2005–2020 · DH

Edwin Encarnacion

6' 1", 230 lbs·Lived to 43·Bats R / Throws R

All-Star

Hitter archetype· CONTEXTUAL

Launch-Angle PowerAbove-average power hitter who lifts and pulls the ball for damage.2015–2020 · 2,136 batted balls

The Almanac's Take

The parrot walk defined a generation of Blue Jays fans, but Encarnacion's peak power surge came later than most sluggers. He didn't crack 20 home runs until age 27, then proceeded to launch 239 bombs over his next seven seasons from 2012-2018.

That 2012 breakout wasn't a fluke — Encarnacion became one of baseball's most reliable middle-of-the-order threats, averaging 37 homers per season during his prime Toronto years. His 424 career long balls rank him among the top sluggers of the 2010s, despite never leading the league in any major offensive category.

The Dominican Republic native carved out 16 big league seasons by reinventing himself as a pure designated hitter. His career OPS+ of 112 reveals steady above-average production, built on patience at the plate and legitimate 40-homer power when locked in.

Career Highs

.941

Best OPS · 2012

Most HR · 2016

127

Most RBI · 2016

.289

Best AVG · 2007

Career Arc · OPS

16 seasons

Statistical Comps

Ketel Marte

100%

2025 season

ISO .233 · K% 14.9 · BB% 11.5 · HR% 5.0

Aaron Judge

100%

2024 season

ISO .379 · K% 24.3 · BB% 18.9 · HR% 8.3

Career · Batting

16 seasons

Year	Team	G	AB	HR	RBI	AVG	OPS	OPS+
2005	CIN	69	211	9	31	.232	.744	99
2006	CIN	117	406	15	72	.276	.831	108
2007	CIN	139	502	16	76	.289	.794	105
2008	CIN	146	506	26	68	.251	.807	108
2009	TOR	85	293	13	39	.225	.729	97
2010	TOR	96	332	21	51	.244	.787	108
2011	TOR	134	481	17	55	.272	.787	109
2012	TOR	151	542	42	110	.280	.941	130
2013	TOR	142	530	36	104	.272	.904	127
2014	TOR	128	477	34	98	.268	.901	129
2015	TOR	146	528	39	111	.277	.929	129
2016	TOR	160	601	42	127	.263	.886	120
2017	CLE	157	554	38	107	.258	.881	117
2018	CLE	137	500	32	107	.246	.810	111
2019	SEA	109	418	34	86	.244	.875	116
2020	CWS	44	159	10	19	.157	.627	85
Career		1960	7040	424	1261	.260	—	—

Barrel Surface

Every ball this hitter has put in play — how hard it left the bat, and at what angle. The red field behind the dots shows how much damage that kind of contact does, league-wide: the darker the red, the better things go for the hitter.

2,116 BBE · 2015–2020 · 89.8 mph avg EV · 11.5% barrels

LEAGUE xwOBA0.02.0

BATTED BALLS11025+

The field — league-average xwOBA (what a batted ball is typically worth: 0.0 is a sure out, ~2.0 a sure home run) for every exit-velocity × launch-angle combination, measured from 1.3 million regular-season balls in play since 2015. The dark ridge — balls hit 105+ mph at 25–30° — is the barrel zone, where contact becomes near-automatic extra bases.

The dots — this hitter’s career regular-season balls in play, grouped to a fine grid; a bigger dot means more batted balls at that exact combination. Dots piled onto the red ridge are damage; dots low on the pale field are weak or mishit contact. Spring training and the postseason are excluded.

Ask The Almanac about Edwin Encarnacion.

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