeamGo! (08-31-2022),wolfboy (08-30-2022)
Seems like a poor man’s Albert Pujols. Comes out of nowhere, but hits and hits and hits some more.
"....the two players I liked watching the most were Barry Larkin and Eric Davis. I was suitably entertained by their effortless skill that I didn't need them crashing into walls like a squirrel on a coke binge." - dsmith421
Christian Encarnacion-Strand home run 30.
CES is quickly becoming my 2nd favorite prospect in the org
What would you say.....ya do here?
He's already my 1st.
I am REALLY hoping this bat is legit. The Reds need a player like this ignite the fan base. In this day and age I always worry about PED use especially when a guy comes out of nowhere.
Looking at his FSL league stats for 22 games though - he's basically picked up where he left off in 2021.
Gotta think he's a non roster invitee to ST and if he catches fires in 2023, he could be in the Nati quickly.
Redhook (03-10-2023)
CES’ splits at A+ and AA for 2022 reflect that he’s dominated RHP and hasn’t been on track against lefties.
This is a good sign in that eventually one can assume a RH slugger will catch up with LHP. But the R on R hitting is a positive thing.
Reds may be reluctant to move him to AAA for September, he’s played at two levels, three teams already this season. But it would seem he’s ready to take on more advanced pitching.
Feels like guys who can straight up mash but are limited to 1B/LF/DH get overly penalized when it comes to prospect rankings. Obviously, it’s great when a guy can play SS or CF AND mash, but those guys are very few and far between. A 1B who can OPS .850-.900 is at least as valuable as a solid defensive SS who can OPS .750 in my book, but it doesn’t usually feel like prospect rankings reflect that.
Absolutely love that there is a potential heir to the 1B spot that Votto has locked down for more than a decade in the system now.
Last edited by Alpha Zero; 08-31-2022 at 01:50 PM.
Completely agreed, AZ. Bat-first guys are perpetually dismissed, largely (I suspect) because prospect gurus don't want to miss on the "next big thing" that might be able to do all the things fairly well rather than some of the things really well. Too, those guys seem to get lost in the speed/ glove possibilities and ignore the offensive capabilities.
Encarnacion-Strand's wRC+ ranks among all AA or AAA sluggers 22 years and under:
1. Colton Cowser, 22: 184
2. Nolan Gorman, 22: 167
3. Brett Batty, 22: 160
4. Conner Norby, 22: 158
5. Sal Frelick, 22: 154
6. Elly De La Cruz, 20: 154
7. Ezequiel Tovar, 20: 153
8. Logan O'Hoppe, 22: 150
9. Bo Naylor, 22: 150
10. Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 22: 149
RiverRat13 (09-01-2022),SirFelixCat (08-31-2022)
Old school 1983 (08-31-2022)
Pretty sure it says quite good things about both of them, but sure, that's why De La Cruz is the better prospect, IMO. Well, that and his tools are stratospheric. De La Cruz has upside on his upside on his current production. Which is ridiculous.
But Encarnacion-Strand should absolutely. be seen as a top prospect based purely on production.
Of the 10 ahead of CES:
Nolan Gorman is now in St. Louis and is likely to have graduated off prospect lists completely.
Brett Baty's AAA numbers dropped him below Encarnacion-Strand in terms of overall wRC+. He too has moved on to the majors and is unlikely to be on top 100 prospect lists.
Sal Frelick's numbers are generated by a hot AAA half-season. His AA peripherals are very, very good, mind, but not in the same stratosphere.
Bo Naylor moved up to AAA and hit nearly as well. Still, his half-season in the International League dropped his overall wRC+ below that of CES.
In short, only Cowser, Norby, De La Cruz, Tovar, and O'Hoppe have better numbers overall in terms of wRC+ on the season (and will still be prospects this off-season).
That's a really high level of production that seems to get lost amongst all the tools others might possess.
Last edited by CaiGuy; 09-01-2022 at 06:51 AM.
icehole3 (09-01-2022)
How do we know he's not Mel Torme?
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