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ENCARNACION, JUAN


Nickname:	N/A	Position:	RF
Home:	Las Matas de Farfan, Dominican Republic	Team:	Retired
Height:	6' 3"	Bats:	R
Weight:	215	Throws:	R
DOB:	3/8/1976	Agent:	Eric Goldschmidt
Birth City:	Las Matas de Farfan, Dominican Republic	Draft:	1992 - Tigers - Free agent (at age 16)
Uniform #:	N/A		1992 - Tigers - Free agent (at age 16)

YR	LEA	TEAM	SAL(K)	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	OBP	SLG	AVG
1994	APP	BRISTOL		54	197	16	49	7	1	4	31	9		13	54			.249
1994	FSL	LAKELAND		3	6	1	2	0	0	0	0	0		0	3			.333
1994	SAL	FAYETTEVILLE		24	83	6	16	1	1	1	4	1		8	36			.193
1995	SAL	FAYETTEVILLE			457	62	129	31	7	16	72	5		30	113			.282
1996	FSL	LAKELAND			499	54	120	31	2	15	58	11		24	104			.240
1997	SL	JACKSONVILLE			493	91	159	31	4	26	90	17		43	86			.323
1997	AL	TIGERS	$150.00	11	33	3	7	1	1	1	5	3	1	3	12	.316	.394	.212
1998	AL	TIGERS	$170.00	40	164	30	54	9	4	7	21	7	4	7	31	.354	.561	.329
1998	IL	TOLEDO			356	55	102	17	3	8	41	24		29	85			.287
1999	AL	TIGERS	$233.00	132	509	62	130	30	6	19	74	33	12	14	113	.287	.450	.255
2000	AL	TIGERS	$325.00	141	547	75	158	25	6	14	72	16	4	29	90	.330	.433	.289
2001	AL	TIGERS	$440.00	120	417	52	101	19	7	12	52	9	5	25	93	.292	.408	.242
2002	NL	REDS		83	321	43	89	11	2	16	51	9	4	26	63	.330	.474	.277
2002	NL	REDS-MARLINS	$1,550.00	152	584	77	158	22	5	24	85	21		46	113			.271
2002	NL	MARLINS		69	263	34	69	11	3	8	34	12	5	20	50	.317	.418	.262
2003	NL	MARLINS	$3,450.00	156	601	80	162	37	6	19	94	19	8	37	82	.313	.446	.270
2004	NL	MARLINS		49	160	21	38	12	1	3	19	2	1	17	33	.320	.381	.238
2004	NL	DODGERS		86	324	42	76	18	1	13	43	3	3	21	53	.289	.417	.235
2004	NL	DODGERS-MARLINS	$3,565.00	135	484	63	114	30	2	16	62	5		38	86			.236
2005	NL	MARLINS	$4,450.00	141	506	59	145	27	3	16	76	6	5	41	104	.349	.447	.287
2006	NL	CARDINALS	$3,500.00	153	557	74	155	25	5	19	79	6	5	30	86	.317	.443	.278
2007	NL	CARDINALS	$5,000.00	78	283	43	80	17	1	9	47	2	2	18	43	.324	.445	.283

Juan says he learned to play baseball in his hometown of Las Matas de Farfan, near the Haitian border. He didn't play baseball until he was 14 years old! And he was a pitcher then. He signed with the Tigers at age 16 in December 1992.

Encarnacion comes from a strong family. His mother, Nona, stayed with him in Detroit for a few months of the 1999 season.
There's a lot of adjustments for a kid from Latin America to make. There's the language, and Encarnacion is still learning that. But he communicates pretty well. Also the food, lifestyle and the way we do things here in North America. Some Latin players never adjust. Juan has adjusted faster than most.
He has a solid work ethic, plays hard and loves to play the game. And it shows.
Encarnacion required extensive dental work and had it done in September 1997.
Early in the 1998 season Encarnacion was suspended for charging the mound and kicking the pitcher in an International League game.
When the Tigers wanted him to bulk up a bit more, suggesting he drink more milk, Juan said, "I told them not to worry because I bought a cow in the Dominican."

BIT OF A HEAD CASE
Al Kaline looks at Encarnacion and shakes his head. "The first day of 2001 spring training, I gave him a hug and said, 'Juan, you're going to be a superstar. But you've got to do it here,'" Al said, tapping the side of his head with his index finger.
His confidence level is a bit fragile.
Encarnacion sometimes is lackadaisical in his efforts. And he had a reputation as a player who was difficult to coach when he was with the Tigers.
When he was with Detroit, his best friend was SS Deivi Cruz, who signed with the Padres before 2002.
Juan and Dodgers teammate/pitcher Odalis Perez were born 15 months apart and grew up across the street from each other in Pueblo Nuevo, a modest neighborhood in their hometown of Las Matas de Farfan. Their fathers are farmers, their mothers are close friends. They met around kindergarten age and grow up playing ball together, dreaming together and, incredibly enough, making it to the major leagues.

