Christian Encarnacion-Strand

Encarnacion-Strand kicked the door down with a .331/.405/.637 line and 20 homers in 67 games with Triple-A Louisville to earn a promotion to Cincinnati just after the All-Star break. At 23 years old, he continued to hit for impressive power at the highest level, totaling 20 extra-base hits in his first 241 MLB plate appearances. He struck out at a 28.6% clip but still managed to bat .270 on the strength of a 10.5% barrel rate. In declining Joey Votto's option in November, the Reds said they could not commit to the playing time Votto deserves, an acknowledgment of the need to get Encarnacion-Strand and others more at-bats in 2024. Acquired from Minnesota in 2022 as part of the Tyler Mahle deal, Encarnacion-Strand will likely split time between first base and designated hitter after the Reds signed Jeimer Candelario to a multi-year deal.

Part of Cincinnati's return for Tyler Mahle from Minnesota, Encarnacion-Strand is a classic better-in-fantasy-than-reality prospect, and a future home in Great American Ball Park is an added bonus. There is also a much clearer path for Encarnacion-Strand, who currently spends most of his time at third base but may have to move to first base/designated hitter in the near future. Last season, he proved to be one of the preeminent sluggers in the minors, slashing .304/.368/.587 with an excellent 33.8 Hard% and 32 home runs in 122 games split almost evenly between High-A and Double-A. Prior to 2022, all we had to go on was that Encarnacion-Strand (a fourth-round pick in 2021) obliterated Single-A (175 wRC+) while being old for the level. However, he now has a pretty compelling track record of offensive dominance. His approach leaves something to be desired, as Encarnacion-Strand has never logged a walk rate over 9.1% in pro ball, which is unusual for a player his age (just turned 23) with 70-grade game power. It's possible his hit tool just doesn't translate at the highest level, but he should get a fair chance, given Cincinnati's lack of talent. We could see him in the majors in the second half.