JAWS and the 2026 Corridor of Fame Poll: Edwin Encarnación

The next article is a part of Jay Jaffe’s ongoing take a look at the candidates on the BBWAA 2026 Corridor of Fame poll. For an in depth introduction to this 12 months’s poll, and different candidates within the collection, use the software above; an introduction to JAWS could be discovered right here. For a tentative schedule and an opportunity to fill out a Corridor of Fame poll for our crowdsourcing undertaking, see right here. All WAR figures check with the Baseball Reference model until in any other case indicated.

Although he was athletic sufficient to be drafted as a shortstop, Edwin Encarnación by no means discovered a lot success within the area. Via his first seven seasons with the Reds and Blue Jays, his defensive miscues offset usually strong offense, a lot in order that he earned the derisive nickname “E5” (as in error, third base). However as together with his late-blooming teammate in Toronto, José Bautista, when changes to Encarnación’s swing unlocked his in-game energy, he turned a pressure to be reckoned with.

Surrendering his third baseman’s mitt and splitting time between first base and designated hitter positively helped. From 2012–19, Encarnación hit a significant league-high 297 homers, with at the least 32 in each season, and a excessive of 42, set in ’12 and matched in ’16. He by no means led the league, however positioned among the many AL’s high 5 4 instances, and inside the high 10 in three different seasons. Amongst gamers with at the least 2,500 plate appearances in that span, his 138 OPS+ ranks tenth.

The one-two punch of Bautista and Encarnación saved the Blue Jays entertaining via some lean years, and with the arrivals of third baseman Josh Donaldson and catcher Russell Martin in 2015, the workforce reached the playoffs for the primary time since profitable back-to-back World Sequence in 1992–93. Toronto did it once more the subsequent 12 months, punctuated by Encarnación’s three-run walk-off homer off the Orioles’ Ubaldo Jiménez to win the 2016 AL Wild Card Sport.

For as iconic as Encarnación had develop into in Toronto together with his titanic blasts — accompanied by his “Edwing” residence run trot, by which he held his proper forearm at a 90-degree angle whereas circling the bases as if supporting a parrot — he quickly discovered himself on the transfer. From 2017–20, he performed for Cleveland, the Mariners, the Yankees, and the White Sox; whereas he hoped to achieve 500 residence runs, an abysmal brief season on the South Aspect ended his profession at age 37. Neither conventional nor superior statistics counsel he’ll get traction with Corridor of Fame voters, however as maybe essentially the most revered of this 12 months’s crop of one-and-done candidates, he will get the expanded therapy right here.

Edwin Elpidio Encarnación was born on January 7, 1983 in La Romana, Dominican Republic, the third of 4 youngsters of fogeys Elpidio Encarnación, a observe and area coach, and Mireya Rivera. Based on a 2014 SportsNet function by Stephen Brunt, earlier than his marriage to Mireya, Elipdio additionally fathered 12 youngsters by different ladies, and so they turned a part of the higher Encarnación clan. Certainly one of Edwin’s older brothers, Julio Encarnación (b. 1981) performed within the White Sox system in 2000–01.

Younger Edwin grew up in a barrio referred to as Rio Salado, promoting mangos he picked from bushes in his yard, and enjoying a road variant of baseball referred to as vitilla together with his brothers, making an attempt to hit spinning water bottle caps with sticks. Acutely aware of his personal repute as an athlete, Elpidio — who gained 45 observe and area medals and is within the Dominican Athletic Corridor of Fame — pushed his youngsters to achieve sports activities. He constructed a batting cage in his yard, paying the fisherman throughout the road 500 Dominican pesos to make a internet. Younger Edwin hit within the cage every single day, and have become one of the best participant among the many youth in Rio Salado.

When Edwin was a young person, Elipdio took a job teaching at a school in Puerto Rico. His youngsters cut up their time between the 2 islands, with Edwin enjoying baseball at Manuela Toro Excessive Faculty in Caguas, Puerto Rico, which made him topic to Main League Baseball’s novice draft. The Rangers selected him within the ninth spherical in 2000, signed him for a $55,000 bonus, and despatched him to their Gulf Coast League affiliate, the place he hit .311/.381/.379 with out a residence run in 51 video games — not too unhealthy for a 17-year-old.