"It's like a dream come true," Perez says from his locker at Dodgertown in March, 2004. "We're good friends. We're like brothers."
On the December day in 1992 when a 16-year-old Encarnacion worked out for a Tigers scout, it was Perez who played catch with him. The scout, impressed with Perez's arm, gave him four baseballs, and told him he'd sign a pro contract himself in a couple of years. He did, although it was with the Braves, not the Tigers.
"We used to play on the patio together," Perez says. "We'd play some children's games. We played baseball games in the street." (Mike Berardino-Baseball America-3/17/04)

TRANSACTION REPORT
December 2001: The Reds sent OF Dmitri Young to the Tigers to acquire Juan and P Luis Pineda.
July 2002: The Marlins sent P Ryan Dempster to the Reds to acquire Encarnacion, INF Wilton Guerrero and P Ryan Snare.
December 15, 2003: The Dodgers signed Encarnacion to a two-year, $8 million contract.
December 13, 2003: The Dodgers sent a player to be named to the Marlins to acquire Encarnacion.

The Marlins had decided not to tender a contract to the five-year veteran who would have become a free agent this month, baseball officials said, but Dodger G.M. Dan Evans said he didn't want to risk losing Encarnacion in a "bidding war."

The Dodgers believed that Encarnacion could provide a boost for an offense that produced 17 fewer runs than the Detroit Tigers, but the job is far from finished. "He's a player we've been looking at for the last four, five months," Evans said the day of the trade. "He's a player who's really coming into his own, he's made some great strides the last couple of years, and our scouts really like him."

But, Encarnacion had only a .313 on-base percentage in 2003 � ranking 139th among everyday players in the Majors. And he's at that mark for his career, as of the start of the 2004 campaign. Because he doesn't walk very often.

In 2003, the Dodgers were last in the NL and 29th among 30 teams with a .303 on-base percentage.
July 30, 2004: The Marlins sent pitchers Brad Penny and Bill Murphy and 1B Hee Seop Choi to the Dodgers, acquiring Encarnacion, C Paul LoDuca and P Guillermo Mota.
December 23, 2005: Encarnacion signed a 3-year, $15 million contract with the Cardinals.

PERSONAL:

Encarnacion was once considered the most physically gifted position player developed by the Tigers since Kirk Gibson. But he did not attain the star status pegged for him in Detroit.

Juan was a legitimate five-tool player with good speed, bat, power, glove and arm.

Juan had an unorthodox upright stance in which he raises his hands high in the air, the bat twirling as he stood at the plate. It was a timing mechanism. But he dropped his hands to catch up to Major League heat and make more contact.
He has shown increased power. That is due to increased bat speed, which has improved dramatically. He gets the most from his swing. Encarnacion is tall and lean and gets a lot of leverage when he swings. That's where his power comes from. And it is line-drive power, not fly balls. And that costs him some homers.
He is getting better at laying off the breaking pitches. He had big trouble hitting them, but can hit them pretty well now. And he lays off the slow stuff out of the strike zone. But this guy never, ever walks. In 1999, he walked only 14 times in 509 at-bats! And he needs to.
The book on Juan is "hard stuff up and in, and sliders away." But if he adjusts, he will be ths super-star the Tigers envisioned.
"When you look at him, there's this quiet confidence about him," Tigers Assistant GM Steve Lubratich said. "He walks like an athlete and more importantly, he plays like an athlete. When you see him play, he just stands out."
Juan can hit the ball as far as anyone. But he needs to stop trying for homers and hit to all fields. He hits the ball with great velocity, mostly line drives.
Juan tips off his bunt attempts by squaring away too early.
In 2001, he dropped his hands some from the high over-his-head way he held the bat before, enabling him to hit the ball with more power. And he closed his stance in mid-April, enabling him to see the ball better. Also, he continues to show lots more patience, drawing more walks. But he needs to be even more patient.
In 2002, the right-handed batter lowered his hands in his stance during the offseason, which has made his swing quicker and more productive. The adjustment helped him against righties, who were finding it more difficult to bust him inside. He also showed improvement with runners on base and in scoring position.
He waits on the ball to hit it to the opposite field.
Juan does not make the adjustments at the plate he needs to make.

BREAKDOWN VS. LEFTIES AND RIGHTIES
In 2003, the righthanded hitting Encarnacion batted .267 with two home runs in 116 at-bats against lefthanded pitchers and .270 with 17 home runs in 485 at-bats vs. righthanders.

In 2004, Juan hit .217 with just one home run in 115 at-bats off lefthanders and .241 with 15 homers in 369 at-bats vs. righthanded pitching.

