Welcome back to Is It Legit?, the series where we look at players in the midst of breakouts/bounce backs to see if it’s sustainable or not. We are getting closer and closer to the fantasy baseball playoffs in a lot of leagues, which means we have to pay special attention to whether the players we acquire aren’t just flashes in the pan, but rather proper potential breakout players. This is the time of the season that everything has been building towards, and so it’s extra important that we make the correct decisions on players like these.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 1B, 3B, BAL
It’s always fun to see a former highly regarded prospect finally make their mark. While Christian Encarnacion-Strand was never number one on any of those lists, he was ranked in the 80s around his first call-up with the Reds, and he looked to be a difference-maker in a park where home runs are more common than in most. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, and he fizzled with the Reds and was traded to Baltimore this past offseason.
There weren’t a lot of expectations for Encarnacion-Strand when he joined the Orioles, as he was called up as an injury replacement for Blaze Alexander, who could potentially fill in at third base behind Coby Mayo. Since his call-up, Encarnacion-Strand has been one of the most productive players for the Orioles, which has led to the team having to make some tough decisions and abandon the idea that he would just fill in as a backup. He has a slash line of .262/.306/.524, which is good for a wRC+ of 127.
The biggest strength for Encarnacion-Strand is his power. He has a lot of it. His bat speed averages out at 73.7 mph, and his barrel rate is nearly 19%. As a prospect, he was routinely given grades in the 70 range for his raw power, though unfortunately he wasn’t able to showcase it when with the Reds, where he was rarely able to make quality contact. Encarnacion-Strand is notably making a lot more contact when chasing this season, which is a stat that can be pretty sticky, especially as, for the most part, chasing is a negative. Still, he’s showing a hit tool that isn’t as questionable as it was during his time with the Reds, and that’s a major improvement.
An improvement we’ve seen from Encarnacion-Strand is his hitting against lefties. He’s demolishing them, something he never did in his stints with the Reds. He has a wRC+ of 211 against them in 36 plate appearances, which, while this is a small sample size, is better than the -83 or 4 he put up in the previous seasons. The Orioles are trusting him enough to give him plate appearances against pitches from each side of the rubber, and he’s been rewarding them for their belief in his abilities.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s Process+ visualized
Verdict: Possibly legit. There’s no denying the power that Encarnacion-Strand wields, and it’s allowed him to become a productive player for the Orioles thus far. With that said, there are still concerns with his discipline, as his decision-making has been poor and it’s led to high chase numbers and low walk numbers. He’s running a chase contact rate of 63.7%, which is significantly higher than his career average of 54.1%. Still, he looks like a real Major League player at this point and is helping the Orioles surge back to relevance.
Noah Cameron, SP, KCR
Noah Cameron’s PLV arsenal analysis
Verdict: Possibly Legit. Again, there’s nothing too exciting about Cameron, but he seems to have found a groove and is moving away from the fastball-heavy approach while upping velocity. This is allowing his deep arsenal to shine through, as batters have to be on their toes at all times during plate appearances, since he has at least five pitches he’s willing to throw in an outing.
