The Texas Rangers drafted Edwin Encarnacion in 2000, but a year later he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, where he would eventually make his Major League debut for in 2005. With the Reds, the Dominican showed promise, but his hitting never reached its potential, and he was not good in the field. A mid-season trade in 2009 to Toronto changed everything for Encarnacion, though that was not instant.
Toronto was not high on Encarnacion and was forced to take him in the trade. A Free Agent in 2011, Encarnacion did not receive any offers, and Toronto took another chance on him, signing him, but now using Encarnacion mainly as a Designated Hitter. The focus on hitting benefited Encarnacion, who would break out in 2012 with a 42-Home Run/110 RBI year. Encarnacion had another good year in 2013 (36 HR and 104 RBI), proving he was no fluke.
Encarnacion went to his second All-Star Game in 2014, but the year after, where he was not an All-Star selection, he was part of the meat of a contending Blue Jays team. The DH blasted 39 Home Runs and 111 RBIs and had his fourth straight .900 OPS year. He stayed with Toronto one more year, where he went to his third All-Star, matched his highest Home Run total (42), and won his first RBI Title with 127.
Encarnacion signed with Cleveland in 2017 and gave them three 30 HR/100 years, though the last one saw him traded during the year to Seattle. He wound down his career with the Mariners and White Sox for one year in 2020.
Encarnacion has 424 Home Runs and 1,261 RBIs, which for a power hitter is very good and better than many slugging Hall of Famers, but he was not a multi-faceted player, and this will keep him out of Cooperstown.
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