Poll: Is Kendrys Morales a capable replacement for Edwin Encarnacion?
Jose Bautista's return to the Toronto Blue Jays means the heart of the batting order heading into 2017 will be very reminiscent to the one that has led the team to back-to-back American League Championship Series.
Except for one glaring replacement.
With the status of first-baseman Edwin Encarnacion still very much up in the air at the time, the Blue Jays shot out of the gate early in the off-season and inked free-agent designated hitter Kendrys Morales to a 3-year, $33-million contract.
Management insisted that the move did not necessarily spell the end for Encarnacion in a Blue Jays uniform, but that was ultimately proven to be the case, as Encarnacion later signed with the Cleveland Indians.
Morales, who is expected to serve primarily as designated hitter, will be expected to slide into the middle third of the Blue Jays' batting order come opening day, and Bautista is one man who is giving the 33-year-old a vote of confidence. Bautista called Morales a "very capable replacement" during his press conference Saturday, according to Arash Madani of Sportsnet.ca.
Here's an in-depth look at a direct comparison between Morales and Encarnacion over their last five MLB seasons, from 2012-16.
Statistic | Kendrys Morales | Edwin Encarnacion |
---|---|---|
Games Played | 700 | 727 |
At-Bats | 2580 | 2678 |
Runs Scored | 299 | 451 |
Hits | 691 | 728 |
Doubles | 145 | 145 |
Home Runs | 105 | 193 |
Runs Batted In | 394 | 550 |
Walks | 213 | 392 |
Strikeouts | 521 | 474 |
Total Bases | 1157 | 1458 |
Batting Average | 0.268 | 0.272 |
On-Base Percentage | 0.328 | 0.368 |
Slugging Percentage | 0.448 | 0.544 |
On-Base+Slugging | 0.776 | 0.912 |
A couple of things to note, Morales only managed to appear in 98 games split between the Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners in 2014 after starting the season without a contract, and Kaufman Stadium, Morales' home field for the past two seasons, is notorious for being a pitcher's park.
With these numbers in mind, do you agree with Bautista in saying that Morales will fit in nicely as a replacement for Encarnacion?