The Tyler Mahle trade has the potential to go down as one of the best in the history of the Cincinnati Reds.
The Reds flipped the talented, but injury-prone pitcher to the Minnesota Twins last year in exchange for infielders Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and left-hander Steven Hajjar.
Mahle underwent Tommy John surgery in May, while Steer blossomed into a valuable regular for Cincinnati.
Encarnacion-Strand also broke out, but in Triple-A: his power numbers are something to behold, and now he has received his call-up and will get the chance to make the trade even more lopsided.
Look at what he has done in the power department this year, courtesy of MLB writer Ahaan Rungta.
“Christian Encarnacion-Strand in 67 AAA games this year: 153 wRC+ with 20 HR, .306 ISO. Perennial 40% FB% hitter. The #6 prospect for the Reds is here for The Show,” he tweeted.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand in 67 AAA games this year: 153 wRC+ with 20 HR, .306 ISO.
Perennial 40% FB% hitter. The #6 prospect for the Reds is here for The Show. 👀pic.twitter.com/s1yxLrmGuA
— Ahaan Rungta (@AhaanRungta) July 17, 2023
The 153 wRC+ is amazing: it means that he has performed 53 percent better than the league-average hitter at his level.
20 home runs to this point is an incredible output, but the most impressive part of his statistical profile is his .306 ISO.
ISO, which means isolated power, is obtained when he subtract average from slugging percentage.
It gives us an idea about how much of a hitter’s slugging percentage comes from his power contributions.
A .200 ISO or better is considered very good.
.300?
Elite.
Encarnacion-Strand hits 40 percent of his batted balls in the air, an ideal distribution to project future power.
He has the potential to be a game-changer, and even though he has a chase problem, his tools give him a solid floor in MLB.
NEXT: Reds Stand Out As Surprise Contender Among Elite MLB List