Encarnación wasn’t lengthy for the Rangers group, nonetheless. At A-level Savannah in 2001, he hit .306/.355/.453 in 45 video games, although he additionally made 12 errors at third base. On June 15, 2001, he and outfielder Ruben Mateo had been traded to the Reds for right-hander Rob Bell. Encarnación, nonetheless simply 18 years previous, continued his season at Rookie-level Billings earlier than a late-season promotion to A-level Dayton, the place he returned for 2002. Although he hit .282/.338/.458 with 17 homers and 25 steals, he made 40 errors between third base and a 17-game trial at shortstop, primarily as a result of he rushed his throws.

After splitting 2003 between Excessive-A and Double-A, Encarnación spent ’04 on the latter stage, batting .281/.352/.443 with 13 homers and 17 steals for the Reds’ Chattanooga affiliate. He positioned 56th on Baseball America’s Prime 100 Prospects record within the spring of 2005, with the publication lauding his bat velocity, energy, endurance, and willingness to make use of the alternative area after being pull-happy when he was youthful. BA additionally graded his arm as plus and praised his fast arms, however famous that his footwork was inflicting poor throws.

A scorching begin at Triple-A Louisville in 2005 earned Encarnación a call-up. He debuted on June 24 in Cleveland, going 0-for-4 towards Scott Elarton and two relievers whereas putting out twice. He got here off the bench for the subsequent week, and was 0-for-8 earlier than lastly accumulating his first hit, a pinch double off the Astros’ Andy Pettitte. Whereas he was optioned again to Louisville (the place he would hit .314/.388/.548 with 15 residence runs in 78 video games total), he returned to Cincinnati after incumbent third baseman Joe Randa was traded to the Padres on July 23. “The Edwin Encarnación Period — and that’s precisely what his predecessor expects it to be — obtained underway Sunday in Cincinnati,” wrote the Cincinnati Submit’s Mark Lancaster after the 22-year-old prospect returned and went 1-for-3 whereas making a few good defensive performs. “To me, he’s obtained All-Star written throughout him,” mentioned Randa. “I loved my time (with him) as a result of he listened, he requested questions, and that’s step one of a younger participant desirous to step up his sport. I hope he does very well and I feel he’s going to be right here for a very long time.”

On July 29, Encarnación clubbed his first main league residence run, off Padres reliever Craig Breslow (sure, the present Crimson Sox chief baseball officer).

Encarancion hit .232/.308/.436 (93 OPS+) with 9 homers in 69 video games as a rookie, and for the one time in his profession posted a constructive DRS (4). His offense improved in 2006 (.276/.359/.473, 15 HR, 108 OPS+), however he led all third basemen with 25 errors in simply 111 video games, ending with -13 DRS.

Encarnación spent two and a half extra seasons in Cincinnati, hitting a mixed .262/.346/.443 (101 OPS+) with highs of 26 residence runs and a 108 OPS+ in 2008, however netting simply 1.4 WAR as a result of a mixed -36 DRS. His struggles on either side of the ball annoyed the Reds to the purpose that he was optioned to Louisville for a few weeks in Might 2007, although by the spring of ’09, they noticed sufficient to signal him to a two-year, $7.6 million extension. Alas, he missed 66 days within the first half of 2009 as a result of a chip fracture in his left wrist.

On July 31, 2009, the Reds traded Encarnación and righty pitching prospects Josh Roenicke and Zach Stewart to the Blue Jays in alternate for Scott Rolen, who would assist the Cincinnati make the playoffs twice on the tail finish of his Corridor of Fame profession. The transfer would profit Encarnación finally, however not instantly, and actually, the Blue Jays solely took him on to offset dumping Rolen’s even greater wage. “Candidly, we didn’t need him to be a part of the deal,” Alex Anthopoulos, then Toronto’s assistant GM, advised Brunt. Encarnación completed with a subpar .225/.320/.410 (91 OPS+) line and nil WAR.

