Edwin Encarnación

Profile Overview

Edwin Elpidio Encarnación Rivera (born January 7, 1983) is a Dominican former professional baseball designated hitter, third baseman and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, and Chicago White Sox.
Encarnación was initially drafted in 2000 by the Texas Rangers but was subsequently traded to the Cincinnati Reds, where he eventually made his major league debut in 2005. His playing time as a third baseman gradually rose year to year, and he had his first 20-HR season in 2008 with 26 home runs. He was traded midway through the 2009 season to the Toronto Blue Jays. He would play a variety of positions there in third base, first base, and designated hitter for eight seasons. He reached a new career high in home runs with 42 in 2012; he was named an All-Star for the first time in 2013 and did so again in 2014, which saw him hit 30 home runs each time. He reached the postseason for the first time in 2015 and did so again in 2016, where the Blue Jays lost in the ALCS each time. He left for Cleveland in free agency after 2016, hitting thirty home runs in each of his two seasons before being traded to Seattle. He was traded midway through the year to New York but hit 34 total home runs to reach the 400 home run club. Encarnación signed with the White Sox in 2020 and had ten home runs in the pandemic-shortened season. After not being signed in the offseason, Encarnación retired.
A batter who hit 20+ home runs in ten different seasons, Encarnación was named an All-Star three times for his career.