Red Sox David Ortiz Recommends Encarnacion To Replace Him

Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz suggests that they sign Toronto Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion to replace him. What about Hanley Ramirez?

The Blue Jays have a definite issue: both Jose Bautista and Encarnacion are playing the last year of their contracts without new ones to guarantee their services in the future. BoSoxInjection.com has already discussed, weeks ago, the possibility of Bautista or Encarnacion joining the Red Sox after their contracts run out this season. But hey, why should we have all the fun? Let’s have future Hall-of-Famer and the face of the Red Sox franchise make similar sentiments in the media.

Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reported Ortiz commenting about the possibility of Edwin signing with Boston: “‘Hell, yeah. He’s a perfect replacement,’ the Red Sox DH said when asked if he hopes takes his spot next season. Why? ‘Because of everything, but mostly because he can hit.'”

Encarnacion made it very public that he does not wish to have contract discussions during the 2016 regular season. If the Blue Jays were to have signed him, he preferred that they had done it before the end of spring training. That deadline has come and gone. Could that also mean Edwin’s time in Toronto has run its course?

Bradford also reported comments from Encarnacion about Oritz’s validation of his fellow Dominican native, showing the respect that both men have for each other, especially when Edwin said that he is happy for Ortiz to have had such a long and successful career. As far as replacing Big Papi as the DH, Edwin said, “I don’t want to be a full-time DH because I’m still young and I know I can still play good defense […] When I first started playing DH the one person I asked about doing it was David Ortiz. He talked to me about it and I learned a lot about it, because it’s not easy to just being a DH. But I don’t feel like I’m going to be a full-time DH. I feel like I can still play defense.”

Besides, what about Hanley Ramirez?

Encarnacion likes playing first base and has done it much longer than Ramirez. Both men are within a year of being the same age, but Edwin has played 315 games at first base, posting a .991 fielding percentage and a 9.26 range factor, which is slightly above the league average. Ramirez has played all of three games and, while he has done perfectly well at the position thus far, his range factor is only at 7.96.

In terms of offense, Ramirez actually may have more to prove than Edwin this season. Even with his giant paycheck, Ramirez’s .249 batting average was thoroughly criticized last year, making life for him a bit more stressful than he imagined when he came to the Red Sox. Bostonians expect big production when their team pays big money, but he only produced 53 RBIs and 19 home runs, most of which came at the beginning of the season.

There’s no denying that Hanley has had an All-Star career, but the last time that he played in the All-Star Game was in 2010. Encarnacion was an All-Star in 2014. Last season, Edwin hit .277 with 39 homers and 111 RBIs, and that was done while missing time through injuries. While Hanley’s list of injuries seemed to be used as the reason for his troubles, Edwin seemed to have been able to play through the pain better.

So, is Ortiz accidentally causing a rift with Ramirez by his words? Not necessarily. Ortiz’s comments can be viewed as out of context. He was asked about Edwin, so he gave his opinion. Ortiz honestly believes that Encarnacion would be a great fit with the Red Sox in 2017. That doesn’t mean Ortiz thinks that Hanley would be worse than Edwin at the designated hitter role.

Next: Red Sox Strut 2016: Week One

Let’s face it: as much as Ramirez is looking good at the first base position, he would love to just concentrate on hitting. It’s been admirable that he has shown a better work ethic practicing the defensive role than in previous seasons at other spots. However, his very public comments about wanting to be the DH in Boston should not be ignored. If anything, that might suit Edwin just fine. Encarnacion wants to continue playing first base. When Ortiz retires, both men may get what they want. That is, if Boston is able to sign Edwin at the end of the year. Depending on how the Red Sox and the Blue Jays finish their campaigns, the Red Sox will have to look like serious contenders for Edwin to decide that the money is too irresistible in Massachusetts.