Statistically, Encarnación had a strong 2010 season regardless of enjoying simply 96 video games, hitting .244/.305/.482 (109 OPS+) with 21 residence runs, and due to improved protection (-3 DRS) set what to that time was a profession excessive of 1.6 WAR. Beneath the floor, his season was a large number, his maintain on a roster spot tenuous. His spring coaching was interrupted by surgical procedure to take away a bone spur in his left wrist, then in mid-April, he misplaced a month to a proper forearm pressure. A late-June hunch led to a demotion to Triple-A Las Vegas, and days later, the Blue Jays designated him for project, then outrighted him off the 40-man roster as soon as he cleared waivers… solely to convey him again to Toronto on July 2 after he went 14-for-32 in Triple-A. In late August, he missed extra time as a result of a sprained left wrist. Involved he would make $7–8 million in arbitration, the Blue Jays waived him in early November, and misplaced him to the A’s; after failing to work out a contract, Oakland non-tendered him, and he returned to Toronto on a one-year, $2.5 million contract with a membership possibility for 2012. “We thought there was upside to the bat, and if we might get him away from third base we’d get extra out of him,” Anthopoulos advised Brunt.

Encarnación was drawn to return partially by the presence of Bautista, a fellow Dominican who had bounced across the majors earlier than touchdown with the Blue Jays in 2008, and who beneath the steerage of hitting coach Dwayne Murphy had damaged out to hit a majors-leading 54 homers in ’10 by focusing extra on pulling the ball. The Blue Jays promised to provide Encarnación at the least 400 at-bats and play him first base and DH, however on the final day of spring coaching, they requested him to play third. He struggled and at one level was practically launched; as of June 22, he was hitting simply .250/.287/.364 with tough protection. From Brunt:

Thus started the painful period of “E5” (and sure, it was as unhealthy as you bear in mind, eight errors in 74 probabilities). It was painful for each Encarnación and Jays followers, though as a result of the followers not often heard from him, as a result of the language barrier prevented him from absolutely expressing himself, few exterior of his closest teammates truly knew how he felt. “The followers began yelling at me,” he says. “I perceive that’s a part of the sport if I don’t do my work. I do know they’re going to be pissed. I attempted to do one of the best I might. But it surely obtained in my head — and when that will get in your head, it’s onerous to get it out. I obtained annoyed slightly bit. I couldn’t hit as a result of I used to be fascinated about defence.”

Primarily DHing within the second half, Encarnación completed at .272/.334/.453 (111 OPS+) with 17 residence runs however simply 1.0 WAR. Via his age-28 season, he’d netted simply 6.5 WAR — about 1.3 per 162 video games — to go together with 117 homers. Few might have anticipated what would come subsequent.

Within the winter of 2011-21, Encarnación referred to as up fellow Dominican Robinson Canó and requested him for recommendation. The Yankees second baseman introduced Encarnación to his private hitting guru, Luis Mercedes, who recommended his new pupil to make some changes. Through Brunt:

The primary day, he swung the bat and didn’t say something — and I didn’t say something. However I noticed together with his swing that it was too lengthy, and he solely used one hand. The following day, I advised him, ‘It’s a must to change your bat from that place. You don’t do the excessive leg kick no extra. I need you to get your bat down. Use two arms. And should you don’t do what I say, you’re operating.’ He didn’t like that. He obtained mad at me. We fought every single day. I advised him that I wished to take advantage of what he had. It was good, however he needed to work with it. And I advised him, ‘If you happen to don’t do good, you don’t must pay me.’”

Whereas Encarnación initially felt odd with out the leg kick, the modifications rapidly paid dividends. In April 2012, he bopped eight homers, together with an April 28 opposite-field grand slam off the Mariners’ Hisashi Iwakuma, after Bautista had been deliberately walked. Encarnación circled the bases together with his proper arm to a 90-degree angle, “turning like an airplane,” as he defined just a few years later. The house runs and the celebration continued, although it will take a 12 months for blogger Andrew Zuber from TheScore to christen the gesture “strolling the parrot.” Parrot memes sprung up on social media within the wake of his homers, stuffed parrots filtered into ballparks, and years later, Cleveland even created a particular emoji as soon as he joined the workforce.

Encarnación walked the parrot 42 instances in 2012, good for fourth within the AL, accompanied by extra across-the-board profession bests with a 153 OPS+ (third within the AL), a .280/.384/.557 line (fifth in each OBP and SLG), and 5.0 WAR (tenth); it helped that he solely performed one sport at third base, in comparison with 82 at DH and 68 at first, and three in left area (?!). In July, the Blue Jays signed him to a three-year, $29 million extension with a membership possibility for 2016. At season’s finish, he obtained a smattering of assist on MVP ballots, ending eleventh; he would get comparable ranges of assist in 4 of the subsequent 5 seasons (all however 2014) — by no means cracking the highest 10, however all the time with just a few writers acknowledging his contributions.

