In 2009, the Toronto Blue Jays traded their star third baseman Scott Rolen to the Reds, for their third baseman, a young, power-hitting guy named Edwin Encarnacion. Initially, the Reds were deemed the victors, as Rolen had several All Star seasons in Cincinnati, and put a nice little ribbon on his pretty excellent career. However, after Rolen retired in the early 2010's...Edwin went to work to become one of the most underrated power hitters in baseball.
The man just recently hit his 300th home run, and at 33 and still having a career season, is far from finished. His 95 Home Runs is an MLB best, and isn't too far off from his personal best- besides, he's already got 32 home runs by August, which is pretty difficult to do (especially this season). The fact that since the 2012 season, Edwin Encarnacion's bat has not stopped doing amazing things proves how integral he is to the Blue Jays lineup, arguably moreso than their flagship star Jose Bautista.
To be fair, Joey Bats and Edwin got to the Jays around the same time, 2009. And they didn't just start mashing the ball overnight- Bautista's success began arooooound 2010, and Edwin, as I said, started hitting big in 2012. But Edwin has had way more consistency in numbers than Bautista, probably because of his status as a DH. Edwin hasn't exactly had any down seasons in a while, as opposed to Bautista who, like most players, ebbs and flows season per season. Edwin's a rock that has held the team down through numerous identity crises.
Now...I'm not saying I want the Blue Jays to keep ruling the AL East because, again, this isn't really their year. Edwin, Donaldson and Saunders are some of the few consistent offensive suppliers on the team- they're not whole. But I do think Edwin's a fantastic hitter and he's probably on his way to a few accolades by the end of the year.
Coming Tonight- After the August 1st dust had cleared...he was still pitching in Philadelphia, somehow.
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