Toronto Blue Jays Poll: Best Hitter of All Time, Round 1

Matchup 5: Devon White vs Edwin Encarnacion

Devo played 656 games with the Blue Jays from 1991 through 1995 and patrolled center field for the back to back championship teams in ’92 and ’93. In 5 seasons with Toronto, he managed 126 stolen bases, which is good for 6th all time. He was only caught 23 times in those 5 years! He was the one to start off the most famous lineup in Blue Jays history: WAMCO! Any Blue Jay fan knows what this acronym means. And, White was the table setter.

More from Blue Jays All-Time Lists

• Blue Jays: All-Time Roster, Outfield, DH and Coaching Staff
• Blue Jays All-Time Roster, Part Three: The Bullpen
• Blue Jays: All-Time Roster Part Two, Battery and Infield
• Blue Jays: Top 5 All-Time Funkiest Pitching Motions/Deliveries
• Blue Jays: All-time ERA leaders list has some surprises

In each of those 5 seasons, he won a Gold Glove Award for his play in CF, where his career TZ rating is 114! In 16 years of playing CF, he’d only make 65 errors in total. That’s part of the reason that Fangraphs lists his career defensive value at 150.6. It was the effortless glide he used to track down any ball hit to him that made him fun to watch. It was certainly what helped him make the leaping catch at the wall that started off the phantom triple play in the 1992 World Series.

Encarnacion’s time as a Blue Jay didn’t get off to the best start. His defense was questionable at 3rd base, which earned him the nickname “E5”. When the Blue Jays had traded Scott Rolen for him, Blue Jays fans knew he could hit, but were surprised by his glove. The team parted ways with Edwin for a brief period of time, but brought him back and changed their plans for him.

The move to first base/ DH was a great one. Now, EE doesn’t have to worry about errors bringing him down and impacting his bat. Currently, he sits in 6th place on the club’s all time HR list at 197. Assuming health, etc 2016 should see him climb to as high as 2nd. He needs 27 to pass Wells for that spot. Over the last few years, we’ve watched him become one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball and form the toughest heart of the order in baseball. When he is locked in, there is not a better hitter around.

Next: Matchup 6: Battle of the Hair