Encarnación confirmed his breakout was no fluke, following up with a 4.1-WAR season by which he bashed 36 homers and slashed .272/.370/.534 (145 OPS+). His residence run complete ranked third within the league, his slugging fifth, and his OPS+ sixth. He made his first All-Star workforce, and did it once more the subsequent 12 months; regardless of lacking 40 video games with a proper quad pressure, Encarnación nonetheless posted a 152 OPS+ with 34 homers and three.8 WAR in 2014. The Blue Jays went 83-79, a nine-game enchancment from the 12 months earlier than, for his or her first profitable document since 2010 and their first throughout supervisor John Gibbons’ second stint in Toronto’s dugout.

With Donaldson homering 41 instances en path to MVP honors, Bautista including 40 and Encarnación 39, the Blue Jays led the majors with 232 homers in 2015. They went 93-69, capturing their first division title in 22 years. Encarnación hit .277/.372/.557 (148 OPS+) with 4.8 WAR, then went 6-for-18 of their five-game Division Sequence towards the Rangers, highlighted by a game-tying sixth-inning solo shot off Cole Hamels in Sport 5; the subsequent inning, all hell broke unfastened, punctuated by Bautista’s epic bat flip after walloping a grand slam off Sam Dyson. Although Encarnación had a pair of two-hit video games within the ALCS towards the Royals, he went simply 5-for-22 with a double and two RBI in Toronto’s six-game collection defeat.

The Blue Jays exercised Encarnación’s $10 million possibility for 2016, and the slugger matched his profession excessive with 42 homers whereas driving in a league-leading 127 runs, batting .263/.357/.529 (134 OPS+) with 3.8 WAR, and making his third and ultimate All-Star workforce. On August 12, 2016, he hit his three hundredth residence run, a ninth-inning solo shot off the Astros’ Will Harris. On October 4, he hit essentially the most well-known homer of his profession within the AL Wild Card Sport. Within the backside of the eleventh inning, with the rating tied, Orioles supervisor Buck Showalter referred to as upon Jiménez, a starter who had been lit for a 5.44 ERA that 12 months — as a substitute of dominant nearer Zack Britton, who had posted a 0.54 ERA whereas main the league with 47 saves. After Jiménez surrendered back-to-back one-out singles to Devon Travis and Donaldson, Encarnación annihilated a first-pitch, middle-middle fastball for a 440-foot game-winner.

Encarnación stayed scorching, going 5-for-12 in a three-game Division Sequence sweep of the Rangers, with a solo homer off Yu Darvish in Sport 2 and a two-run blast off Colby Lewis (plus an RBI single off reliever Tony Barnette) in Sport 3. He was principally quiet in Toronto’s five-game loss to Cleveland within the ALCS, going 4-for-19 with a pair of RBI.

He will need to have made an impression, nonetheless. With free company looming, Encarnación spoke of wanting to remain in Toronto, and the Blue Jays reportedly provided him a four-year deal round $80 million, one mentioned to incorporate both a vesting or membership choice to take it to $100 million. However Encaracion and his agent, Paul Kinzer, anticipated greater presents, as he ranked among the many high hitters available on the market, so he spurned that one and the Blue Jays’ $17.2 million qualifying supply, as nicely. The Blue Jays pivoted to signal Kendrys Morales, one other first base/DH kind, to a three-year, $33 million deal. Whereas they left the door open for Encarnación to return — and whereas he obtained extra curiosity from the Rangers, A’s, Astros, and Yankees — simply earlier than Christmas he settled for a three-year, $60 million take care of Cleveland, with a $20 million possibility for 2020.

Spending much less time within the area and extra at DH for the defending AL champions, Encarnación clubbed 38 homers, drew a career-high 104 walks, and drove in 107 runs whereas batting .258/.377/.504 (132 OPS+) with 2.8 WAR. After profitable 102 video games and the AL Central, Cleveland fell to the Yankees in a five-game Division Sequence; Encarnación went 0-for-7, spraining his proper ankle within the first inning of Sport 2 whereas retreating to second base (he was doubled off) and never returning till Sport 5. He slipped to 32 homers, a 116 OPS+ and 1.9 WAR in 2018, then went 1-for-10 in one other Division Sequence loss, this one a three-game sweep by the Astros.

