Edwin Encarnación facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Edwin Encarnación |
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Encarnación with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2016
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| Designated hitter / Third baseman / First baseman | ||||||||||||||
| Born: January 7, 1983 La Romana, Dominican Republic |
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| debut | ||||||||||||||
| June 24, 2005, for the Cincinnati Reds | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | ||||||||||||||
| September 27, 2020, for the Chicago White Sox | ||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .260 | |||||||||||||
| Home runs | 424 | |||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 1,261 | |||||||||||||
| Teams | ||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Edwin Elpidio Encarnación Rivera (born January 7, 1983) is a former professional baseball player from the Dominican Republic. He played as a designated hitter, third baseman, and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). Edwin played for several teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, and Chicago White Sox. He was chosen as an All-Star three times during his career.
Early Life and Baseball Dreams
Edwin Encarnación was born in the Dominican Republic. His father, Elpidio Encarnación, was a coach. Edwin is one of four children in his family. He also has twelve half-siblings. As a high school student, Edwin lived in both the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. This was because his father took a coaching job at a college in Puerto Rico. Living in Puerto Rico made Edwin eligible to be chosen in the Major League Baseball draft.
Professional Baseball Career
Starting with the Reds
The Texas Rangers picked Edwin in the ninth round of the 2000 Major League Baseball draft. He later joined the Cincinnati Reds in a trade in 2001. Edwin made his Major League Baseball debut on June 24, 2005. He played in 69 games that year. He finished with a .232 batting average, nine home runs, and 31 runs batted in (RBIs).
In 2006, Edwin played 117 games for the Reds. He batted .276 with 15 home runs and 72 RBIs. He even won the National League Player of the Week award in August. In 2007, Edwin improved his batting average to .289. He hit 16 home runs and had 76 RBIs. In 2008, Edwin played 146 games and hit 26 home runs, a new career high. He also had 68 RBIs. For the 2009 season, Edwin wanted to be a more consistent hitter. He played 43 games for the Reds before being traded.
Joining the Blue Jays
2009–2011: New Team, New Challenges
On July 31, 2009, Edwin was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. He played 42 games for the Blue Jays that year. He batted .240 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs.
During the offseason, Edwin had an accident with a firecracker, causing some burns to his face. He recovered quickly and was discharged from the hospital.
In 2010, Edwin missed 30 games due to a right arm injury. He returned in May and hit a home run in his first game back. On May 21, he hit three home runs in one game! He hit his 100th career home run on the last day of the 2010 season. Edwin finished 2010 with a .244 batting average, 21 home runs, and 51 RBIs.
After a brief time with the Oakland Athletics, Edwin signed a new deal with the Blue Jays in December 2010. In 2011, he started playing third base but improved when he moved to the designated hitter position. He set a new career record with 34 doubles in a season. Edwin finished 2011 batting .272 with 17 home runs and 55 RBIs. The Blue Jays kept him for the 2012 season.
2012–2013: The "Parrot Walk" and All-Star Games
On April 28, 2012, Edwin hit his fourth career grand slam. This was also the first time he showed his famous "Parrot Walk" celebration. After hitting a home run, he would hold his arm out like a chicken wing while running the bases. Fans loved it and would mimic it! It became so popular that there were T-shirts, hats, and even toy parrots.
On July 12, Edwin signed a 3-year contract extension with Toronto. On September 13, 2012, he hit his 40th home run of the season. He also reached 100 RBIs for the first time in his career. Edwin was named the Blue Jays Player of the Year in 2012.
On May 23, 2013, Edwin hit his fifth career grand slam. On July 6, 2013, he was chosen for his first All-Star Game! He was one of four Blue Jays players selected. By the All-Star break, he had 25 home runs and 72 RBIs.
On July 26, 2013, Edwin made history by hitting two home runs in one inning! This had only happened once before for a Blue Jays player. He hit a solo home run and then a grand slam in the same inning. He was named the American League Player of the Week for his amazing hitting. Edwin hit his 30th home run of the season on August 7, 2013. This was his second straight season with 30 or more home runs. On August 31, he got his 1,000th career hit. He reached 100 RBIs for the second year in a row on September 2. Edwin finished the 2013 season with a .272 average, 36 home runs, and 104 RBIs.
2014–2016: Setting Records and Playoff Heroics
Edwin hit his 200th career home run on May 8, 2014. He was named the American League Player of the Week again in May. He set a new Blue Jays record for home runs in May, hitting 16 that month! He also tied a major league record for home runs in May. He was named the AL Player of the Month for May. In 2014, Edwin batted .268 with 34 home runs and 98 RBIs.
On June 30, 2015, Edwin gained "10-and-5 rights." This means he had played for 10 years in MLB, with the last 5 on the same team. These rights allowed him to say no to any trade. He hit his 250th career home run on August 6. On August 29, he hit three home runs in one game, including his third grand slam of the season! He also tied a team record with nine RBIs in a single game. The next day, he broke the Blue Jays record for RBIs in a single month, with 35 RBIs in August. He won the American League Player of the Month award for August.
He finished the 2015 regular season with a .277 batting average, 39 home runs, and 111 RBIs. Edwin played well in the playoffs, helping the Blue Jays. On November 3, the Blue Jays kept him for the 2016 season.
In 2016, Edwin hit his 200th home run as a Blue Jay. On June 10, he hit his fourth walk-off home run for the Blue Jays. This made him the team's all-time leader in walk-off home runs. On August 12, Edwin hit his 300th career home run. He became one of only a few players to hit their 300th home run with the Blue Jays. He recorded his 100th RBI of the season on August 16. On September 16, he hit his 40th home run of the season.
In the 2016 Wild Card game, Edwin hit a walk-off, three-run home run! This amazing hit gave the Blue Jays a 5–2 victory and sent them to the next round of the playoffs.
Time with the Indians
On January 5, 2017, Edwin signed a three-year contract with the Cleveland Indians. On Opening Day, he hit a home run. On July 25, 2017, Edwin hit a walk-off grand slam in the 11th inning, winning the game for the Indians. In his first season with the Indians, he hit .258 with 38 home runs and 107 RBIs. He also had a career high of 104 walks.
In 2018, he finished the season with 32 home runs and 107 RBIs. This was his seventh year in a row with over 30 home runs. It was also his fourth year in a row with 100 or more RBIs.
Short Stays with Mariners and Yankees
On December 13, 2018, Edwin was traded to the Seattle Mariners. He hit his first home run as a Mariner on March 28, 2019. On April 8, he hit two home runs in the sixth inning of a game. This made him one of only five players in MLB history to hit two home runs in the same inning twice! In 65 games with the Mariners, he batted .241 with 21 home runs and 49 RBIs.
On June 15, 2019, the Mariners traded Edwin to the New York Yankees. On August 3, he got hit by a pitch and had to leave the game with a fractured wrist. He was placed on the injured list. The Yankees decided not to keep him for the 2020 season.
Final Season with the White Sox
On January 9, 2020, Edwin signed a one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox. He made his White Sox debut on Opening Day, July 24, 2020. In the shorter 2020 season, Edwin batted .157 with 10 home runs and 19 RBIs.
Coaching Career
On February 24, 2023, Edwin Encarnación joined the coaching staff of the Toronto Blue Jays. He helps the team during spring training.
See also
In Spanish: Edwin Encarnación para niños
- List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders
- List of Toronto Blue Jays team records
- Major League Baseball Player of the Week Award
