New SF Giants outfielder leads club in intriguing offensive quality

New SF Giants outfielder Jerar Encarnación has made a favorable first impression with the club. He has posted quality overall stats but he quietly leads the club in one underlying process stat: bat speed.

New SF Giants outfielder leads club in intriguing offensive quality

The right-handed bat averages 76.7 MPH in terms of bat speed. I am with you all and am unsure how to exactly quantify this. Like, what does that even mean exactly? It means that when he swings the bat, he swings it harder than anyone else on the club, but what does that mean in terms of top line stats? Does it equal more production?

In this scenario, I tend to gravitate toward the neighborhood approach. Who is closest to Encarnación in that category on the Giants? Well, it turns out that Matt Chapman (76.5 MPH) and Heliot Ramos (75.4 MPH) are second and third, respectively, in that category.

They also happen to be two of the team's most productive hitters, so that is generally a good neighborhood to live. In terms of qualified hitters around baseball, Encarnación is a tad below Aaron Judge (77.0 MPH) and just above Yordan Álvarez (76.5 MPH). Again, this is a good neighborhood to be in.

Overall, Encarnación is slashing .262/.303/.410 (99 wRC+) with two home runs, nine RBI, and six runs in 66 plate appearances with the Giants. This includes a 6.1 percent walk rate, 27.3 percent strikeout rate, and .148 ISO.

Despite the excellent bat speed, the 26-year-old outfielder has only produced five extra-base hits with the Giants. He is averaging a 5.9-degree launch angle and has recorded a ground ball in 47.7 percent of his batted ball events. The ground ball rate is above the league rate of 42.3 percent, so he will need to get the ball in the air more to allow his power to play up.

That feels like it can be corrected through coaching, but there is a basis for the physical tools and that is tough to coach.

Encarnación will need to hit for a lot of power to stick in the majors because he is a well below-average runner, so he will not offer much in terms of baserunning or defensive value. Again, there is a basis for having power potential. It might not be the most exciting detail of the 2024 season but it is a slow news day for the Giants with an odd day off on Labor Day.