In December 2018, Cleveland traded Encarnación to Seattle as a part of a three-team, six-player deal that despatched Carlos Santana from Seattle to Cleveland and Yandy Díaz from Cleveland to Tampa Bay. He wasn’t lengthy for the Pacific Northwest; the Mariners had gained 89 video games in 2018, however by June 15, they had been 30-44. Encarnación homered 21 instances in 65 video games, with the four-hundredth of his profession on June 9 off the Angels’ Nick Tropeano; it was his second of the sport and seventh in a nine-game span.

Six days later, Encarnación was traded to the Yankees for righty prospect Juan Then. Whereas he hit fairly nicely for New York, he missed greater than seven weeks as a result of accidents, first a hairline fracture of his proper wrist after Crimson Sox reliever Josh A. Smith hit him with a pitch, then an indirect pressure. He completed with 34 homers, a .244/.344/.531 (131 OPS+) line, and a pair of.9 WAR. After being sidelined for 3 weeks, he opened the Division Sequence with back-to-back two-hit video games in victories over the Twins, driving within the Yankees’ first run in every, however went simply 1-for-22 from Sport 3 via the rest of the collection and a six-game ALCS loss to the Astros.

The Yankees declined Encarnación’s $20 million possibility for 2020, paying him a $5 million buyout. Whereas the Blue Jays confirmed curiosity in bringing him again, he as a substitute signed a $12 million, one-year-plus-option take care of the White Sox. He by no means obtained occurring the South Aspect in the course of the pandemic-shortened season, battling left shoulder irritation and hitting simply .157/.250/.377 (70 OPS+) in 44 video games; he had as many singles (10) as residence runs. The White Sox went 35-25 and made the expanded playoffs, however Encarnación performed simply as soon as throughout their Wild Card Sequence loss to the A’s, going 0-for-2. After Chicago declined Encarnación’s $12 million possibility, the 37-year-old slugger mentioned he deliberate to play in 2021, persevering with his pursuit of 500 residence runs, however the determination to not undertake the common DH for 2021 after utilizing it in ’20 lowered his job market. He by no means did play once more.

…

Exterior of his spectacular residence run complete, Encarnación doesn’t actually have a lot of a Corridor of Fame case. He made simply three All-Star groups, by no means completed greater than eleventh within the MVP voting, had only one league lead in a key class, and regardless of his 2016 AL Wild Card Sport walk-off dinger, completed with a .216/.324/.360 postseason line with 4 homers in 145 plate appearances.

The superior statistics don’t assist his trigger. Encarnación’s protection at third base, first base, and left area was a mixed 68 runs under common, and his baserunning and double play avoidance one other 21 under common. Positional changes take a chew out of his WAR, too, although there’s no disputing he was extra priceless after transferring off third, significantly as a hitter:

His 35.3 profession WAR ranks 63rd amongst first basemen, two spots under the second-lowest Corridor of Famer, Jim Bottomley. He’s 63rd in JAWS as nicely, under Bottomley, Carlos Santana, and Kevin Youkilis, amongst others.

Maybe if he’d landed with an AL workforce earlier in his profession, and likewise had a little bit of luck on the again finish, Encarnación may need reached 500 homers, by which case he would have ignited a debate on whether or not attaining the milestone with a clear repute is sufficient for the Corridor. Typically, I feel the reply is not any, and with Encarnación fifty fifth out of 59 in WAR amongst these with 400 homers, I don’t suppose he would have made for a robust check case:

None of those gamers are enshrined; Stanton, a former MVP, nonetheless has a shot, however has his work lower out to achieve each 500 homers and 50 WAR. Delgado went one-and-done on the 2015 BBWAA poll, then obtained 9 out of 16 votes (56.3%) in the latest Period Committee election, a consequence that makes extra sense as a referendum on the PED-linked Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Gary Sheffield than anything.

Encarnación gained’t be shut out fully — at this writing, he’s obtained one vote out of 40 printed on the Tracker — however in all chance, he gained’t get the 5% wanted to stay on the poll. Nonetheless, he figures to be fondly remembered, each as one of many high sluggers of his period and as a key contributor to some memorable Blue Jays groups.