In 2005, Encarnacion hit .309 with 3 home runs in 94 at-bats vs. lefthanded pitchers, and .282 with 13 home runs in 412 at-bats off righthanders.

In 2006, Juan hit 316 with 7 home runs in 177 at-bats against lefthanders, and .261 with 12 home runs in 380 at-bats vs. righthanded pitching.

In 2007, Encarnacion hit .290 with 3 home runs in 107 at-bats vs. lefthanded pitchers, and .278 with 6 home runs in 176 at-bats against righthanders.
Entering the 2008 season, Encarnacion had a .270 career batting average with 156 home runs and 667 RBI.

BATTING:

Juan's arm is way above-average. That arm is probably his best tool, a real cannon. But he throws the ball in a rather unusual manner: He only has one finger on the ball, and says he has been doing that since he was little.
Encarnacion also likes to show off that arm too much, and is not always that accurate with his throws.

He can be an excellent outfielder who gets a real good jump on the ball, exhibiting exceptional range. But he has a little problem tracking balls -- something he has worked on. He has lapses in concentration, playing in too much of a relaxed manner.
All of Encarnacion's tools are above-average. He has the perfect body for an outfielder. People stop to watch during infield practice just to watch him throw. But he shows his youth on occasion, muscles up and makes a poor throw. He lacks some fundamentals.
He has a penchant for making all his catches one-handed. And he also tends to drop fly balls and have trouble with balls hit directly over his head. So he plays a deep center field -- probably too deep. But his range is excellent going to his left AND to his right -- but not going back on the ball.
In 2001, former Tiger and Hall of Famer Al Kaline offered Encarnacion the use of his glove on more than one occasion. Kaline felt that the glove Juan uses is too big, and worn too loosely.
With the Marlins, Juan tended to turn routine plays into difficult ones.

FIELDING:

Encarnacion has above-average speed. He runs the 60-yard dash in 6.4 seconds. He is extraordinarily quick moving from first to third and second to home, taking real long, beautiful strides. Hardly anyone in the game runs the bases as fast and graceful as Juan.

He just needs to utilize that speed more often. Right now, he steals bases on pure speed, with little technique. He has trouble with his first step, so he attempts to get a bigger lead. He needs to get a better push-off. Juan has the speed to steal 40-50 bases a season, even if he never does nab that many.

RUNNING:

September 15, 1997: It was discovered that Juan had a broken bone in his left hand. He had been hit by a pitch September 6, but played six more games before having the hand X-rayed.

March 5, 1998: Encarnacion fouled a pitch off his left foot, breaking a bone in it. So he started the seaosn on the D.L.
September 26, 1999: Encarnacion, bleeding profusely, had t be helped from the field after being hit in the face by a pitcher from Royals P Blake Stein. He turned his face into the pitch that was up and in on him.

A large pool of blood formed on a light blue towel placed under Juan's head by Tigers' trainer Russ Miller. Then he was helped to his feet and rode off the field on the side of a cart with a stretcher on board, leaning on Miller. His left cheekbone and nose were both broken. He required surgery. After healing, the beaning had no effect on Encarnacion when batting.
July 4-20, 2004: Juan was on the D.L. with labrum damage in the back of his left shoulder. He aggravated the area making a diving catch back in May, tried to play through the discomfort while taking anti-inflammatory medication, but it becme more and more painful. Team trainer Stan Johnston said that additional discomfort is referred pain from the injury in the back of the shoulder. Encarnacion was prescribed a series of rehabilitative exercises along with medication.
October 5, 2004: Juan underwent surgery to repair that labrum in his left shoulder. The operation was conducted by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama.
December, 2006: Encarnacion underwent surgery on his left wrist. He had been bothered by soreness in the wrist during the latter part of the 2006 season and in the playoffs.
"It was just a small repair in the wrist," general manager Walt Jocketty said. "It was nothing substantial. It happened, I guess, last week, when we were in Florida [for the Winter Meetings]."
March 19-May 13, 2007: Juan started the season on the D.L. while recovering from the offseason left wrist surgery.

He had a cortisone injection to his left wrist on March 29, and continued his rehab.
August 31, 2007: Encarnacion was struck in the left eye by a foul ball off the bat of Aaron Miles, sustaining multiple fractures of his left eye socket and a serious eye injury. He was hospitalized for several days to receive treatment and evaluation.

Juan's future in the game was a major question mark. By mid-October, 2007, Juan reportedly regained only 20/400 vision in his left eye. The Cardinals were pessimistic about him resuming his career.
March 21, 2008: Encarnacion began the season on the D.L. while still recovering from the left orbital fracture.

By November, 2008, Juan had still not recovered enough vision in his left eye to drive a vehicle, let alone attempt to play baseball again.

CAREER INJURY REPORT: