Cleveland Indians: Determining a Successful 2017 for Edwin Encarnacion

The Cleveland Indians gained a star in Edwin Encarnacion, but must he reach certain marks for the deal to be considered a success right away?

After years of being frugal, the Cleveland Indians are major spenders in 2017. And with a World Series title being this season’s goal, it is about time the team made some major deals.

Edwin Encarnacion‘s three-year, $60 million deal is the most notable contract on the team, as it should be. The front office decided to seek an upgrade at the right-handed power bat role, and that requires some spending.

Indians fans are happy to have him here, but everything is always optimistic in the offseason, especially after last season. But that optimism could quickly turn into criticism if Encarnacion does not have a great year.

The MLB season is far too long to make judgements early on in the year, but a slow start from the slugger could have fans questioning the money he is making. But what determines a great year for the slugger?

Matching Mike Napoli‘s 34 home runs and 101 RBI would be an easy start, while keeping his OPS above .800 would exceed Napoli’s 2016 mark.

But he cannot solely be judged on what Napoli did last year, as Encarnacion himself hit 42 home runs and had 127 RBI in 2016, after a 2015 season in which he had 39 home runs and 111 RBI.

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Yet while these power stats are flashy and good for fantasy owners, all that really matters is if the Indians win the World Series. And for that to happen, Encarnacion must play well in the postseason.

This is where the Napoli comparisons can be used, as Encarnacion must improve upon the 21 strikeouts and one home run hit by Napoli in the 2016 postseason. The home run mark really doesn’t matter much if he can avoid striking out so much and just put the ball in play. It is such a basis part of the game, but simply putting the bat on the ball allows for so much to happen.

But even if Encarnacion struggles and the team wins the World Series, will anyone be too upset? All he would need is one memorable hit, or just the lack of a major mistake, to go down as a memorable piece of a legendary team. The same would have happened for Napoli, his struggles aside, if the team won it all last year.

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So while some fans get caught up in his numbers during the regular season, that won’t matter as long as the team returns to the postseason. If he struggles and the team doesn’t make it, then there is a genuine cause for concern.