Before his mid-2009 trade from Cincinnati, Edwin Encarnacion was a non-descript player with a lot of power but bordering on one-dimensional. This was the player that Toronto wanted when they traded Scott Rolen at the trading deadline, and they would eventually be proven right.
After an inconsistent 2010 Season, Oakland claimed Encarnacion off of waivers but was non-tendered, allowing him to test free agency. The Jays signed him back, and the patience began to pay off.
Encarnacion was never a great fielder, and by mid-2011, he played mainly as a Designated Hitter. He finally broke out in 2012, blasting 42 Home Runs, with 110 RBIs and career-highs in all three Slash Line components (.280/.384/.557). Encarnacion was 11th in MVP voting, and over the next five years, he would at least receive votes for the MVP in four of them.
With Encarnacion in place at DH, he proved he was not a one-season fluke, as he eclipsed 30 Home Runs over the next five years and had at least 98 RBIs in all of them, including a league-leading 127 in 2016. Encarnacion never won the Edgar Martinez Award as the league's top DH, but in the mid-10s, he was among the best and helped Toronto reach the playoffs in 2015 and 2016.
Encarnacion left the Jays for Cleveland as a Free Agent in 2017, and for the team, he batted .268 with 239 Home Runs with 977 Hits.
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